Urban environmental problems transition and environmental education towards sustainable cities in China

With the rapid economic development and the speeding up of urbanization, the urban environmental problems in China are experiencing a progressive transition, which is characterized by steady transferring to the living (or consumption) oriented pollution pattern from the production oriented pollution pattern. Regarding this transition, the environmental education recognized as an important measure for approaching the objective of sustainable development, should transfer its focus correspondingly in urban area, which is to transfer to the habit cultivating pattern on the basis of the traditional knowledge inputting environmental education pattern. In practice, the urban environmental education should emphasize more on developing or cultivating the sustainable living mode of the urban residents, especially the students in elementary and primary schools and women. By this transform, the environmental education may be guided further towards sustainable development, and to serve the achievement of sustainable cities better in China.

Integrated environmental education for sustainable forest management: the case of Nandi Hills Forests, Kenya

Environmental education （EE） is a vital dimension of modern day acumen that portends a great promise in solving the myriad environmental resource management challenges at global, regional and local levels. A study was carried out in 18 locations in the Nandi North, Nandi South and Nandi Hills districts of Kenya, which cover the Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests in Nandi County, major water catchments for Lake Victoria. A mixed methodological approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household survey and observations was embraced in data collection and analysis. The study reveals that there are several strategies that have been adopted by the local population and institutions involved in the management of the Nandi Hills Forests （NHFs） and that these strategies have contributed to an improvement in the perceptions of the local population in terms of the importance of environmental management of the forests. This paper highlights EE as a vehicle for ensur- ing a sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forests. As such, it illuminates the great potential that lies in sustainably managing the NHFs by integrating formal and informal EE approaches. It further points out the functional gaps in the management of NHFs and proposes best-practices that could be adopted and/or domesticated in NHFs management regimes.

The Localization of UK Experience in Environmental Education in Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen, China

In China, the environmental education （EE） is a brief new but popular topic in recent several years as a method to cope with the gap between nature and children. EE was started in UK with a long-term development and the useful experience can be utilized for the Chinese EE development. As a case study, the experiences of UK organizations were summarized and applied in the EE system in Fairy Lake Botanical Garden in Shenzhen （SZBG）, China. The localization of UK’s experience in the EE development in SZBG in terms of EE program, course content and resource was summarized in this paper. There are also discussions for the future update of EE in SZBG and for other local organizations like botanical gardens, wetland parks, nature reserve etc.

Side Effects of Gamifying Environmental Education Activities in Chinese Kindergartens

Environmental education is an effective approach to addressing environmental issues,and incorporating environmental education into kindergarten through gamified activities aligns with the concept of gamifying teaching and provides the optimal pathway for implementing environmental education.The purpose of this study is to investigate the specific processes involved in determining the objectives,themes,and content of gamified environmental education activities,as well as the organization,implementation,and evaluation of these activities in kindergarten settings.Five classes from Class G in Xining City Kindergarten were selected as the observational subjects for this study.Interviews were conducted with the teaching staff and the head of the kindergarten.The data obtained from observations and interviews served as the primary data for this research.The results indicate that the activity objectives formulated by teachers lack scientific basis and operability,with limited incorporation of gaming elements.The activity themes and content are narrow in scope and primarily determined by teachers and kindergarten administrators.The organization and implementation of activities often neglect the playful experiences of children,and activity evaluation is not given sufficient attention.

“Do Big Hands Guide Small Hands?”or“do Small Hands Guide Big Hands”:The intergenerational interactions in environmental behaviors and family influencing factors

Families'large pollution and energy consumption cannot be underestimated.In order to realize and internalize environmental awareness as a social consensus,it is imperative for every member of a household to be involved in transforming everyday behavior.Intergenerational interactions are of paramount importance.Accordingly,the focus of this study was on parent-adolescent interactions,their reciprocal impact on environmental behaviors,and the factors that have an influence on these processes.Questionnaires were employed to collect information of 684 families in 10 districts of Jinan,the capital of Shandong Province.Subsequently,interviews were conducted with 15 of these families to comprehend the tangible reasons underlying intergenerational interactions in environmental behaviors.First,a paired sample T-test was employed to compare the frequency of these interactions.The data showed that while the T values were positive in all eight compared groups,there were significant differences in seven of them.These results suggest that the impact of intergenerational interactions on environmental behaviors is not symmetrical:parents'instructions are far more frequent than adolescents'back-feeding of ecological notions.The interviews revealed that this phenomenon was generated primarily by unequal experiences between parents and adolescents because the latter do not participate in housework and family projects.Furthermore,the traditional concept of intergenerational order appears to be permanent.Second,two linear regression models,a Parent-to-Adolescent model and an Adolescent-to-Parent model that encompassed several factors including family structure,intergenerational relationships,living environment,and families'social class were developed.Among these factors,the intergenerational relationship variable played a particularly significant role:the more equal and open-minded dialogs are incorporated into parent-adolescent communication,the more favorable interactions may occur for development of their environmental behaviors.Thus,when an environmental education system with families is constructed,it is imperative to promote a parent's ecological awareness with the help of grass-roots organizations by means of reasonable rewards and punishments to redress their former behaviors so as to let Big Hands Guide Small Hands.It is also crucial to enhance a more equal intergenerational relationship through parents'schooling or other relevant services so as to create a favorable atmosphere for Small Hands Guide Big Hands.

