As representações sociais sobre meio ambiente, de 791 alunos da Educação Básica de Palmas (TO), no Ensino Fundamental e Médio das redes privada, municipal e estadual, foram investigadas mediante análise de documentos e pesquisa de campo, utilizando-se a técnica de mapas mentais. A identificação dos elementos das representações de meio ambiente, apresentada pelos alunos, tomou por base a análise global dos desenhos de cada aluno das fases de Ensino Fundamental I e II, e Ensino Médio. Possivelmente, as origens das representações categorizadas estejam associadas, sobretudo, aos discursos dos professores e à própria vivência de cada aluno, à percepção que cada um tem do ambiente/ lugar no qual reside.

The social representations of the environment of 791 students of Basic Education for Palmas (TO) in elementary and high school networks both private, municipal and state were investigated by examining documents and field research, using the technique of mind mapping. The identification of elements of representations of the Environment, presented by the students was based on the overall analysis of each student’s drawings of the stages of elementary school I and II, and High School. We considered that the origins of the representations are linked through categorization, especially the discourses of teachers and the very existence of each student, and the perception that each has of the environment / location in which they reside.