staniskis stasiskiene education helsinki

8/2/2019 Staniskis Stasiskiene Education Helsinki

1/20

Int. J. , Vol. x, No. x, xxxx 1

An integrated approach to environmental educationand research: a case study

Jurgis Kazimieras Staniskis and Zaneta Stasiskiene*The Institute of Environmental Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology;K. Donelaicio str. 20, LT-44239 Kaunas LithuaniaFax: +370-37-209372E-mail:[email protected]* Corresponding author

Abstract: Industrial processes have different levels of impact to the environment andthere is a need to foster knowledge of the environmental consequences of industrialactivities. One of the ways of achieving this is application of the concepts of industrialecology (multidisciplinary research approach) to industrys day-to-day activities. Anotherpossible way of pursuing this goal is use environmental education as a tool towardsincreasing awareness with regard to the social, political and economic relevance of, aswell as to the need for environmentally sound industrial activities. Technical universitiesin the Baltic Sea region in the framework of the BALTECH consortium decided todevelop and implement a new M.Sc. Programme in Environmental Management andCleaner Production, based on an integrated approach of industrial ecology towardscurrent and long term/strategic environmental issues, focusing on technologies andconcepts in environmental planning and management for a sustainable industrialdevelopment. The programme started at Kaunas University of Technology in September2002. The Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI), which is the main responsible

organization for Environmental Management and Cleaner Production MSc programme inKaunas University of Technology, treats the multidisciplinary approach as the mostimportant priority in the design of curricular models and it is viewed as a strategic devicefor succeeding in the labour market. The new educational model that provides studentswith both a systemic perspective and a more technical attitude for handlingenvironmental multidimensionality as well as theory and practice integration results in aMSc programme is outlined in the paper.

Keywords: curriculum development, environmental knowledge, awareness and actions,sustainable development, multidisciplinary research

Biographical notes: Professor, Dr. habilitat Jurgis Kazimieras Staniskis is director of the

Institute of environmental Engineering. He has worked for over a decade on developmentof pollution preventions strategies and their application to industry and governmentalinstitutions in Lithuania, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, Latin America andAsia. In 2005 he got Lithuanian National Science Award in technology field forcollection of works Development and implementation of preventive environmentalstrategies in Lithuanian industry. He is the chairman of PhD committee inenvironmental engineering and since 2002 the main supervisor of MSc programme onCleaner Production and Environmental Management. Research interests includeenvironmental systems, preventive environmental management systems, cleanerproduction, sustainable industrial development, integrated waste management. ProfessorStaniskis has over 120 academic publications and papers.

Copyright 200x Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/20

Author

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zaneta Stasiskiene gained PhD in Technological Sciences in KaunasUniversity of technology in 1999. She worked expert on Cleaner production and CleanerProduction financing in Lithuania, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. One ofthe main lectors of PhD courses in environmental engineering and since 2002 in MScprogramme on Cleaner Production and Environmental Management. Research interestsinclude Cleaner Production and Cleaner Production financing, environmentalmanagement accounting, environmental performance and indicators. Assoc. Prof.Stasiskiene has over 30 academic publications and papers.

1 Introduction

Changes and development in the twentieth century have brought manysocial and economic benefits to the Lithuanian people. However, thesechanges have also caused a range of environmental problems. Overcomingthese problems depends on collaboration between research organizationsand governmental institutions in the region to find scientific, technological,legislative and economic solutions. Many of these solutions also depend onavailability and quality of relevant education programmes.

Indeed, the international community is in agreement that education has anenormously important role to play in educating and motivating citizens to

participate in environmental improvement and protection. In the last decade,major international reports have stressed that education is "the greatest

resource" in this endeavour. The Brundtland Report of the WorldCommission on Environment and Development (1987), Caring for theEarth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living (prepared as the WorldConservation Strategy for the 1990s) (1991), and Agenda 21 (the Report ofthe United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio deJaneiro) (1992) stress that it is possible to sustain cultures and redressenvironmental decline without jeopardising the ecosystem or resources basefor the future. Each report speaks to the imperative of education to engenderthis ethic [1].

