Ecological civilization education can provide a robust ideological foundation and a talent pool for Chinese-style modernization. Given the inherent disciplinary advantages of geography in this fi eld, enhancing the ecological civilization literacy of pre-service geography teachers is of great significance, However, current research on ecological civilization education rarely takes the heterogeneity of educational recipients into account. The eff ectiveness of cultivating ecological civilization literacy among pre-service geography teachers is undermined. On this basis, this paper adopts Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical lens, points out the practical dilemmas at present: autonomy is systematically eroded, competence is habitually neglected and relatedness is structurally weakened. Taking the ecological civilization practice association of School S as an example, it focuses on three dimensions: club operation mode, faculty guidance strategies and community relational bonds, and puts forward optimization paths for cultivating pre-service geography teachers’ ecological civilization literacy. The aim is to better harness the important supporting role of ecological civilization education in ecological civilization construction and the advancement of Chinese-style modernization.