| The profession of social work developed to meet the needs of a rapidly industrializing society. As the United States society has grown the profession of social work itself has also expanded from settlement houses and friendly visitors to the vast array of social work services and specializations available today. Although there is a small literature related to social work and the environment the profession has not fully embraced the need to incorporate these issues into the field of social work. This research seeks to gauge the environmental knowledge, attitudes and perception of professionals in the field of social work and compile methods that social workers are using to incorporate environmental issues into social work practice.;The results presented are based on a cross-sectional survey using a random sample of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members in California (n=373). The survey response rate was 38%. Questions relating to social workers knowledge of existing NASW environmental policy statements, social workers attitudes toward the environment, and the inclusion of issues relating to the natural environment in social workers personal and professional life were probed. This study seeks to add to the literature on environmental attitudes. The examination of the environmental attitudes and environmental perception of professionals in the field of social work will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between social work and the environment, opening a dialog on the similarities between the goals of environmental justice and the mission of social work. |
