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SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CONTEXT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ENERGY LITERACY IN AN URBAN AREA: FIELD STUDY

Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 21, 166 - 172, 31.12.2021
https://doi.org/10.18768/ijaedu.1016735

Abstract

Complex contemporary social, economic, and environmental problems create challenges in terms of urban environmental quality, infrastructure, transport and energy. Concurrently, considerable pressures are exerted, resulting in serious environmental consequences. "Sustainable cities" are the cities we must create and leave a legacy for the future generations. The design of public spaces, roads, sidewalks, squares, cycle lanes, waste collection and waste management are fundamental issues in the context of sustainable urban development, for which, if local governments implement policies for sustainable urban planning and design and if there is funding, accessible technology, and education, it will enhance citizens’ quality of life, provide comfort, increase accessibility, and significantly minimize the amount of energy consumed while reducing the human impact on the environment. However, most cities are already facing many problems such as urban environmental degradation, traffic congestion, inadequate urban infrastructure, and lack of public services, like waste management. Hence, Urban Environmental Management is the key target of sustainability in terms of ensuring quality management. Respectively, informing citizens, educating them, and strengthening their environmental literacy, notably the energy one, is the main pillar for the reduction or elimination of the issues affecting the urban quality of life. The children’s active participation in an exploratory study, through education in relevant issues, provides the opportunity for them to be informed, learn, and develop their critical thinking. Hence, a two-month work plan was implemented in October and November 2020, which involved students in active and experiential ways of learning, both theoretically and in the field of study. After concluding the teaching approaches, the fourth graders of primary school were divided in 18 groups and carried out a week-long research. They observed and reported issues related to the quality of their neighborhood structure in combination with the processes and services of the town municipality. The study results initially outline the children's developing cognitive ability to critically approach the urban issues, to adopt models of sustainable development related to energy. The research highlights the lack of parking infrastructure, the adequate width of sidewalks, the absence of adequate road signs and pedestrian crossings in neighborhoods, the existence of not only an adequate number of waste containers but also the need to replace them systematically, as well as the citizens’ rational attitude concerning waste disposal. Furthermore, it seems that it is necessary for the municipal public services to implement additional training programs for the cleaning service staff. Additionally, questions concerning the limited number of recreational parks for children and the need for better management and maintenance of the existing ones were noted. Moreover, the need arises for the implementation of a general campaign regarding safety precautions by the local government to improve driver behavior in accordance with the Highway Code. Lastly, exploring these issues maximized the children’s active participation in the field of study by making them into critical observers, strong critical thinkers, and informed citizens of tomorrow who currently understand the actions and social practices that take place in the urban realm.

