Environmental culture and education: a new conceptual framework

Considering the exacerbation of present ecological crisis and the urgent need to restore natural balance, present paper proposes a new approach for envi ronmental education. Reviewing concepts as “cultures of nature”, “cultural ecology”, “environmental literacy” and “environmental culture”, we recreate the strategies and goals of environmental education and propose a new con ceptual framework to establish environmental educating communities and promote environmental culture. This framework builds on the community itself and is structured in three different sequential stages: driving forces; so ciocultural transformation process; and environmental sustainability. Each stage feeds from its previous, being the first one both an initial trigger but al so the permanent driving forces that feed the all cycle. Driving forces from the first stage are taken from political and social will, which would create mechanism to promote environmental education and best practices. Second stage is a process of sociocultural transformation of the community contexts based on the implementation of environmental best practices and environ mental education programs, which should modulate and be modulated the/by community and its models of organization. Finally, our conceptual frame work advocates that this process will be able to reach the third stage, the en vironmental sustainability, supported by an environmental educating com munity that drives environmental culture, which should also boost the driv ing forces from the first stage, closing the loop. We conclude that, since this is a theoretical approach, it needs now to be validated through its implementa tion and evaluation in a real scenario.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Environmental literacy in Madeira Island (Portugal): The influence of demographic variables

Demographic factors are among those that influence environmental literacy and, particularly, environmentally responsible behaviours, either directly or due to an aggregation effect dependent on other types of variables. Present study evaluates a set of demographic variables as predictors for environmental literacy among 9th grade students from Madeira Island (Portugal). Through a survey involving 491 students, gender, place of residence (rural and urban), 8th grade Natural Sciences discipline performance, participation in school’s environmental activities and, indirectly, socio-economic status were evaluated in their association to environmental literacy and, particularly, to each of its three main components: knowledge, attitude and behaviour. The results confirm three stronger environmental literacy predictors: rural or urban residence, depending on the components considered, higher marks in 8th grade Natural Sciences discipline and higher socio-economic status; and two weaker: female and participation in school’s environmental activities. Our findings found support in previous studies and underline the need to center socio-demographic factors in environmental education practices. Considering demographic variables as the reflex of environmental, economic and socio-cultural contexts, our results corroborate an environmental literacy’s construction framework on the light of Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of human learning, in which real learning contexts play a fundamental role. In fact, also in environmental literacy, learning occurs through the interaction with the social environment and, to be effective, needs real learning contexts. Demographic variables confirmed as being predictors for environmental literacy in Madeira Island students seems to mirror the effects of the above framework and show strong evidences of linkage with socioeconomic status.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainable development contributions among University of Madeira (Portugal) students

Sustainable development is highly dependent on the implementation of environmental education programs, which has as its ultimate goal to produce environmentally literate citizens that undertake environmentally friendly actions. Efforts on environmental education along past years are now perceived on the increase of citizens awareness on European countries and, particularly, in Portugal. However, we still have a lack of information on the prevalence of specific behaviors that contributes to sustainability, influenced by a new attitude toward the environment. The determination of pro-environmental behaviors prevalence in higher education students is an important approach to understand to which extend the next leading generation is, in practice, committed with the goals of sustainable development. Therefore, present study evaluates the prevalence of a specific set of behaviors (water savings, energy savings, environmental criteria on shopping, and mobility) on the University of Madeira students and discusses their commitment with sustainable development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Environmental literacy in 9th grade students from Madeira Island (Portugal)

Has a contribution to evaluate present levels of environmental literacy in Madeira Island (Portugal), we developed a survey involving 491 9th grade students and found a good level of knowledge (71.8%), a strong tendency to agree with the New Ecological Paradigm (58.2%) and an encouraging level of environmentally responsible behaviors (47.9%) in a ‘very often’ and ‘always’ basis. Results from present study should be considered to improve environmental education programs in place, especially in Portugal and Madeira Island, but new surveys were needed to evaluate other age groups as also the relationship between different components of environmental literacy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Environmental literacy comparison between students taught in eco-schools and ordinary schools in the Madeira Island Region of Portugal

The main goal of environmental education is to improve environmental literacy, including not just more knowledge but also a better attitude toward the environment and a higher prevalence of pro-environmental behaviours. The Eco-School Program is considered the world largest environmental education program for schools, but it keeps growing without proof of its particular effectiveness in improving environmental literacy. This study compares the level of environmental literacy on Madeira Island (Portugal) among 9th grade students from Eco-Schools and ordinary schools. It applies a questionnaire with three components, addressing knowledge, attitude and behaviour toward the environment. Results show that environmental literacy among 9th grade EcoSchool students is not significantly higher than in ordinary schools. However, there are some features of environmental literacy that are slightly better in Eco-Schools, namely in knowledge, attitude and behaviours. Based on our findings, we conclude that the Eco-School Program is not really a better environmental education strategy than others strategies adopted in ordinary schools. Nevertheless, the present study fails to point out reasons for the results obtained since the design research is not adequate for this purpose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

