Logistics—an important part of supply chain management—involves the coordination and management of the flow of materials through the supply chain process. Unfortunately, logistics activities often have harmful environmental impacts, because they may contribute to wasteful energy use and increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, higher education logistics programs rarely include environmental education (EE) courses. Research shows that integrating EE into higher education curricula can help students expand their environmental knowledge and understanding, develop greater awareness about the environment, deepen their feelings of self-efficacy related to environmental actions, and adopt more pro-environmental behaviors. Yet, previous research has focused on the benefits of EE on general improvements in environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Little research exists on the impacts of industry-specific EE. This study measured environmental knowledge gain from logistics-specific EE in a higher education context, as well as logistic students' willingness to take EE classes.
This study took place at the Technological Educational Institute of Central Macedonia in Greece. The authors randomly divided 115 logistics undergraduate students (roughly half men and half women with a mean age of 19.8) into two groups. All of the students first completed a questionnaire about their awareness and attitudes related to the environmental impacts of logistics activities so that any change in their concerns could be measured against this baseline. One group of 53 students, called the intervention group, participated in a two-week course that met two hours per week and explored the environmental impacts associated with transporting goods. The other group of 62 students, called the control group, did not participate in the course. Six weeks after the end of the course, students in both groups took three brief assessments to measure (1) knowledge about the environmental, social, economic, and cultural impacts of logistics activities, (2) potential reasons for inclusion of EE courses in the logistics curricula, (3) tradeoffs between the environment and the economy, and (4) willingness to participate in a semester-long EE course. The authors used statistics to analyze differences between the two groups of students.
Overall, this study indicated that logistics-specific EE can help students better grasp the environmental-economic tradeoffs associated with logistics activities. Additionally, short-term exposure to industry-specific EE can significantly increase students' (1) understanding of the environmental impacts of logistics activities, (2) ability to use EE to develop holistic thinking about logistics, and (3) willingness to participate in longer, more in-depth EE classes.
Results indicated that the intervention group developed a greater understanding of the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of logistics activities. These students also expressed greater willingness to participate in a semester-long EE course than the control group. The motivations driving interest in taking an EE course differed between the groups. The control group was primarily motivated by an interest in academic success while the intervention group expressed greater interest in the environment and believed that EE could enhance holistic understanding of logistics.
This study did not directly collect data related to participants' environmental attitudes and behaviors. While other research indicates a significant connection between environmental knowledge and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, the results of this study cannot demonstrate a connection between logistics-specific knowledge and logistics-specific attitudes and behaviors. Other limitations include the size of the study and its specific context in Greece, and knowledge and interest may differ among students in other countries.
Researchers recommend that higher institutions begin to incorporate EE to instill greater environmental awareness and knowledge in future professionals. Short-term exposure to EE concepts may be an effective starting place for inspiring greater interest in the environment and expanding logistics curricula to include EE.
The Bottom Line
Short-term exposure to EE can have far-reaching impacts and can inspire interest in further exploration of environmental education. Logistics programs in higher education institutions rarely include logistics-specific environmental education courses, despite the fact that supply chain logistics jobs involve decision-making about activities that can have detrimental environmental impacts. This study investigated the impacts of a short-term, logistics-specific EE course on undergraduates in a logistics program. The authors found that students involved in the EE course developed higher levels of understanding about the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of logistics activities compared to students who did not take the course. Students who engaged in the EE course expressed greater willingness to participate in a long-term, more in-depth EE course. The authors recommend that higher education institutions include EE courses to teach students about the potential effects of logistics and to encourage greater environmental awareness.