Another vision for ecological literacy is given eloquent voice by David Orr (Orr 1992). He argues that the ecologically literate person would have the "capacity to observe nature with insight", being able "... to distinguish between health and disease in natural systems and their relation to health and disease in human ones." Orr puts much emphasis on the importance of building ecological literacy through study and work in your "place" in the natural world, applying a system of education that does not separate the "how" from the "what" of curriculum and teaching. His argument for the need for people who can think broadly, possessing "... that quality of mind that seeks out connections" could present an insurmountable challenge to attempts such as the guidelines project if our definitions remain bounded by disciplines and conventional knowledge. His list of essential concepts provides another alternative framework, positing that the ecologically literate person should understand:

1. The earth as a physical system.

2. Ecology and thermodynamics.

3. The earth's "vital signs."

4. The essentials of human ecology.

5. The natural history of one=s own region.

6. How to restore natural systems and build sustainable communities and economies.

Orr, D.W. 1993. Ecological Literacy. Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World. State University of New York Press. Albany, NY. 210 pages.