Holland＇s Method as a Material in Environmental Education

In this work, the Holland＇s methodology is modified for the categorization of human personalities by including queries （in the corresponding questionnaire that serves as an evaluation tool） investigating its responders＇ attitude as regards his/her willingness to be professionally engaged with the natural or/and anthropogenic environment. The population used as representative sample consisted of 250 students following courses at high school and university level. The quantitative methods used were descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric statistics hypothesis （on causal relations） testing, categorical semantics, ontological mapping fuzzy sets and interval algebra. The results obtained showed relative significant internal consistency at macro-level for almost half of the interviewees, but the dependence of answers to environmental queries on the rest responds to the rest queries was insignificant, indicating lack of specific knowledge and clarification of the corresponding concepts at micro-level.

Environmental Education, Environmental Ethics, and Environmental Perceptions of Food Establishment Employees in a Philippine University

The waste management challenge in university campuses includes food and food packaging materials. Being foremost affected by the food-related waste stream, 92 employees from food establishments located inside the University of the Philippines were provided expert-validated survey questionnaire to identify their perception on environment and pollution as well as describe their awareness on environmental education and environmental ethics concepts. Thirty-nine （42.4%） related the concept of environment mainly to trees, plants, animals, and the physical environment such as rivers. Only twenty-six （28.3%） expressed an attitude of concern on the current state of the environment. Six （6.5%） conveyed negative human behavior as the reason why the environment is in a dismal state and the same percentage （6.5%） showed concern for the environment mainly because humans benefit from it. Fifteen （16.3%） opted not to share their opinion. For perception on pollution, thirty-six （39.1%） linked the concept to the presence of land, air, or water pollution and twenty-three （25%） associated the pollution to negative effects on human health and on the environment. Twelve （13%） mentioned concern over the presence of pollution and twenty-one （22.8%） did not share their opinion on pollution. Awareness on environmental ethics concepts was identified using 15-item Likert Scale Questionnaire. Areas in environmental concepts where participants most strongly agreed include ＂value of life,＂ diversity and intrinsic value, cooperation, common good, and social responsibility. Results of this survey will be integrated into the discourse on the proposed policy of the University of the Philippines to segregate waste at-source. The said policy seeks to ensure that： （1） only food waste from concessionaires will be deposited directly to the compost site; （2） recyclables are to be sold; and （3） only residuals such as non-biodegradables and non-recyclables are to be sent to the dumpsite.

An Investigation of Environmental Education Knowledge for Sustainable Development in High School Sectors in UK

The purpose of this study was to investigate student＇s awareness, knowledge and understanding of environmental issues for sustainable development. Findings revealed that： despite the positive attitude shown by students towards environmental education, a relatively low level of understanding of environmental concept was recorded in school settings regardless of efforts by government and other environmental agencies at creating awareness about environmental related issues. This brought about the investigation of students＇ environmental education knowledge in high school settings. About 205 students were randomly selected for data collection using validated instruments titled student＇s knowledge and attitude questionnaire as well as student＇s response to questions （interview） concerning global warming. T-test statistics, chi-square and simple percentage were the major statistical tools employed in data analysis. This study revealed that environment based-education （school curriculum） as well as efforts by government/environmental agencies （mass media） plays a major role in promoting students＇ understanding, of environmental concepts, awareness of major environmental issues and positive attitude towards natural environment.

An Environmental Learning Support System Incorporating the Life Cycle Concept

The need for environmental education, which incorporates the life cycle concept into the learning program, will become increasingly greater all over the world. In the present study, an e-learning system, which is made up of 3 parts including text-based learning materials, quizzes to review the content of the learning materials and CO2 emission simulation, was designed and developed with the purpose of supporting environmental learning. Targeting a wide range of people, the operation period of this system was 1 month. Based on the results of questionnaire survey for users, it was evident that the quiz function and the simulation function of CO2 emission contributed to the efficiency in environmental learning, and the format of the e-learning system was effective and helpful for environmental learning. Additionally, with the users’ awareness related to environmental conservation before and after using the system, significant changes in awareness were seen in areas such as behavioral intention, sense of urgency and sense of connection. Furthermore, as it was revealed that 62% of the total access numbers were from mobile devices, it was effective to prepare an interface optimized for mobile devices enabling users to use the system from their smartphones and tablet PCs.

