THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND GREEN LIVING

Authors

  • Ardiyanto Saleh Modjo Universitas Negeri Gorontalo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61942/msj.v3i4.461

Keywords:

environmental awareness, environmental education, green lifestyle, sustainable schools

Abstract

Climate change and environmental degradation demand a strategic role for education in fostering environmentally conscious and sustainable behaviors among young generations. This study examines the role of schools in cultivating environmental awareness and green lifestyles through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. A total of 43 academic publications from 2019 to 2024 were analyzed through structured database searches and thematic analysis. The findings reveal that schools play a significant role in building ecological awareness through sustainability-integrated curricula, green school programs, project-based environmental learning, teacher modeling, environmentally oriented school culture, and community involvement. However, challenges remain, including limited school facilities, inconsistent implementation quality, and low digital green literacy. This research emphasizes that fostering sustainable behavior requires a systemic and collaborative approach to ensure the internalization of environmental values and habits among students.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agbedahin, A. V. (2019). Sustainable development, education for sustainable development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Emergence, efficacy, eminence, and future. Sustainable Development, 27(4), 669–680.

Ahmad, N. L., Hassan, F., Khir, M. M., Ahmad, S. F. S., & Rahim, R. A. (2019). Conceptualizing green education awareness in primary school to promote sustainability. Religación: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 4(14), 300–306.

Al-Naqbi, A. K., & Alshannag, Q. (2018). The status of education for sustainable development and sustainability knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of UAE University students. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 19(3), 566–588.

Amoah, A., & Addoah, T. (2021). Does environmental knowledge drive pro-environmental behaviour in developing countries? Evidence from households in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(2), 2719–2738.

Debrah, J. K., Vidal, D. G., & Dinis, M. A. P. (2021). Raising awareness on solid waste management through formal education for sustainability: A developing countries evidence review. Recycling, 6(1), 6.

Denan, Z., Awang, A. H., Mazlan, M. A. H., Majid, N. H. A., Rahim, Z. A., & Sanusi, N. A. Z. (2017). The implementation of environmental education and green programs in schools to achieve sustainability. Advanced Science Letters, 23(7), 6261–6265.

Fawehinmi, O., Yusliza, M. Y., Mohamad, Z., Noor Faezah, J., & Muhammad, Z. (2020). Assessing the green behaviour of academics: The role of green human resource management and environmental knowledge. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 879–900.

Gao, Y. (2018). To study the relationship between environmental education and environmental behavior based on environmental attitude. Ekoloji Dergisi, (106).

Inoue, M., Elliott, S., Mitsuhashi, M., & Kido, H. (2019). Nature-based early childhood activities as environmental education?: A review of Japanese and Australian perspectives. Japanese Journal of Environmental Education, 28(4), 4_21–28.

Jorgenson, S. N., Stephens, J. C., & White, B. (2019). Environmental education in transition: A critical review of recent research on climate change and energy education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 50(3), 160–171.

Khofi, M. B. (2024). The green school concept in elementary schools as an effort to form sustainable behavior and environmental awareness. Al-Adzka: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Guru Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, 14(2), 206–225.

KLHK. (2022). Panduan Nasional Program Adiwiyata. Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan.

KLHK. (2023). Statistik Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia 2023.

Kopnina, H. (2018). Education for sustainable development (ESD): The turn away from ‘environment’ in environmental education? In Environmental and sustainability education policy (pp. 135–153). Routledge.

Maurer, M., Koulouris, P., & Bogner, F. X. (2020). Green awareness in action: How energy conservation action forces on environmental knowledge, values and behaviour in adolescents’ school life. Sustainability, 12(3), 955.

Meherali, S. (2025). Education for sustainable development: Raising environmental awareness in schools. Epistemologi: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat dan Penelitian, 3(1), 8–16.

Otto, S., & Pensini, P. (2017). Nature-based environmental education of children: Environmental knowledge and connectedness to nature, together, are related to ecological behaviour. Global Environmental Change, 47, 88–94.

O’Flaherty, J., & Liddy, M. (2018). The impact of development education and education for sustainable development interventions: A synthesis of the research. Environmental Education Research, 24(7), 1031–1049.

Purcell, W. M., Henriksen, H., & Spengler, J. D. (2019). Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals: “Living labs” for sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20(8), 1343–1357.

Ramukumba, T. (2024). The role of education in promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Sustainable Development and Contemporary Issues in Society and Education, 82(085), 54.

Safari, A., Salehzadeh, R., Panahi, R., & Abolghasemian, S. (2018). Multiple pathways linking environmental knowledge and awareness to employees’ green behavior. Corporate Governance, 18(1), 81–103.

Saihan, S., & Usriyah, L. (2025). Green school initiatives: Cultivating environmental awareness in elementary education. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 3(1), 50–68.

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339.

Tanubrata, D., Purwanto, A., & Budi, S. (2024). The influence of pro-environmental school culture on green school implementation with students’ environmental awareness as a mediating variable. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 7(12), 8660–8671.

Uralovich, K. S., Toshmamatovich, T. U., Kubayevich, K. F., Sapaev, I. B., Saylaubaevna, S. S., Beknazarova, Z. F., & Khurramov, A. (2023). A primary factor in sustainable development and environmental sustainability is environmental education. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 21(4), 965–975.

Varela-Candamio, L., Novo-Corti, I., & García-Álvarez, M. T. (2018). The importance of environmental education in the determinants of green behavior: A meta-analysis approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 170, 1565–1578.

World Bank. (2023). Green and inclusive learning in Southeast Asia.

Xu, X., Wang, S., & Yu, Y. (2020). Consumer’s intention to purchase green furniture: Do health consciousness and environmental awareness matter? Science of the Total Environment, 704, 135275.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

29-11-2025

How to Cite

Modjo, A. S. (2025). THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND GREEN LIVING. MSJ : Majority Science Journal, 3(4), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.61942/msj.v3i4.461