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Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University

Received: 19 August 2021    Accepted: 1 September 2021    Published: 30 September 2021
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Abstract

Today, the principles of sustainability and sustainable development are important considerations in policy creation and actions of Higher Education Institutions, both in terms of environmental impact and societal responsibility. Human behavior is at the center of most environmental problems; hence, the promotion of pro-environmental behavior is considered to be a pathway towards sustainability. Thus, the main objective of the article was to analyze students’ knowledge, attitudes, behavior and environmental concern toward environmental sustainability (ES) in general at Ethiopian Civil Service University. The data were gathered through survey questioner and key informant interview. Most variables are at high values. The correlation test results revealed that there was a substantial link between all variables. Moreover, it may be inferred that having a high level of environmental awareness has little effect on students' sustainable habits. As a result, a strong commitment from the institution is required to increase sustainability knowledge, attitude, and practice on campus. The university's readiness in terms of ongoing training in diverse sustainability activities is a necessary condition for comprehensively and effectively implementing sustainable practices in daily activities. It is also suggested that it is important to educate people about local and global environmental problems, about the impact of behavior on the environment not only in university but also in the public sphere, and to foster the ecocentrism, as well.

Published in International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy (Volume 9, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12
Page(s) 101-109
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Environmental Sustainability, Sustainability Practice, Environmental Concern

References
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[2] Bajracharya, S. M., & Maskey, V. (2016). Students’ awareness, values, perceptions, and behaviors toward environmental sustainability (ES): A comparative study. International Journal of Sustainability Education, 12 (3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1212/cgp/v12i03/1-14.
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[11] Metz, B., Meyer, L., & Bosch, P. (2007). Climate change 2007 mitigation of climate change. In Climate Change 2007 Mitigation of Climate Change (Vol. 9780521880114, Issue May). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511546013.
[12] Ragazzi, M., & Ghidini, F. (2017). Environmental sustainability of universities: Critical analysis of a green ranking. Energy Procedia, 119, 111–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.07.054.
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[14] Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29 (3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.10.004.
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  • APA Style

    Aklilu Bekele Chorito. (2021). Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 9(5), 101-109. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12

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    ACS Style

    Aklilu Bekele Chorito. Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University. Int. J. Environ. Prot. Policy 2021, 9(5), 101-109. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12

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    AMA Style

    Aklilu Bekele Chorito. Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University. Int J Environ Prot Policy. 2021;9(5):101-109. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12,
      author = {Aklilu Bekele Chorito},
      title = {Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy},
      volume = {9},
      number = {5},
      pages = {101-109},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepp.20210905.12},
      abstract = {Today, the principles of sustainability and sustainable development are important considerations in policy creation and actions of Higher Education Institutions, both in terms of environmental impact and societal responsibility. Human behavior is at the center of most environmental problems; hence, the promotion of pro-environmental behavior is considered to be a pathway towards sustainability. Thus, the main objective of the article was to analyze students’ knowledge, attitudes, behavior and environmental concern toward environmental sustainability (ES) in general at Ethiopian Civil Service University. The data were gathered through survey questioner and key informant interview. Most variables are at high values. The correlation test results revealed that there was a substantial link between all variables. Moreover, it may be inferred that having a high level of environmental awareness has little effect on students' sustainable habits. As a result, a strong commitment from the institution is required to increase sustainability knowledge, attitude, and practice on campus. The university's readiness in terms of ongoing training in diverse sustainability activities is a necessary condition for comprehensively and effectively implementing sustainable practices in daily activities. It is also suggested that it is important to educate people about local and global environmental problems, about the impact of behavior on the environment not only in university but also in the public sphere, and to foster the ecocentrism, as well.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    T1  - Environmental Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude Toward Sustainability in Ethiopian Civil Service University
    AU  - Aklilu Bekele Chorito
    Y1  - 2021/09/30
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    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7536
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210905.12
    AB  - Today, the principles of sustainability and sustainable development are important considerations in policy creation and actions of Higher Education Institutions, both in terms of environmental impact and societal responsibility. Human behavior is at the center of most environmental problems; hence, the promotion of pro-environmental behavior is considered to be a pathway towards sustainability. Thus, the main objective of the article was to analyze students’ knowledge, attitudes, behavior and environmental concern toward environmental sustainability (ES) in general at Ethiopian Civil Service University. The data were gathered through survey questioner and key informant interview. Most variables are at high values. The correlation test results revealed that there was a substantial link between all variables. Moreover, it may be inferred that having a high level of environmental awareness has little effect on students' sustainable habits. As a result, a strong commitment from the institution is required to increase sustainability knowledge, attitude, and practice on campus. The university's readiness in terms of ongoing training in diverse sustainability activities is a necessary condition for comprehensively and effectively implementing sustainable practices in daily activities. It is also suggested that it is important to educate people about local and global environmental problems, about the impact of behavior on the environment not only in university but also in the public sphere, and to foster the ecocentrism, as well.
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Author Information
  • College of Development Studies, Center for Environment and Development, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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