University sustainability is a field of research that has been gaining increased interest in recent years. The reduction of environmental impact has become a strategic objective of universities globally. Universities have been prompted to take necessary action to ensure that their environmental impact is at a minimum. The environmental component of sustainability deals with the current conservation of the earth’s natural resources so that future generations can also have access to them. Human beings, due to their increasing needs, are accountable for the exploitation of natural resources. They are regarded as the main contributors to imbalances in the natural systems. Environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestations, disposal of wastes, and ozone reduction are the outcomes of the damage caused by humans on the environment. The aim of environmental education is to acquire remediation of the environment by making individuals aware of the environment and by educating them about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Environmental awareness is perceived as knowledge of the factors that affect the environment and having sensitivity towards the environment. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) bear the responsibility of educating individuals about environmental issues since they provide education to future leaders in society who may have an influence on future conditions in the environment. Social media are capable of delivering information to a large spectrum of audiences at a low cost. The Pew Internet American Life Project reported that the number of adults who utilise social media has increased by 57 percent from 2005 to 2011. Several environmental activist organisations utilise social media to carry out environmental awareness campaigns. In this study two environmental awareness campaigns which were powered by social media were conducted to improve environmental awareness of individuals in a higher education environment. A Social media Model for ENvironmental Awareness (SMENA) was developed to facilitate the environmental awareness campaigns. The SMENA includes a website, social media as well as theoretical guidelines for creating environmental awareness campaigns, and for using social media for environmental awareness campaigns. A case study at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) was used to empirically evaluate SMENA. Students at the Department of Computer Sciences of NMMU were exposed to information about environmental issues through social media with the intention of improving their environmental knowledge and awareness. The SMENA website usability was rated positively and students enjoyed the blogs and information distributed by means of social media. The results of the study intervention were positive and showed that social media can be used to improve the environmental knowledge of students. This study provides a valuable contribution to both the field of environmental education and social media usage and acceptance. The guidelines and requirements for using social media to improve environmental awareness provided in this study can be used to assist educators and university management with addressing the problems of reducing environmental impact.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:10496 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Tlebere, Thabo Eugene |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Science |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MCom |
| Format | xiii, 185 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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