College Students’ Awareness and Understanding of the Environmental Education Concepts and Principles and Their Environment-Related Actions

Abstract

Environmental Education is paramount at the onset of climate change to develop
proactive approach in the mitigation of the climate change’s persistent and life-long deadly
threats to communities. To increase awareness in the educational front in this aspect,
understanding of the Environmental Education (EE) concepts and principles must be
established. This study determined the awareness and understanding of the college students of
BukSU in terms of EE concepts and principles and ascertained their responsible environmentrelated
actions. The findings reveal that the sampled college students who responded to the
questionnaire know and understand the EE concepts very well. It revealed further that the
responsible environment-related actions and behaviors that the students consciously practice
regularly are limited only to proper waste disposal, garbage segregation, and recycling of waste
materials. It can be deduced that the students’ awareness and understanding of the concepts are
not appropriately translated into actions that could develop a sense of social and moral
responsibility in students towards environmental protection. It is recommended that role of
education and training in raising environmental consciousness among the students in BukSU
may be strengthened.