In Lithuania, education has also been identified as a critical factor and

country have adopted a range of strategies for implementing programs inenvironmental education. Many training programs have been organised.Significant work is taking place in redefining environmental education inLithuania context, particularly to incorporate concepts of sustainabledevelopment in university curriculum.

Developing educational programmes based upon these principles may poseproblems for many lecturers, especially those who work in formal, centrallyorganised education systems. In the Work Group Meeting of Baltic Sea


3/20

Title

Region technical universities consortium (BALTECH), the following was

stated [10]:The curriculum goals of environmental education overlap with,but also differ quite markedly from other more familiarcomponents in the university curriculum. Environmentaleducation in its fullness involves very major changes in the wayslecturers conceive of, and act in their lectures. There are manyways lecturers can contribute to education for the environmentthat involve smaller, but significant changes of thought andaction. Conceptual and real behavioural changes, however largeor small, are not easy and lecturers are no different from othersin not finding significant change easy.

Invitations to change, or to try innovatory teaching strategiesare almost inevitably seen as 'additions' and hence requiringextra time and effort. The suggestion to innovate often comes as

part of an external innovator's timetable and not at the point inthe lecturers' lives when they are dissatisfied with their present

practice, and hence are looking for alternatives to solve aproblem they personally recognise. The uncertain outcomes ofusing alternative pedagogies also are more likely to be seen asthreatening the lecturers's authority and stability of their

students groups than as improving these relationships, as they

may in fact do.

The rising popularity of the notion of sustainable development hasincreasingly provoked the need for operative rather than exclusivelyideological insight into the background of environmental education concept(i.e. practical, measurable and policy relevant).

Therefore several relevant issues should be evaluated during environmentaleducation curriculum development: the sharing of responsibility among allsocial actors and the fairness of ongoing environmental policy attitudes; thelinkage between consumer and producer perspectives; and the integration of

scientific information into an effective policy decision-making process.From this point of view, environmental academic education has at least in

principle the major responsibility of promoting the role of scientificknowledge within both the public and the private sectors.

Yet, as suggested by the Arrow-Fisher theorem (Arrow and Fisher, 1974;Arrow, 1979) [3], dealing with uncertainty in technology and resourcesdynamics is not an easy task for scientists or analysts, and efforts have to berooted in the educational process. Conceptualising this stance in the


4/20

Author

academic world means to form students who are able to dialog with experts

in different environmental sciences as well as with managers and decision-makers. Education has to deal with both the political and the economicarenas where critical social actors are involved. In this sense, the creation ofa network among teachers and trainers is a necessary tool to shareexperiences, discuss and reflect on successes and failures [2].

A primary reason that managers fail to perform effective implementation ofenvironmental improvement measures is that they lack relevant informationfrom both public and private entities. Competitiveness, technologicalinnovations, international trade, and the economic viability of firms alsocannot be neglected. Information about environmental dynamics and the

relative sustainability of activities becomes a strategic tool. In this sense,environmentally oriented universities, and consequently their graduates, areimportant resources to invest in. They provide a scientific basis forunderstanding the dimensions of environmental problems, and theirgraduates know the language spoken by decision-makers. Students have toknow not only the basic models of firm behaviour but also existingenvironmental legislative requirements. They must understand thatenvironmental legislation directly influences firms short-term balances, andthat in the long run it indirectly drives investments and marketing strategies[4].

This analysis suggests that the environmental labour market requiresgraduates with a foundation of technical education to take on managerialcapacities. Environmental science education is in fact viewed as a means tointeraction with experts from different environmental branches and to theintegration of different scientific perspectives, rather than a tool for dealingwith specific technical tasks. The environmental labour sector is seeking ayoung professional with a broad educational basis who also embraces thesocio-economic disciplines, as opposed to a highly specialised personwhose skills can already be found in other more traditional scientificfaculties (such as chemistry, geology, biology, physics).