HLA loci and respiratory infectious diseases

The HLA system harbour a wide set of genes that plays an important role in the regulation and action of the immune system against invading pathogens, making them natural candidates for research on the genetic susceptibility for respiratory infections. Thus, along past decades, this topic has been subject to intense research and, consequently, several alleles of those loci have been implicated in the ability, more or less effective, to tackle and control invading pathogens in the respiratory system. Current editorial introduce, revise, summarize and comment the major advances in the role of HLA genes for the development of, and protection against, respiratory infectious disease. A general picture is drawn and new challenges on the field are relocated, especially those that might enlighten respiratory diseases aetiology and, thus, contribute in advances for diagnosis and treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Literacia ambiental: um desafio à didática e à matética

A educação ambiental tem por objetivo promover a literacia ambiental na sociedade e em cada um dos indivíduos que a compõe, tendo como propósito último a adoção de comportamentos que suportem a melhoria da sustentabilidade ambiental do Planeta. As artes de ensinar e de aprender, mais a primeira que a segunda, têm estado, por um lado, fortemente ancoradas na instituição escola, esquecendo os contextos socioculturais que a envolvem, e, por outro, no conhecimento, esquecendo a importância dos valores e comportamentos. Sendo a literacia ambiental um conceito que inclui não só a componente dos conhecimentos como também, entre outros, das atitudes e dos comportamentos, o paradigma institucionalizado não serve os propósitos da educação ambiental e muito menos o de corrigir os desequilíbrios planetários que estamos a provocar. A partir de resultados recentemente publicados pelo autor sobre a literacia ambiental em alunos da ilha da Madeira, os quais revelam uma forte influência das variáveis demográficas e dos seus contextos socioeconómicos, faz-se uma análise e reflexão sobre os novos desafios que se colocam à didática e à matética no âmbito da educação ambiental.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

HLA Loci and respiratory allergic diseases

HLA cell-surface glycoprotein molecules act in the very beginning of the allergic sensitization process, making them natural candidates for research on the genetic susceptibility for respiratory allergies. Thus, along past decades, this topic has been subject to some research and, consequently, several HLA alleles have been implicated in respiratory allergic diseases development. Current editorial introduces, revise, summarize, and comment the major advances in the role of HLA genes for the development of, and protection against, respiratory allergic disease. A general picture is drawn and new challenges on the field are relocated, especially those that might enlighten respiratory allergies aetiology and, thus, contribute in advances for diagnosis and treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Forty years of environmental education in the portuguese democracy

Since the 1970’s, education is internationally recognized as the main path to  tackle the growing environmental crisis. In Portugal, forty years after engaging  in Democracy and, at the same time, in Environmental Education, it still a  matter of discussion and calls for an analysis on the path that have been  followed. Despite a reality since the very beginning of Democracy in Portugal,  after the 25th April 1974, it was only in 1986, with the accession to the  European  Economic  Community  and  the  publication  of  the  Portuguese  Education System Law, that Environmental Education started to be included in  the goals of Public School. However, since then, the course of Environmental  Education  has  been  driven  mostly  by  external  forces,  from  outside  the  education  system,  and  has  been  more  dependent  on  the  involvement  of  teachers, individually, than on the school institution as an all.  In  a  time  in which  Portuguese  Public School, as  many  other State  public  services, is deeply affected by an ongoing process of “slimming” due to the  financial  and  economic  crisis,  we  need  to  understand  the  Environmental  Education past decade’s route and analyze the most probable consequences  due to the current situation. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recolha de resíduos em duas fracções (secos e húmidos): avaliação custo-benefício

Para reduzir a pegada ecológica global ou regional e contribuir para um desenvolvimento mais sustentável, sistemas mais eficientes de gestão dos resíduos, que proporcionem taxas mais elevadas de reciclagem, são essenciais. Os sistemas de recolha de resíduos sólidos urbanos baseados em apenas duas fracções, numa das quais se recolhem os resíduos orgânicos para compostagem (fracção “Húmidos”) e na outra os resíduos de embalagens para triagem e reciclagem (fracção “Secos”), têm possibilitado, em várias partes do mundo, uma maior participação do público e aumentos substanciais nas taxas de reciclagem. No sentido de avaliar a implementação deste sistema em regiões como a da Madeira, foi desenvolvido o projecto-piloto “Reciclar é Mais Fácil” no Sítio da Fajã do Penedo, Concelho de São Vicente, na Ilha da Madeira (Portugal). O projecto-piloto envolveu 21 famílias possibilitando a reciclagem de 94% de todo o vidro, plástico/metal e papel/cartão produzido, valor substancialmente mais elevado do que o obtido pelo sistema implementado na Região Autónoma da Madeira (21%). No âmbito deste programa foi desenvolvida uma avaliação custo-benefício para a implementação deste sistema no concelho de São Vicente, tendo-se concluído da sua elevada competitividade com o sistema actualmente implementado. O sistema de recolha “Secos e Húmidos” apresentou um custo líquido de 36 euros por tonelada, contra 143 euros no sistema actual, por força dos dividendos obtidos com a reciclagem.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio