*Proceeding Paper* **Environmental Citizenship of Students of Primary Education of a Greek University †**

**Marianna Kalaitsidaki \* and Efthimia Baltsioti**

Department of Primary Education, University of Crete, Gallou Campus, 74100 Rethimno, Greece; efthimaki111995@gmail.com

**\*** Correspondence: mkalaitz@edc.uoc.gr; Tel.: +30-694-442-4082

† Presented at the 2nd International Conference of International Researchers of the Education for Environmental Citizenship 2022, 10–11 March 2022. Available online: https://enec-cost.eu/ireec22/.

**Abstract:** Exploring environmental citizenship is very important in the context of environmental education and sustainability. Global environmental problems require citizens who are active, criticalminded and able to act as agents of change for society and the environment. Environmental citizenship was defined for the first time with the contributions of many experts in the framework of the COST-Enec network. This paper examines the level of environmental citizenship of undergraduate students of the Department of Primary Education at a Greek university with a recently published questionnaire. Findings regarding the correlation with demographics (gender, year of study and place of origin (urban/rural) are reported.

**Keywords:** environmental citizenship; education for environmental citizenship; pro-environmental behavior; environmental education; university

### **1. Introduction**

Environmental citizenship is a basic concept of the vision of sustainable development for a sustainable world. The European COST ENEC Network for Environmental Citizenship, a network of over 130 scholars defined environmental citizenship, for the first time, as the 'responsible environmentally friendly behavior of citizens who act and contribute in society as agents of change, within the private or public sphere, in a local, national or international context, with collective actions, in order to help solving contemporary environmental problems, prevent new environmental problems from arising, as well as for achieving sustainability and a healthy relationship with nature' [1]. The aim of the present study is to examine the environmental citizenship of undergraduate primary school teachers of the University of Crete, and correlate this with demographics, such as gender, length of studies and place of origin (urban and rural).

## *1.1. Environmental Citizenship and Primary Education*

The education of environmental citizenship requires a model, which can be applied to all educational levels and contexts with the appropriate differentiation. The educational approach to environmental citizenship (EEC)was developed in the framework of the ENEC network and six stages were proposed: inquiry, planning of action, civic participation, networking and sharing in scales, reinforcement of environmental and social change, assessment and reflection [2]. The successful application of educational interventions for the promotion of environmental citizenship in primary schools requires suitable approaches and a specially trained teacher [3].