2 Environmental education in curriculum of Kaunas University ofTechnology

Technical universities in the Baltic Sea region in the framework of theBALTECH consortium decided to develop and implement a new M.Sc.Programme in Environmental Management and Cleaner Production, basedon an integrated approach of industrial ecology towards current and longterm/strategic environmental issues, focusing on technologies and concepts


5/20

Title

in environmental planning and management for a sustainable industrial

development. This is a two-year (120 ETCS Credits) programme suitablefor graduates with qualifications in many engineering fields such aschemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering,environmental engineering and others (Fig. 1). The programme started atKaunas University of Technology in September 2002.

Figure 1 Background of MSc. students in Cleaner Production and EnvironmentalManagement programme at Kaunas University of Technology

Vytautas Magnus

University

16%

Lithunian

Agricultural

University

16%

Klaipeda

University

3%

Kaunas University

of Technology

(Chemical

technology

faculty)

55%

Kaunas University

of Technology

(Other faculties)

10%

The following universities participate in the development andimplementation of the programme: Technical University of Denmark(DTU), Denmark; Tallinn Technical University, Estonia; HelsinkiUniversity of Technology (HUT), Finland; Riga Technical University,Latvia; Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania; Vilnius GediminasTechnical University, Lithuanian; KTH, Royal Institute of Technology,Stockholm, Sweden; International Institute for Industrial EnvironmentalEconomics, Lund University, Sweden; Linkping University, Linkping,Sweden.

During curriculum development process, valuable information was gatheredregarding employment opportunities in the market, and the profile of

environmental managers in industry, state and semi-state organisations.Most environmental practitioners had a background in natural sciences orengineering, but there were also practitioners with other backgrounds. Thesurvey also reviled that approximately 30 employment opportunities peryear were becoming available in Lithuania, covering corporateenvironmental managers, environmental management consultants,environmental technicians, environmental auditors and environmentalimpact experts.


6/20

Author

The M.Sc. programme in Environmental Management and CleanerProduction, on the basis of the technical background of the student, enablegraduates of the programme to:

- integrate preventive managerial and technological tools in achievinga more sustainable development for industry and society;

- lead and sustain the process of change in industry, academia andother organizations;

- understand the interdependence of environmental, technical,economic and social sciences, and to perform interdisciplinary research anddevelopment.

This was achieved by providing the M.Sc. students with:- skills to identify and assess the effects of human activity on the

environment;- knowledge of national and international environmental policy and

legislation and the management of environmental issues in industrial andservice systems;

- knowledge of technical systems, strategies and technologies for applying the principles of cleaner production in developing products and

production systems;- practical experience in implementing preventive environmental

measures (see Box 1).

3 Programme structure

Box 1. Case study from Textile Company

The Company is one of the biggest producers of acrylic yarn in Europe.The production consists of preparation, spinning, twisting, bulking (finishing by steam treatment), yarn dyeing, waste reuseworkshops, souvenir and knitting departments. Composition of yarns - 100% PAN.

MSc students together with the managerial staff of the Company and Cleaner Production group defined the main objectivesof Cleaner Production assessment. The company was interested in saving all types of resources, especially heat energyresources in all production processes.

After the assessment the following main environmental problems were determined: waste water in the acrylic yarn dyeing; ineffective consumption of water and energy.

Cleaner Production solutions1. In the result of assessment stage 17 proposals were generated. The following project was chosen for the practical

development:

Heat recovery from waste water in the acrylic yarn for technological water heating

Technical evaluationHot water from the yarn dyeing and washing processes is discharged into the precipitation tank and further, by means ofpumps, is transported to the piping system where it is used for soft water heating.Environmental Benefits

Heat recovery from waste water allows to save approx. 670 Gcal/yearof steam. It makes 6% of the total steam consumptionin the company.Economic evaluationImplementation of heat regeneration from the wastewater of the yarn dyeing process requires investment of6790 EUR,resulting in annual savings of18240 EUR with a pay-back period of less than 5 months.


