This practicum investigates the application of ecological literacy theory to the practice of landscape architecture. Ecological literacy can be defined as the ability to comprehend the complex relationships of one’s surrounding environment and live life with greater environmental sensitivity. The Lake Winnipeg watershed is home to over 5 million people, and draws its water from four Canadian provinces and four American states. With the anthropogenic manipulation of the landscape, native watershed functions like water retention and filtration have been compromised. Each year, increasing amounts of phosphorus enter the lake from agricultural and urban fertilisers and effluents. This nutrient loading creates algal blooms toxic to humans and other species that rely on the lake for survival. The proposed programmatic framework and design interventions are intended to address these impacts by fostering watershed sustainability and ecological literacy, while engaging citizens in the processes associated with increasing local ecological integrity.

Unidades de conservação da natureza sofrem historicamente de problemas envolvendo, por exemplo, administração pública e legitimação popular, o que reflete quadros de ineficiência e conflitos locais em vários níveis. Nesse contexto, a Área de Proteção Ambiental de Petrópolis (APA Petrópolis) é abordada, com o objetivo de se prover um quadro analítico sobre a sustentabilidade regional e a percepção popular acerca da proposta de da APA Petrópolis, usando métodos em percepção ambiental focada nos segmentos universitários. A tese se divide em três momentos analíticos: primeiramente, são apresentados os contextos históricos, sociais e políticos locais da paisagem, no âmbito da criação da APA Petrópolis e das contradições acerca do funcionamento do modelo, sob um referencial teórico que engloba políticas locais, manejo de unidades de conservação, conflitos ambientais e participação social. Em segundo lugar, analisou-se a percepção ambiental de 606 alunos universitários (por meio de questionários) e sete professores e gestores das universidades participantes (por meio de entrevistas) na APA Petrópolis, buscando fenômenos e características específicas das subjetividades inerentes a tais grupos. Por fim, apresenta-se concepções úteis para a organização de alternativas teóricas e práticas para uma educação ambiental emancipatória e transformadora voltada para a realidade dos segmentos universitários da APA Petrópolis. Os resultados envolvem a exposição de um complexo contexto histórico e político que traduz a parca funcionalidade deste modelo de conservação da paisagem. O planejamento territorial da cidade, o próprio contexto de criação da unidade e o cenário político regional são aspectos que contribuem para a baixa funcionalidade da APA. Os questionários evidenciam uma percepção superficial dos problemas ambientais de Petrópolis, assim como um baixo reconhecimento da APA. As entrevistas, de outra maneira, evidenciam dois fenômenos: a naturalização das questões sociais e a invisibilização das questões ambientais. As alternativas teóricas e metodológicas apresentadas para abordar as questões ambientais da APA Petrópolis para os universitários envolvem o conceito de alfabetização ecológica e a formação de sujeitos ecológicos, como diretrizes para uma educação voltada para a sustentabilidade regional. / Nature conservation areas historically suffer with problems involving, for example, public administration and popular legitimacy, which reflects inefficiency boards and local conflicts at various levels. In this context, the Environmental Protection Area of Petrópolis (APA Petrópolis) is approached with the aim of providing an analytical framework on regional sustainability and the popular perception about the proposed APA Petrópolis, using methods in environmental perception focusing on university segments. The thesis is divided into three analytical moments: first, we present the historical, social and local political contexts of landscape, in the aim of the creation of APA Petrópolis and contradictions regarding the model, under a theoretical framework that includes local policies, management of conservation units, environmental conflicts and social participation. Second, we analyzed the environmental perception of 606 college students (through questionnaires) and seven teachers and administrators at the participating universities (through interviews) in APA Petrópolis, seeking phenomena and characteristics of subjectivity inherent in such groups. Finally, we present useful concepts to the organization of theoretical and practical alternatives to an environmental education aimed to the emancipation and reality transformation to the university segments at APA Petrópolis. The results involving the exposure of a complex historical and political context that reflects the low functioning of this model of landscape conservation. The territorial planning of the city, the establishment context for the APA, and the regional political scene are aspects that contribute to the low functionality of the APA. The questionnaires showed a superficial perception of the environmental problems of Petropolis, as well as a low recognition of the APA. Interviews, otherwise, show two phenomena: the naturalization of social issues and invisibility of environmental issues. The theoretical and methodological alternatives presented to address environmental issues to university in APA Petrópolis involve the concept of ecological literacy and training of ecological subjects, such as guidelines for an education directed to regional sustainability.

