Civic engagement

There are a variety of perspectives on the impacts of human activity on the environment, but many people believe creating a more sustainable future requires a fundamental cultural transformation. Individuals who rethink patterns of human activity to consider their implications and chart a new course through changes in actions, policies, or other means can help create this transformation. How to achieve such shifts, however, remains unclear. There are different ideas in the literature and others in practice, yet increasing civic engagement stands as a common guiding principle across them.

Local issues of sustainability have become part of the dialogue at university campuses. To that end, over the past decade, campus sustainability initiatives have proliferated throughout the United States. These initiatives have mostly focused on recycling programs, energy usage, and carbon footprints. A concurrent trend is the broadening of these initiatives to include campus land management, comprised of plant and soil stewardship as well as the restoration and protection of vulnerable areas.

Previous research has shown that while scientific knowledge tends to have an ephemeral quality, emotional factors such as feelings of interest, enjoyment, and curiosity about science tend to be enduring. In this paper, the researchers examined whether these positive emotions are correlated with greater levels of scientific literacy in 15-year-old students. In addition, they examined a potential link between these emotional factors and subsequent public engagement with science as adults.

To what degree is it appropriate for teachers to promote specific environmental actions and behaviors? This question is a contentious issue in environmental education. Scholars who support an “interpretive” approach argue that promoting specific actions—eating organic food, for example—is a form of advocacy, not education. Critical environmental education (critical EE), on the other hand, encourages critical thinking about the current social order, and aims to empower students to take action to create a world that is in line with their values.

Historically, children have been restricted in their ability to express their opinions when it comes to the design of their cities. Adults often assume that youth might not have the maturity or background to provide helpful input, yet when given the opportunity, kids can have important and insightful perspectives.

There is a vast array of pro-environmental behaviors people can adopt to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate the contribution of human activity to global climate change—from turning off lights, to composting, to biking instead of driving. Few studies have looked at which behaviors are the “low-hanging fruit” in terms of being most likely to be adopted by students after an environmental education experience.

Traditional approaches to teaching environmental and sustainability education (ESE) often rely on the knowledge of experts, textbook authors, and teachers, who then engage with students around environmentally related topics with outcomes related to environmental knowledge, attitudes, and skills. However, this delivery of preconceived knowledge does not always leave room for students to develop their own opinions. What's more, a concern can sometimes arise that students may be presented with a specific ideology.

Large-scale public campaigns about contentious environmental issues can be among the most effective ways to change public opinion and spark meaningful action. However, if these public campaigns aren't approached in the right way, they can actually generate increased public criticism regarding the issue. The authors of this paper discuss two public campaigns: one was publicly criticized and the other successfully raised public concern and led to federal policy changes. Specifically, the authors investigated how one-way communication can either succeed or backfire depending on the context.

One of the critical questions that is still challenging and persistent in environmental education (EE) research is why some EE programs are more effective than others at encouraging students' intention to undertake environmentally friendly behaviors. This study investigates one framework—called self-determination theory (SDT)—which explores what motivates people to act. SDT identifies three psychological needs that, when met, increase a person's motivation to act as well as long-term interest in the content. These three elements are competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

Environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) scholars have noted the importance of increasing civic political involvement to address environmental and sustainable development goals. However, few papers have directly addressed how educational experiences might foster greater engagement in the political realm. Authors of this conceptual paper first sought to understand what EE and ESD research has been conducted related to fostering collective civic action through learning experiences.