7/20

Title

Compulsory core courses (35-45 ECTS cr): Environmental Technology;

Environmental Assessment; Cleaner Production; Environmental Policy,Law and Economics; Environmental Management; and Eco-Design (see fig.2). These compulsory courses are developed and delivered in collaboration

between the participating universities. The responsibility of courseleadership rests with one of the participating universities, but with teachersand tutors from the other universities as well. For each course there is atleast one local tutor from universities with participating students.

In addition to the compulsory core courses, the candidate takes a selectionof optional courses (45-55 ETCS cr) in two different subject areas:

- advanced courses in environmental and related subjects;

- advanced courses in one engineering subject.

Figure 2 Structure of the Kaunas University of Technology MSc programme inEnvironmental Management and Cleaner Production

The contents of the programme are based on industrial ecology approach,i.e. on industry environment interactions to aid industry in evaluating andminimizing impacts to the environment. The programme courses reflect one

Core Courses Environmental optionalcoursesEngineering optional

courses

EnvironmentalTechnology

1st term

Technical subjectEco SystemsImpacts

Environmental Assessment

Cleaner Production

Environmental auditing

Environmental

ManagementAccounting

Environmental Policy, Law andEconomics2

ndterm

3rdt

erm

Environmental ManagementSystems

Life Cycle Analysis

Chemicals control andmanagement

Elective subject

4tht

erm

MSc Thesis work

Eco-design

Waste Management

Sustainable Industrial

Development

Environmental Impact Assessment

Sustainable Water

Management

Technical subject

Technical subject

Technical subject


8/20

Author

of the most important concepts of industrial ecology, which is like in the

biological system, is rejecting the concept of waste. The programme coverstechnologies in coping with industrial residues, particularly thosetechnologies aimed at reuse and recycling (course EnvironmentalTechnologies); identifying, evaluating and implementing technical andmanagerial options for improvement of environmental and economic

performance (courses Environmental Assessment, Cleaner Production andEnvironmental Management); design of industrial processes and productsfrom dual perspectives of product competitiveness and environmentalimpact (Eco-design), and development of policy framework, which providesappropriate incentives for enterprises to adopt preventive environmentalmanagement practices and to increase their efficiency (course

Environmental Policy, Law and Economics). Therefore, the compulsorycourses of the programme cover all basic aspects of the industrial ecologyapproach. Optional courses are used to discuss these issues in more detailand to provide additional knowledge which ensures that graduates of the

programme will be able to apply industrial ecology approach, i.e. will becapable to conduct systematic analysis of industrial activities and to findoptimal solutions for many problems related to sustainable industrialdevelopment.

The Institute of Environmental Engineering Kaunas, University ofTechnology (APINI), which is the main responsible organization for MSc

programme in Kaunas University of Technology, treats themultidisciplinary approach as the most important priority in the design ofcurricular models and it is viewed as a strategic device for succeeding in thelabour market.

Environmental education on planning and problem solution involvesestimation of impacts of certain variables on other variables. In order todefine relevant impact factors, there is a need for a certain expertise. Ineducation, it is the best way to combine expert and educational skills inlecturer position. Therefore, APINI researches became lecturers experts inthe main courses of the MSc programme. In the courses, their cognitive

skills, in particular their ability to define and recognise relevant problems,are fully utilised.

Since 1993, APINI lecturers participated in different international projectson waste minimization, pollution prevention, cleaner production,environmental management systems (EMS), eco-design and eco-labelling,environmental impact assessment, integrated pollution prevention andcontrol (IPPC) directive implementation, integrated water management andsustainable development (Fig. 3).


9/20

Title

Figure 3 Participation of APINI lecturers in International projects, which results are used inenvironmental education and research [12]

17

6

12

9

4

2

7

5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18 Cleaner Production, Pollution

prevention

Waste Minimization

Environmental management

systems

Eco-design, Life cycle

assessment and Eco-labelling

Environmental impact

asessment

Integrated pollution prevention

and control

Integrated water management

Sustainable industrial

development

Main focus of the developed cleaner production projects was to reduceenergy and water consumption. In terms of innovation type, most ofinvestments have been used in process optimization and technology change.

