Pre-service science teachers’ views of the ecological footprint: The starting-points of sustainable living

Sample and Instrument

A total of 49 pre-service teachers (31 male, 18 female), who attend the third class in the science education department at Gazi University, participated in this study. In this study, the per-capita ecological footprint is measured by sixteen questions using the “ecological footprint quiz” that was created by Earth Day Network (2002). The survey consists of 16 questions. Consumption activities for each survey question were weighted by a “footprint factor” calculated by the amount of energy and land needed to support the given activity. Footprint factors were pre-calculated by redefining progress according to national levels of productivity. Multiplying each respondent’s level of activity by its corresponding footprint factor yielded an equivalent impact in terms of acres of land/sea that can be compared across all nations (Merkel, 2003). A composite ecological footprint score was calculated by aggregating four separate components: food, mobility, housing, and goods and services. The food component summed up land and marine areas that sequester CO2 from the energy expended to grow, process and transport food. Survey questions included the types of food respondents regularly eat and where this food is produced. The mobility component was based on the impact from walking, cycling, driving cars and flying. Respondents were asked to provide information on their mobility habits including the mode, distance and relative energy efficiency of their daily travel or commute. The housing footprint component was based on yard area, energy and materials for constructing buildings. Specific questions included the size and type of shelter and the number of inhabitants. Finally, the goods and services component considered consumer behavior patterns such as use of appliances, electronics, computers and communications equipment. Specific questions also obtain information about utility use including water, sewer and trash disposal services.

There are numerous Internet sites in which web-based ecological footprint calculation can be done. A calculation instrument prepared by the Earth Day Network is a reliable scale since it is suitable to calculate individuals on global scale and in its development process. The ecological footprint approach is simple. It points out how much nature we need for a sustainable life. Its conceptual reliability has been measured with a convenient sensibility. Wackernagel (1994), Meyer (2004) and Ryu (2005) used this web-based calculation instrument in their research. The validity of the ecological footprint is provided by its conceptual reliability.

In the study, before and after the sustainable life education, pre-service science teachers were asked questions such as, “What is the Ecological Footprint? Define it with your own expressions” in order to learn their views about sustainable life.

Activities Performed in the Study

The activities of the study were preformed in a five-week period (three hours per-week). In the first week of the study, students were provided with graphics showing why the life on earth is not sustainable, and they were asked to discuss the reasons for this non-sustainability. In the second week, closed envelopes including the key concepts concerning why life in our country and on the earth is not sustainable were prepared. These envelopes were distributed to the students divided into groups, and then they were asked, “Why is the life not sustainable?” Afterwards, the students were asked to write the factors affecting sustainable development in order of precedence on a piece of paper by using the concepts given in the envelopes, and then they discussed their order with other groups. Students played monopoly (Sustainable Development Variable). In this game, the aim was to make the students realize the general wisdom in our global system; commerce, cooperation and competition improve production, money has an important role as a way of barter in this process, resources are unevenly distributed and that organization and entrepreneurship skills can affect the success of the individual. The researcher informed the participants about sustainable development, the principles of sustainable development and sustainable life. Following this informing activity, the student teachers were divided into groups. They were asked to think of a cherry tree and then discuss how this tree sustains its life with their group members and then draw the process of the tree’s sustaining its life on a piece of poster paper. The posters prepared by the groups were presented to the other groups. As a result of this activity, the participants realized that the only way of being sustainable is to learn it from the natural ecosystems. Then, the researcher drew pictures of a tree, money and a human being on the board, and the participants were asked to draw cartoons showing the connection among these items and think of a slogan for their cartoon. Based on their cartoons, the participants were asked to think once more about how the cherry tree sustains its life and realize the connections among the economy and environmental and social aspects that are vital in making the life sustainable.

In the last lesson of the second week, the participants were again divided into groups. They were given some poster paper and asked to draw the shapes of their feet on it and then were to roughly estimate the area of their feet cover in square meters. Then they were asked some questions such as, “Does every step you take have effects on the earth? May your lifestyle affect your footprint?, and based on their responses to these questions, they wrote the components that they believe constitute their footprint around the shape of their foot. In this way, the background knowledge of the participants about what an ecological footprint is and what its components (water, food, energy etc.) are was tested. They were asked to discuss each component they wrote with their group members. Following this discussion, the ecological footprint calculation quiz was distributed to the participants, and their footprints were calculated on a computer.

In the third week of the study, the researcher informed the participants about the ecological footprint. Then, they were asked to think about the things they could do to minimize the effects of their footprints on food, energy, transportation, water, waste and society; they then wrote these items down. Then the participants were informed about the things that they can do to minimize the effects of their footprints by the researcher. Afterwards, the participants watched animations about energy, transportation, water, recycling, technological pollution, biodiversity and balance, traffic, hunting and the impacts of human activities on nature. After they watched each animation, they were asked to write the message that fit the animation in just one sentence. Then, the students watched series of “Troubled Waters” and “The Difference of Half Degree” in “Odd Days of Our World 1-2” VCD and they were asked to think about the environmental problems our world faces and the footprints they leave on the earth.

In the fifth week of the study, participants were provided with many problem situations where they need to think about how to reduce the ecological footprint. Using the six-hat thinking technique, the students were led to the discussion of these problem situations. After the evaluation of the five-week education program with the participants, the education ended.