References

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  • Bibri, S. E. (2020). The eco-city and its core environmental dimension of sustainability: green energy technologies and their integration with data-driven smart solutions. Energy Informatics, 3(4).
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  • Censer, G. Y. (2015). Mystery of Recycling: Glass and Aluminum Examples. In U. Akkucuk (Ed), Handbook of Research on Waste Management Techniques for Sustainability, Chapter 9, pp. 172-191. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9723-2.ch009
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  • Kotulla, T., Denstadli, J. M., Oust, A. & Beusker, E. (2019). What Does It Take to Make the Compact City Liveable for Wider Groups? Identifying Key Neighbourhood and Dwelling Features. Sustainability, 11, 3480. doi:10.3390/su11123480
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  • Martins, F., Felgueiras, C., Smitkova, M. & Caetano, N. (2019). Analysis of Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts in European Countries. Energies, 12, 964; DOI:10.3390/en12060964
  • Papadimitriou, E., Theofilatos, A., Yannis, G., Sardi, G-M. &Freeman, P. J. R. (2012). Road Safety Attitudes and Perceptions of Pedestrians in Europe. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 48, 2490 – 2500.
  • Papavasileiou, V. (2015). Sustainable Development and Education: A multidimensional relationship. Athens: Diadrasi. (in Greek)
  • Papavasileiou, V., Nikolaou, E., Xanthacou, Y. Papadomarkakis, I., Matzanos, D. & Kaila, M. (2017). Student preschool teachers' views about the pedagogical context of sustainable kindergarten. Proceedings of INTCESS 2017 4th International Conference on Education and Social Sciences. Istanbul, Turkey, 6-8 February, 2017.
  • Parmar, J., Das, P. & Dave, M. D. (2020). Study on demand and characteristics of parking system in urban areas: A review. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition), 7(1), 111-124.
  • Ribić, B., Voća, N. & Ilakovac, B. (2017). Concept of sustainable waste management in the city of Zagreb: Towards the implementation of circular economy approach. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 67(2), 241–259.
  • Shaaban, K. (2019). Assessing Sidewalk and Corridor Walkability in Developing Countries. Sustainability, 11, 3865. DOI: 10.3390/su11143865
  • Trindade, E. P., Hinnig, M. P. F., da Costa, E. M., Sabatini - Marques, J., Bastos, R. C. & Yigitcanlar, T. (2017). Sustainable development of smart cities: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 3(11). DOI 10.1186/s40852-017-0063-
  • UNEP. (2012). Sustainable, Resource Efficient Cities –Making it Happen!. ISBN: 978-92-807-3270-2. DTI/1538/PA.
  • UNHABITAT. (2013). Urban planning for city leaders. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). HS Number: HS/090/12E. ISBN Number: 978-92-1-132505-8
  • Urbanc, M. & Fridl, J. (2012). Education for active citizenship in spatial-planning processes: from teacher to student. Geografski vestnik 84(1), 227–235.
  • Woods, J., Williams, A., Hughes, K. J., Black, M. & Murphy, R. (2010). Energy and the food system. Philosophical Transportation of The Royal Society, B, 365, 2991–3006. DOI:10.1098/rstb.2010.0172
  • Yang, Y. & O’Neill, K. (2014). Understanding factors affecting people’s attitudes toward living in compact and mixed-use environments: A case study of a New Urbanist project in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 7, 1–22.
  • Yazar, K. H. & Dede, O. M. (2012). Sustainable urban planning in developed countries: lessons for turkey int. Journal of Sustainable Development Planning, 7(1), 26–47.
  • Zaręba, Α., Krzemińska, Α. & Łach, J. (2017). Energy sustainable cities. From eco villages, eco districts towards zero carbon cities. E3S Web of Conferences 22, 00199. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20172200199.
Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 21, 166 - 172, 31.12.2021
https://doi.org/10.18768/ijaedu.1016735