Detailed information about CP activities in selected industry sectors ispresented in the Table 1.

Table 1 Implementation of CP in Lithuanian IndustryIndustry

sectorNumber ofenterprises

Number of CPoptions

analysed

Number ofimplemented CP

measures

CPinvestments,

EUR

Savings fromimplemented CPmeasures, EUR/

yearTextile 14 42 39 2 734 000 2 474 000

Food 13 27 25 2 027 000 1 365 000

Chemical 6 15 14 435 000 493 000

Machinery 5 5 5 1 033 000 389 000

Production of 2 6 6 1 478 000 613 000

Furniture 6 10 10 1 030 000 421 000

Wood 3 6 6 1 431 000 1 067 000

Results from implemented CP innovations are summarised in the table 2.

Table 2 Results from implemented CP innovationsNumber of companies 126

Number of implemented CP innovations 211

Environmental results (yearly):


10/20

Author

El. Energy consumption reduced 27 584 000 kWh

Heat Energy consumption reduced 60 518 000 kWhWaste amount reduced 86 700 tChemicals consumption reduced 850 tAir emission reduced 79 500 tDrinking water consumption reduced 297 500 m3

Diesel consumption reduced 387 000 lNatural gas consumption reduced 5 883 000 m 3

Fuel consumption reduced 656 800 tWastewater amount reduced 622 500 m3

Industrial water consumption reduced 468 900 m3

Economic profit:Total investment in CP innovations 16 529 000 EUR Yearly savings from CP innovations 9 605 000 EUR

The experience gained in the international projects and the projectsimplemented in Lithuanian industry provided APINI lecturers with apossibility to break the boundaries of formal teaching, i.e. to makeprogressive changes, focusing on much broader area including industrialactivities. Another problem addressed the sustainable use of naturalresources, because teaching students on how to make intelligent decisionsabout the use and management of natural resources is the best insurance forsustaining the production of goods and services, while protecting the naturalresources on which the world society depends. By integrating education,research and practical training students can learn more about therelationships between natural resources, environmental sustainability and

human well-being [9].

Integration of theory and practice leads to achievement of the key objectiveof the curriculum in environmental education to prepare students for

practical work and to open the possibility for qualified research. Therefore,the following main categories have been combined (Fig. 4):

- general abilities,- scientific knowledge,- environmental problem solving ability.

As three years experience of the MSc programme showed that the studentstrained in accordance this to model of integration of education and research:

- learned to operate within the environmental area outside of theuniversity in a problem oriented way,

- got knowledge about the political, legal, economical and socialfactors and constrains (e.g. limited financial means, conflicts ofinterests), under which solutions are developed in the environmentalarea,

- got experience about the problems that occur when they apply theirknowledge in practice (e.g. decision-making on the basis of limited


11/20

Title

or insecure information, inaccuracies of data).

Figure 4 Structure of the category system for the qualification profile of anenvironmental management and cleaner production MSc programme studentrepresented as a hierarchical tree

Therefore, in the MSc programme, the transition towards this new structureled to an educational model that provides students with both a systemic

perspective and a more technical attitude for handling environmental

multidimensionality [11].

For example, in the course of environmental economics, the main aspects ofmicro- and macro-economics as well as some fundamental issues of neo-classical environmental economics are reviewed (e.g. valuing non-marketgoods, managing environmental pollution, renewable and non renewableresources). Other courses focus on the relationships between theenvironment and enterprises, and cover tools such as environmentalaccounting, eco-labelling, eco-auditing.The programme resulted in the following benefits:

Provided a broad perspective for considering environmental issues and

understanding the context of environmental and sustainability problemsand wide range of actions (Fig. 5);

Advantages of multidisciplinary approach were considered in theprogramme: the class debates and development of new ideas originatedfrom the multi-focused views and were enriched by real data and casestudies;