Exploration on Environmental Education Though Construction of Global Parks in Zibo City

In this paper,the development status of environmental education in representative urban parks in Zibo City is investigated,studied,analyzed,and summarized.Besides,the role of natural resource commentary systems,waste sorting center visitations,and specialty gardens are expounded.In order to provide a reference for the integration of environmental education in the construction and renovation of parks in Zibo City,the problems in several practices like specialty gardens and WeChat public account is discussed.

Promoting the Common Development of Education and Protection of Environmental Rights

Environmental fights are im- portant fights that have been written into fundamental hu- man rights since the 1970s. With economic globalization and sci- entific and technological progress, it is more and more important to educate and protect environmental rights world- wide. As a large developing country, China has significant responsibilities in the field of global environmental safety. However, the awareness and status of environmental rights protection are still not suited to people＇s demands for environmental rights, making it an important task to carry out scientific planning and environmental rights edu- cation and improve citizens＇ enjoyment of environmental rights. We propose to start from defining the constitutional status of environmental rights and pro- mote the education and protection of environmental rights at the same time, so as to enhance mutual influence and contribute to creating a good environ- ment for mankind.

Deforestation and Habitat Loss: Human Causes, Consequences and Possible Solutions

Deforestation leads to habitat loss while preservation and conservation of the natural forest increase biological diversity.Multiple factors have been reported to be responsible for deforestation and habitat loss,which could either be of human or natural origin.Natural causes of deforestation could be as a result of forest fires,droughts,exotic animals,floods,overpopula­tion of foreign animals and climate change.That notwithstanding,human activities are among the principal causes of global deforestation and habitat loss with agricultural expansion,cattle breeding,timber extraction,mining,oil extraction,dam construction and infrastructure development as some examples of these human influences.This study identifies agricultural ac­tivities and urbanization as the chief causes of human induced deforestation and habitat loss on a large scale.The simple and more practicable approach to curb the already alarming effects of deforestation and habitat loss is through environmental education of everyone still surviving on our planet.Environmental education is the key to reversing continuous and deliberate human actions through the protection of every natural forest and afforesta­tion where necessary.

IoTFLiP： IoT-based flipped learning platform for medical education

Case-Based Learning （CBL） has become an effective pedagogy for student-centered learning in medical education, which is founded on persistent patient cases. Flippped learning and Internet of Things （IoTs） concepts have gained significant attention in recent years. Using these concepts in conjunction with CBL can improve learning ability by providing real evolutionary medical eases. It also enables students to build confidence in their decision making, and efficiently enhances teamwork in the learning environment. We propose an IoT-based Flip Learning Platform, called IoTFLiP, where an IoT infrastrneture is exploited to support flipped case-based learning in a cloud environment with state of the art security and privacy measures for personalized medical data. It also provides support for application delivery in private, public, and hybrid approaches. The proposed platform is an extension of our Interactive Case-Based Flipped Learning Tool （ICBFLT）, which has been developed based on current CBL practices. ICBFLT formulates summaries of CBL cases through synergy between students＇ and medical expert knowledge. The low cost and reduced size of sensor device, support of IoTs, and recent flipped learning advancements can enhance medical students＇ academic and practical experiences. In order to demonstrate a working scenario for the proposed IoTFLiP platform, real-time data from IoTs gadgets is collected to generate a real-world case for a medical student using ICBFLT.

Leveraging Six Sigma Tools and Methodology to Improve Student English Language Performance at Elementary School

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Six Sigma (SS) methodology can be used to improve the performance of students in English as a second language and enhance the teaching process by utilizing quality tools in an educational environment. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper uses the different quality improvement tools within the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) phases to improve student performance in an English language class at a private school. Findings: Quality tools, such as cause and effect diagrams and quality function deployment, have been successfully applied within the Six Sigma DMAIC framework in the educational sector to improve the performance of students and enhance the teaching process. Practical Implications: This paper helps school administrations to analyze student performance and implement improvement actions to improve their performance. Originality/Value: The principal objective of this paper is to demonstrate how quality improvement tools can be introduced and successfully applied in an elementary school to improve student performance and communication between the school administration, teachers and parents.

Sustainability Capacity Building Based on Educational Method: A Case Study on China and Sweden Joint Program

Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (EE&ESD) have been widely accepted as an effective educational method to contribute to capacity development and processes of change in developing countries. This paper takes SIDA supported EE&ESD in formal educationadvanced international training program, China as an example. By analyzing and reflecting its orientation, implementation, outcomes and evaluation, experiences and lessons learned are expected to help improve the sorts of international cooperation capacity building programs both from international and also Chinese perspectives.