Unidades de conservação da natureza sofrem historicamente de problemas envolvendo, por exemplo, administração pública e legitimação popular, o que reflete quadros de ineficiência e conflitos locais em vários níveis. Nesse contexto, a Área de Proteção Ambiental de Petrópolis (APA Petrópolis) é abordada, com o objetivo de se prover um quadro analítico sobre a sustentabilidade regional e a percepção popular acerca da proposta de da APA Petrópolis, usando métodos em percepção ambiental focada nos segmentos universitários. A tese se divide em três momentos analíticos: primeiramente, são apresentados os contextos históricos, sociais e políticos locais da paisagem, no âmbito da criação da APA Petrópolis e das contradições acerca do funcionamento do modelo, sob um referencial teórico que engloba políticas locais, manejo de unidades de conservação, conflitos ambientais e participação social. Em segundo lugar, analisou-se a percepção ambiental de 606 alunos universitários (por meio de questionários) e sete professores e gestores das universidades participantes (por meio de entrevistas) na APA Petrópolis, buscando fenômenos e características específicas das subjetividades inerentes a tais grupos. Por fim, apresenta-se concepções úteis para a organização de alternativas teóricas e práticas para uma educação ambiental emancipatória e transformadora voltada para a realidade dos segmentos universitários da APA Petrópolis. Os resultados envolvem a exposição de um complexo contexto histórico e político que traduz a parca funcionalidade deste modelo de conservação da paisagem. O planejamento territorial da cidade, o próprio contexto de criação da unidade e o cenário político regional são aspectos que contribuem para a baixa funcionalidade da APA. Os questionários evidenciam uma percepção superficial dos problemas ambientais de Petrópolis, assim como um baixo reconhecimento da APA. As entrevistas, de outra maneira, evidenciam dois fenômenos: a naturalização das questões sociais e a invisibilização das questões ambientais. As alternativas teóricas e metodológicas apresentadas para abordar as questões ambientais da APA Petrópolis para os universitários envolvem o conceito de alfabetização ecológica e a formação de sujeitos ecológicos, como diretrizes para uma educação voltada para a sustentabilidade regional. / Nature conservation areas historically suffer with problems involving, for example, public administration and popular legitimacy, which reflects inefficiency boards and local conflicts at various levels. In this context, the Environmental Protection Area of Petrópolis (APA Petrópolis) is approached with the aim of providing an analytical framework on regional sustainability and the popular perception about the proposed APA Petrópolis, using methods in environmental perception focusing on university segments. The thesis is divided into three analytical moments: first, we present the historical, social and local political contexts of landscape, in the aim of the creation of APA Petrópolis and contradictions regarding the model, under a theoretical framework that includes local policies, management of conservation units, environmental conflicts and social participation. Second, we analyzed the environmental perception of 606 college students (through questionnaires) and seven teachers and administrators at the participating universities (through interviews) in APA Petrópolis, seeking phenomena and characteristics of subjectivity inherent in such groups. Finally, we present useful concepts to the organization of theoretical and practical alternatives to an environmental education aimed to the emancipation and reality transformation to the university segments at APA Petrópolis. The results involving the exposure of a complex historical and political context that reflects the low functioning of this model of landscape conservation. The territorial planning of the city, the establishment context for the APA, and the regional political scene are aspects that contribute to the low functionality of the APA. The questionnaires showed a superficial perception of the environmental problems of Petropolis, as well as a low recognition of the APA. Interviews, otherwise, show two phenomena: the naturalization of social issues and invisibility of environmental issues. The theoretical and methodological alternatives presented to address environmental issues to university in APA Petrópolis involve the concept of ecological literacy and training of ecological subjects, such as guidelines for an education directed to regional sustainability.