Besides teaching there were considerable efforts in research facing newresearch fields that are worth of deeper analysis to understand the contextof environmental, social and economic interconnections. Bringingtogether these aspects fosters greater interaction between industry and

Qualification

ScientificknowledgeGrades

Publications

General skills andabilities

Environmental problemsolving abilityAbility to formulate goalsField of activity at interfacesBroadness of work experience

Teamwork

Ability to work ina group

Management

Planningabilities

Communication

LanguageWriting skillsPresentation skills

Work

technique

Computerskills


12/20

Author

academic institutions.

Currently, Lithuania is facing a big environmental challenge: the EUaccession process required a law harmonization, which refers to bothenvironmental legislation and enforcement. Industrial sectors may havedifferent environmental problems, but the need of better environmental

performance, the need of preventive environmental protection and the needof self-regulation methods appear in all sectors and sub-sectors of economy.To reach all these targets the way of thinking should be radically changed.One of the cost efficient methods to change the attitudes is education.

Figure 5 Real CP projects developed by MSc. students in Cleaner Production and

Environmental Management programme at Kaunas University of Technology

The success or failure of environmental education is much related to thepresence orabsence ofa

multidisciplinary attitude spreading from the environmental sciences to thesocio-economic disciplines. Results from the survey carried out by the

authors confirm the importance of such a management paradigm inpreparing environmental specialists and suggests to the academic world thatit should continue with this approach. A stronger emphasis on technicaleducation could help environmental science graduates to be morecompetitive with graduates from other more traditional scientific faculties(Fig. 6).

Figure 6 Action oriented approach to environmental education

0

,5

1

,5

2

,5

3

,5

4

,5

5

nerg

yp

rod

uct

Met

alp

roce

ssi

Furn

iture

prod

uc

Wo

odpr

oces

si

Foo

Che

mic

alin

dus

Pri

ntin

g,p

ubl

ishi

ngin

d

Con

stru

ctio

nindu

Text

ile

Tann

er

Jew

elry

Food

ind

us

Ele

ctro

nic

Railw

ay

Waste

man

agem


13/20

Title

Identify and enhance knowledge and understandingthrough the essential learning areas where appropriate

Establishment of requiredskills:research and investigationmonitoringdifferent communication mediaanalysis of informationsolution generationproblem solving

Identification of roles and processes withindecision making:juridical knowledge and information aboutpossible changes in law;establishment of responsibilitiesidentification of optimal decision-making processinfluence to decision makersknowledge about roles of media and lobbygroups.

Individual or group work

Attitudes and values foridentification of peoples:feelingsideasopinionstoclarify valuesunderstand conflictsachieve consensus about possibleaction

Development of awarenessthrough:personal experiencevisitsvisiting speakersvisual aids.

Chosen issue or topic(global, national or local)


14/20

Author

4 Benefits gained from integration of research and education

Currently the aims of education became more and more ambitious andintegrate:1. HOLISTIC APPROACH (system approach, complexity, interrelatedness)2. MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND INTEGRAL PERSPECTIVE (integratedinto every discipline, has themes in common)3. PROBLEM-SOLVING AND PROJECT-ORIENTED TEACHING(development of problem solving capacity, outdoor projects)4. INCORPORATION OF ETHICS (environmental values, environmentalattitudes)5. CRITICAL ATTITUDE (attention to conflicts of interpretation in

science, attention to conflicts of interest in society, equitable attention toNorth-South issues on the global scene)

According the aims presented above, industrial ecology may be seen as acombination of a scientific field and practical industrial sector whereenvironmentally sound processes may be tested and implemented.Environmental education is often seen as a process in which educationalapproaches and methods are put to raise environmental awareness. Itfocuses on soil, water, air, plant and animal life, forests and otherecosystems. It also incorporates land-use planning, the concept of shareddecision making, and the use of information systems. Environmental

education also addresses renewable and non-renewable natural resource usein urban and rural settings. It involves people, communities, andorganizations in experiences that apply appropriate technology to everyday

problems. Reliance on scientific methods and principles enables educatorsto deliver objective information, even if issues are emotionally charged.This illustrates how complementary both areas are and the usefulness ofapproaches aimed at their integration [5].

