SCOTLAND'S international reputation for its commitment to environmental education owes much to the efforts of a small non-governmental organisation.

The Scottish Environmental Education Council ensured that the development of Scotland's strategy for environmental education, Learning for Life, was under way even before the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 called for all countries to develop one.

SEEC has now highlighted another landmark for environmental education (EE) in Scotland by celebrating its 21st birthday with the launch of a new publication Learning to Sustain. SEEC's ''coming of age'' pinpoints the brink on which environmental education in Scotland is poised.

In SEEC's lifetime the position of EE in education has shifted considerably, according to Ian Barr of the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum.

He said: ''Environmental education and education for sustainable development are no longer marginal interests that struggle to find a toe-hold in the formal curriculum, but powerful considerations in all educational thinking.''

But with many others, barr shares concerns about the need for concerted action to put the principles of Learning for Life into place. He said: ''If education is to realise its potential, it will need to pay more attention to finding ways of making the connections between the environment, sustainable development and what we understand as the formal curriculum.''

Learning for Life was published in 1993 and received wide approval. The response of the Secretary of State ian lang, in A Strategy for Environmental Education in Scotland, did not come until two years later. The majority of his document was a review of policy and practice. It gave little indication of how the recommendations in Learning For Life could be strengthened.

Many were disappointed by the lack of positive Government lead and attribute much of the progress since then to the work of NGOs with over-stretched resources with the support and engagement of a number of government agencies.

So what has Learning for Life achieved and how has a change in government affected progress? Lord Sewel, Scottish Environment Minister, at his speech at SEEC's birthday celebration, acknowledged a shift in emphasis towards action.

He said: There is a feeling that the climate is right for action.'' Lord Sewel congratulated SEEC on its achievements. He also looked to a future in which EE was not only on the agenda, but active on the ground without the degree of external pressure required in the past 21 years.

''I hope that SEEC will not be around to celebrate the 21st birthday of the Scottish Parliament. I hope that you will have worked yourselves out of a job.''

Learning to Sustain examines the challenges and opportunities that the next 21 years might bring for SEEC and EE in Scotland. The establishment of a Scottish Parliament will bring the potential to shape a sustainable, participative and equitable society in harmony with its environment.

The significant place of education in achieving it must be recognised. In Learning to Sustain, Professor John Smyth, the President of SEEC, foresees many favourable conditions for EE in the future.