O desenvolvimento sustentável no final do século XX surgiu para expressar preocupações com graves problemas que causam riscos a vida no planeta. O uso do planeta de forma sustentável exigirá diferentes estratégias de sustentabilidade. Neste sentido têm-se as estratégias que abordam o nível mais elevado do ecossistema referidas como Top-down e as estratégias que abordam componentes locais ou regionais referidas como bottom-up. A escola traz essa compreensão nos conceitos e fenômenos ecológicos. No entanto, a compreensão dessas abordagens com apoio interdisciplinar faz com que o aluno entenda os fenômenos ecológicos de forma mais crítica. Assim, para um aprendizado motivador, o professor pode utilizar como recurso didático além dos espaços formais de educação também espaços não formais de educação, ou seja, aulas de campo em ambientes naturais. Com o intuito de promover no ensino de ecologia a alfabetização ecológica dos alunos no Ensino Médio, este trabalho elaborou uma proposta didática com apoio interdisciplinar (Biologia, Língua Portuguesa e Geografia) e com ênfase nas estratégias Top-down e bottom-up abordadas tanto em espaços formais quanto não formais de educação. O método de ensino em espaço formal de educação apesar de estar estruturado didaticamente para abranger a ecologia não se apresentou motivadora ao aluno e muitos dos conceitos e fenômenos ecológicos não foram assimilados por eles. Em contrapartida, a integração interdisciplinar em associação com as estratégias de Top-down e bottom-up em espaços não formais de educação foi motivadora para o aluno melhorando o seu desempenho com relação à assimilação dos conceitos e fenômenos biológicos promovendo a alfabetização ecológica dos alunos. Espera-se com esse trabalho ter contribuído para o ensino e aprendizagem do tema sustentabilidade através da promoção da alfabetização ecológica dos alunos de Biologia no Ensino Médio em escolas públicas com a formação de cidadãos mais conscientes e críticos em assuntos ambientais. / Sustainable development in the late 20th century has emerged to express concerns about serious life-threatening problems on the planet. The use of the planet in a sustainable way will require different sustainability strategies. In this sense we have the strategies that approach the highest level of the ecosystem referred to as \"top-down\" and the strategies that approach local or regional components referred to as \"bottom-up\". The school brings this understanding into concepts and ecological phenomena. However, understanding these approaches with interdisciplinary support makes the student understand ecological phenomena more critically. Thus, for a motivating learning, the teacher can use as a didactic resource beyond the formal spaces of education also non-formal spaces of education, that is, field lessons in natural environments. In order to promote ecological literacy among students in high school, this work elaborated a didactic proposal with interdisciplinary support (Biology, Portuguese Language and Geography) and with emphasis on top-down and bottom-up strategies addressed in both formal and non-formal education settings. The method of teaching in formal educational space despite being structured to cover ecology did not present itself as motivating to the student and many concepts and ecological phenomena were not assimilated by them. In contrast, interdisciplinary integration in association with top-down and bottom-up strategies in non-formal education spaces was motivating for the student to improve his performance in relation to the assimilation of concepts and biological phenomena by promoting literacy of the students. It is hoped that this work contributed to the teaching and learning of the sustainability theme through the promotion of the ecological literacy of Biology students in High School in public schools with the formation of citizens more conscious and critical in environmental issues.

In a world that faces global warming and other major environmental challenges, it is essential that students learn about the principles of sustainability so that they can apply these principles in their future lives and careers. This is particularly so in fields such as interior architecture and design, which will impact how well humans can move toward a sustainable way of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a participatory teaching approach for students of interior design that incorporates ecological thinking. It is particularly intended for use at universities and other places of higher education where such contexts are not currently available and, furthermore, where the teaching has been primarily of a didactic, teacher-centred form. The teaching approach was developed and tested through the involvement of students and staff at a technical institute in Kuwait – a country with severe environmental problems in which teaching at all levels has traditionally been rigidly didactic. A review was carried out of literature on learning theories, design principles, and sustainability paradigms that bore upon the research aim. Following this, a method was chosen, based on action research that involved running different types of workshops, in order to measure the impact of the teaching styles that are ideal to deliver ecological knowledge.

UNESCO established Sustainability Education as a top priority when it declared 2005 - 2014 to be the global decade for sustainability. Sustainability education can be implemented in outdoor programs such as nature summer camps in order to build environmental stewardship and ecological literacy in counselors and campers. This study sought to determine the extent to which an ecology and leadership training given to assistant counselors at Tryon Creek State Natural Area day camp achieved the goals of sustainability education--for the assistant counselors to learn about ecology, develop stewardship attitudes and behaviors toward the environment, and become positive role models for the campers in their care. Knowledge and environmental stewardship attitudes and behaviors of the counselors were assessed using surveys, interviews, and training journals. A statistically significant difference was found between pre and posttest scores on a survey measuring knowledge of Pacific Northwest ecology, but no significant difference was found between the pre and posttest scores on an environmental attitudes survey, possibly due to a ceiling effect. Interviews revealed that participants learned about invasive species, Oregon flora and fauna, and stream ecology over the summer. Despite the results on the attitudes survey, interviewees reported greater environmental awareness at the end of the summer as well as a greater sense of place in nature and a desire to continue working with children in an outdoor setting.

At present, a trend is emerging that shows the increasing application of Education for Sustainable Development in the Czech Republic. This type of education is arriving in various strategic documents and is featuring in pedagogic and andragogical practices. There is a range of indicators, mainly originating from abroad, for the assessment of this type of education and the task ahead for the Czech Republic is to adjust these indicators for the Czech environment, or create its own ones. This thesis deals with result indicators, that is to say indicators of the impact of Education for Sustainable Development on the literacy of the adult public on the local, microregional and regional levels. The thesis analyses selected national and international strategic documents as well as Czech and foreign specialised literature from the perspective of environmental education, bringing-up and further education concepts and Education for Sustainable Development. It then analyses these concepts from the perspective of educational qualities that Literacy for Sustainable Development consists of. Subsequently, it evaluates the identified qualities in an expert way in accordance with the definition of Literacy for Sustainable Development and it sets a coherent Adult Public Literacy Model for Sustainable Development....

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