The goal of integration can be achieved in various ways, for example:1. via the design of projects where attention to research and education

is paid;

2. via case studies in which multidisciplinary research is combinedwith educational approaches such as, for example, industry-basedenvironmentally-focused training programs;

3. by means of individual work in which the development of analyticalskills is combined with environmental problem solving efforts;

4. by developing competence among students in relation toenvironmental dialogues so as to enable them to deal with theindustry and society;

5. by integrating principles of environmental communication and


15/20

Title

information as part of the normal business practice in industry.

Comparison of the perspectives provided by multidisciplinary research andsystems theory with some of the perspectives by environmental educationshows a number of interesting similarities (Table 3) [6].

Table 3 Perspectives in multidisciplinary research, systems theory and environmentaleducation

Multidisciplinary research, systemstheory

Environmental Education

focus on long-term approaches is a long-term process and entails long-term results

focus on concerns of regional and global

scope

its concerns encompass local, as well as

regional and global issuesfocus on cases where human activitiesoverwhelm natural systems

has a preventive as well as a curativedimension also trying to preventecosystems from being overwhelmed

attempts to understand and protect theresilience of natural and human systems

focus on raising awareness and motivationtowards environmental protection,focusing on mans role

uses systems techniques as mass-flowanalysis to understand economic andenvironmental systems

uses role-play, scenery building andhands-on approaches to help to understandenvironmental issues and problems

views economic production agents ascentral to mitigating environmental impactsand seeks to understand how to make them

more environmentally friendly

sees economic phenomena and politicaland social contexts as influencingenvironmental dynamics and seeks to

integrate them in the environmentalproblem solving process

In addition, some further common features of multidisciplinary research andenvironmental education reside in the fact that both are: interdisciplinary: both areas cannot be effectively worked out without

the body of knowledge from related fields such as ecology, economics,mathematics, sociology, etc.

integrative: both areas try to encompass information deriving fromdifferent sources, from different fields, which they then assimilate andintegrate as part of their own profile.

focus on sustainability: no matter the angle one looks at in both areas,their ultimate focus is the search for ways through which sustainabilitymay be pursued.

participatory: the research and environmental education rely on theactive input of individuals in pursuing their goals and aims and in their

participation in influencing ever-changing scenarios.

Last but not least, both are continuously going through a process of change.Such a change, albeit not always dramatic, is indeed a common element of


16/20

Author

both areas and enables them to evolve along within society, as society itself

is going through its own changes.

In addition, the areas where the different approaches are mutuallycomplementary may include four main domains: the views adopted, theobjectives, the approach used and their target groups. Let us look at eachitem in turn [7]:

1. The views adopted: multidisciplinary research looks at things from acritical, systemic perspective, angles which environmental educationtends to ignore. On the other hand, environmental education seesenvironmental matters as globally interconnected, with a combinedinput to the understanding of nature.

2. The objectives: strictly speaking, a main concern ofmultidisciplinary research is the integration of environmentalconsiderations into industrial activity, paying attention to economicaspects. Environmental education seeks to foster awareness onenvironmental matters and as a result, catalyze active participationin environmental action.

3. The approach used: multidisciplinary research works intensively viaincremental improvements in environmental management with aview to improving the efficiency of industrial activities.Environmental education, in its turn, tries to develop a sense ofcommitment towards the environment and prevent the exacerbation

of environmental problems by working at the conscience level.4. Target groups: multidisciplinary research will primarily focus on

those whose activities are directly related to industrial practice,while environmental education - be it performed in formal orinformal teaching - aims at all individuals since it works on theassumption that every person has an impact on the environment.

Multidisciplinary research and environmental education may also beintegrated by focusing on issues of global concern, but they need to do that,not from their separate industrial or merely pedagogical angles as haslargely been the case so far, but in integrated way [8].