Controlled Environment Agriculture and Its Ability to Mitigate Food Insecurity

The research objective of this review is to discuss the rationale that led to the development of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and investigate this agricultural approach as a potential solution to mitigate the increased pressures on food security. It describes the need for urban cultivation systems using controlled environments and how they can be harnessed to address pressures facing food security. The factors that have contributed to the growth of CEAs, education, environmental justice, and the advantages and disadvantages of growing crops in CEAs in urban areas will be discussed. The article reviews global urban cultivation systems using controlled environments, by identifying the technologies needed to establish them. The practice of CEA is being increasingly adopted worldwide and we describe urban agriculture and compare it with traditional growing systems. Indoor farming systems that integrate into existing urban infrastructure such as vertical farming and plant factories using CEAs are discussed. Indoor farming gives urban areas enhanced access to food sources, but the cost is high, however decreasing due to recent technological advances. The current review extends the literature by incorporating recent research on the topic of agriculture in urban areas and food security. This review seeks to provide additional information regarding the viability of CEA in urban areas.

The Global Educational Environment Within Global Management of Knowledge

The previous studies have outlined the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within the global education of planning development. They have explored the application of these perspectives to the central substantive theme emerging from global educational analysis of planning organisation and behaviour, that is, the process of managerial control. This study focuses upon the global educational environment within global management of knowledge and substantive parameters set by the previous studies. It carries out this task in a number of respects. First, it reviews the various explanations that have been offered for the historical development of modern planning--both as a unique organisational form and as a distinctive educational worldview. Second, it considers various conceptions of managerial work that have evolved within educational analysis since the inception of the corporate system enters into global education societies during the early years of the 21st century. Third, it assesses the implications of empirical research on the three major levels of planning that haw： crystallised within contemporary corporate hierarchies. These are made up by the elite group of staffs and senior lecturers, and the middle strata of line workers, who are the superintendents of production. A concluding section evaluates the general contribution educational analysis has made to our understanding of the nature of managerial work.

Educational Achievement, Age Distribution and the Disables

Educational achievement and age correlatives may have significant bearings on generation, maintenance, and sustenance of environment to disseminate education for comprehensive development of learners as permeation of learning and its diffusion rate may vary depending upon different achievements on literacy scale for different age groups. More so, for disable learners as such learners need additional initiatives and assisting environment of even more literate fellow beings constituting surroundings. From this perspective, this paper makes a descriptive analytical effort to present census （2011） results in evaluating overall literacy position and that for disable ones alongwith environment availability through simple statistical tools

Understanding the Perceptions and Practices of Homeowners in the Event of Hurricane: A Case Study of University Employees in Louisiana

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore and gain an understanding of Louisiana homeowners’ perceptions and practices in preparing for hurricanes;contribute to academic research and student learning, while guiding the development of future projects. We focused specifically on how homeowners in Louisiana would protect their important documents and possessions. These documents and possessions include but are not limited to photographs, social security cards, birth certificates, and insurance paperwork. We collected the data throughout the fall semester of 2022 at Louisiana State University (LSU) by conducting a focus group and in-depth interviews. We collected a variety of answers, but most participants expressed a strong need to have their important documents and possessions protected and gave different strategies for how this was carried out, such as digitizing or protective storage. Participants also expressed a strong need for more information to be delivered to residents to talk more about ways they can protect their own documents and possessions. Emphases were also made on the need for: leaders of large institutions to be especially concerned with preparedness for vulnerable populations;outreach programs to be put in place to spread awareness of the importance of protecting important documents and possessions during a disaster;news outlets to switch their focus from normal survival tips to discussions on the importance of protecting documents and possessions;government and non-profit agencies to work together to share tips and information through social media and other forms of handouts.

Can the Ucides cordatus Fishing and the Crassostrea gasar Creation on the Amazon Coast Make up the Curriculum of Rural Schools

The fishing and ostreiculture activities practiced in the coast of the Eastern Amazon in the state of Pará,Brazil,became important to be inserted in ru­ral education.Thus,this literature review aimed to realize a brief theoretical discussion about the important aspects of rural education in promoting the development of fishing and osteiculture.For the accomplishment of the literary research it was sought to explain the definition in education;rural education and valorization of the rural environment;environmental educa­tion as a transversal theme;fishing and aquaculture as a teaching strategy;considerations of fishing and ostreiculture;challenges and perspectives of the teaching of fishing and aquaculture in education;and booklet as a peda­gogical tool in education.In conclusion,the use of fishing and ostreiculture as a strategy for rural schools through environmental education is important to foster fishing activity in communities,as well as the sustainable use of natural resources.