Abstract

References

  • Bartl, Α. (2014). Moving from recycling to waste prevention: a review of barriers and enables. Waste Management & Research, 32(9), 3–18.
  • Bibri, S. E. (2020). The eco-city and its core environmental dimension of sustainability: green energy technologies and their integration with data-driven smart solutions. Energy Informatics, 3(4).
  • Caparros-Midwood, D., Barr, S. & Dawson, R. (2015). Optimised spatial planning to meet long term urban sustainability objectives. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 54,154-164.
  • Censer, G. Y. (2015). Mystery of Recycling: Glass and Aluminum Examples. In U. Akkucuk (Ed), Handbook of Research on Waste Management Techniques for Sustainability, Chapter 9, pp. 172-191. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9723-2.ch009
  • Cepeliauskaite, G. & Stasiskiene, Z. (2019). The Framework of the Principles of Sustainable Urban Ecosystems Development and Functioning. Sustainability, 12 (720). doi:10.3390/su12020720
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2013). Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
  • EPA, US. (2020). Recycling Economic Information (REI) Report. Accessed on 13 April 2021. URL: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-11/documents/rei_report_508_compliant.pdf
  • EPA. (n.d.). Reducing and Reusing Basics. Accessed on 04 April 2021. URL: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics#benefits
  • European Environment Agency (EEA). (2015). Urban sustainability issues - Resource-efficient cities: good practice. EEA Technical report/No 24/2015.
  • Grosse, F. & Mainguy, G. (2010). Is recycling “part of the solution”? The role of recycling in an expanding society and a world of finite resources. S.A.P.I.EN.S [Online] 3(1). Accessed on 03 April 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/sapiens/906
  • Hatfield, J., Fernandes, R., Job, r. S. & Smith, K. (2007). Misunderstanding of right-of-way rules at various pedestrian crossing types: Observational study and survey. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 39(4), 833-42. DOI:10.1016/j.aap.2006.12.005
  • Jnd.org. (2020). Recycling: A poor solution to the wrong problem: An essay in two parts. Accessed 5 April 2020 from https://jnd.org/recycling-a-poor-solution-to-the-wrong-problem/
  • Klinglmair, Μ. & Thomsen, Μ. (2020). Using Food Waste in Organic Fertilizer: Modelling Biogenic Carbon Sequestration with Associated Nutrient and Micropollutant Loads. Sustainability, 12, 7399. DOI:10.3390/su12187399
  • Kotulla, T., Denstadli, J. M., Oust, A. & Beusker, E. (2019). What Does It Take to Make the Compact City Liveable for Wider Groups? Identifying Key Neighbourhood and Dwelling Features. Sustainability, 11, 3480. doi:10.3390/su11123480
  • Lee, R. P., Meyer, B., Huang, Q. & Voss, R. (2020). Sustainable waste management for zero waste cities in China: potential, challenges and opportunities, Clean Energy, 4(3), 169-201, https://doi.org/10.1093/ce/zkaa013
  • Martins, F., Felgueiras, C., Smitkova, M. & Caetano, N. (2019). Analysis of Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts in European Countries. Energies, 12, 964; DOI:10.3390/en12060964
  • Papadimitriou, E., Theofilatos, A., Yannis, G., Sardi, G-M. &Freeman, P. J. R. (2012). Road Safety Attitudes and Perceptions of Pedestrians in Europe. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 48, 2490 – 2500.
  • Papavasileiou, V. (2015). Sustainable Development and Education: A multidimensional relationship. Athens: Diadrasi. (in Greek)
  • Papavasileiou, V., Nikolaou, E., Xanthacou, Y. Papadomarkakis, I., Matzanos, D. & Kaila, M. (2017). Student preschool teachers' views about the pedagogical context of sustainable kindergarten. Proceedings of INTCESS 2017 4th International Conference on Education and Social Sciences. Istanbul, Turkey, 6-8 February, 2017.
  • Parmar, J., Das, P. & Dave, M. D. (2020). Study on demand and characteristics of parking system in urban areas: A review. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition), 7(1), 111-124.
  • Ribić, B., Voća, N. & Ilakovac, B. (2017). Concept of sustainable waste management in the city of Zagreb: Towards the implementation of circular economy approach. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 67(2), 241–259.
  • Shaaban, K. (2019). Assessing Sidewalk and Corridor Walkability in Developing Countries. Sustainability, 11, 3865. DOI: 10.3390/su11143865
  • Trindade, E. P., Hinnig, M. P. F., da Costa, E. M., Sabatini - Marques, J., Bastos, R. C. & Yigitcanlar, T. (2017). Sustainable development of smart cities: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 3(11). DOI 10.1186/s40852-017-0063-
  • UNEP. (2012). Sustainable, Resource Efficient Cities –Making it Happen!. ISBN: 978-92-807-3270-2. DTI/1538/PA.
  • UNHABITAT. (2013). Urban planning for city leaders. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). HS Number: HS/090/12E. ISBN Number: 978-92-1-132505-8
  • Urbanc, M. & Fridl, J. (2012). Education for active citizenship in spatial-planning processes: from teacher to student. Geografski vestnik 84(1), 227–235.
  • Woods, J., Williams, A., Hughes, K. J., Black, M. & Murphy, R. (2010). Energy and the food system. Philosophical Transportation of The Royal Society, B, 365, 2991–3006. DOI:10.1098/rstb.2010.0172
  • Yang, Y. & O’Neill, K. (2014). Understanding factors affecting people’s attitudes toward living in compact and mixed-use environments: A case study of a New Urbanist project in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 7, 1–22.
  • Yazar, K. H. & Dede, O. M. (2012). Sustainable urban planning in developed countries: lessons for turkey int. Journal of Sustainable Development Planning, 7(1), 26–47.
  • Zaręba, Α., Krzemińska, Α. & Łach, J. (2017). Energy sustainable cities. From eco villages, eco districts towards zero carbon cities. E3S Web of Conferences 22, 00199. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20172200199.
There are 30 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Other Fields of Education
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Dımıtrıos Poımenıdıs 0000-0002-9003-425X

Vasileios Papavasileiou

Publication Date December 31, 2021
Submission Date October 30, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021Volume: 7 Issue: 21

Cite

EndNote Poımenıdıs D, Papavasileiou V (December 1, 2021) SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CONTEXT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ENERGY LITERACY IN AN URBAN AREA: FIELD STUDY. IJAEDU- International E-Journal of Advances in Education 7 21 166–172.

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