Among the benefits gained by focusing on real-world issues is the opportunity for students to learn and practice skills needed in the workplace.  By working with professionals in a wide variety of fields, students will gain exposure to and have opportunities to try out methods used to investigate and evaluate environmental, economic, and community issues.  Each method can be tied directly to curriculum themes and learning objectives.  By selecting carefully, these methods enhance study in many of the subject areas.  We suggest three types of skills, or tools, that are important components of sustainability education because they offer effective means of gathering and organizing information and using it to make thoughtful decisions.  These are:

• field study methods
  

• group facilitation processes,
  

• and appropriate use of technology.