5 Discussion

A diverse range of publications, including conference proceedings, editedcollections of articles and the specialised International Journal ofSustainability in Higher Education, as well as other journals, now containmany reports on studies that have sought to advance sustainabledevelopment in the curriculum and operations of higher education


17/20

Title

organisations. These studies generally focus on one or more of the

ecological, economic, equity or political pillars of sustainable development[13].

The researchers who conduct such studies, may not necessarily relate theirresearch with the goals of sustainable development, because many scholarsoutside the mainstream environmental field do not yet recognise thesignificance of sustainable development for their research. The highereducation sustainability movement is relatively new and has not yet beenable to reach out to all scholars and university managers. It may also be thatmany, if not most, advocates of sustainability in higher education havetended to come from the fields of environmental studies, education, and

facilities management and, thus, have tended to concentrate on theeconomic and ecological pillars of sustainability, and have not often seenthe relevance of sociological, political science and cultural studies researchto their goals [8].

Consequently, much research on sustainability in higher education does notaddress the pillars of sustainability in a holistic, interdependent andsystemic way. This is a key problem that attention to alternative paradigmsof research may help to redress. It may also help redress several related

problems that characterise much of current research in this area.

Research funds are always limited and research policies increasingly tend tofund single purpose, short-term studies often with a strictly problem-solvingapproach and targeted objectives. The supreme role of research, namely theadvancement of knowledge, and thus the transfer of this knowledgeadvancement, is often overlooked or forgotten. Therefore, the Institute ofEnvironmental Engineering Kaunas University of Technology isemphasising the dictum "research and education always go together" andsearches for the promotion and improvement of the transfer efforts andmechanisms.

Science is aimed at generating true knowledge, engineering is about

changing the world. Therefore, the world of technology is far more directedtowards changing our society than the sciences and the arts are. It istherefore especially important that engineers are taught to deal with the

problems of society. Often, engineering deals with its responsibilities bydefining three separate stages (society is responsible for the demand oftechnology, the engineers create it, and society is again responsible for itsapplication). This self-proclaimed docility is empirically untenable andmorally doubtful. However, sustainable development is not a technological

problem and the engineers must learn to be susceptible to non-technical


18/20

Author

issues, and must be able to communicate with the citizens involved and

other experts. The world needs engaged engineers that are willing and ableto contribute to sustainable development.

6 Conclusions

As the 21st century begins, the world attention is focused on how to makesure that the environment and natural resources are sustainably used. Globaltrends and concerns are often expressed through community level actions.However, policy makers and industrialists in urban and rural communitiesare the ones making most decisions about the use of energy and other

resources, which, if not carefully taken, invariably lead to problems such asoverflowing landfills or poor air quality.

Industrialists and educators want to protect wildlife habitats and open space,they want to understand global change and to address dozens of otherenvironmental questions. They can do this better by changing the waysenvironmental issues are usually handled.

Policy makers actions, resulting from thousands of decisions, collectivelyinfluence the sustainability of our natural resources and our environment.Making intelligent decisions about environmental issues is critical, but it is

not always easy. The amount of environmental information available isastounding and includes both fact and fiction. Some experts tend toemphasise the tangible benefits to society through harvesting naturalresources. Other sources may highlight environmental health as the onlyrelevant consideration for natural resource management decisions. The mostaccessible information may not be the most useful and the job of searchingfor particular knowledge may be overwhelming. Teaching people how tomake intelligent decisions about the use and management of naturalresources is our best insurance for sustaining the production of goods andservices, while protecting the natural resources on which we depend. Thereis a perceived need to help people to acquire the knowledge, skills, and

tools they will need to make informed decisions about natural resources andthe environment. This also applies to the industrial sector.

By integrating systems theory (research) with environmental education andother programs, millions of people can learn more about the relationships

between natural resources, environmental sustainability, and human well-being. This knowledge, accompanied by appropriate action, is necessary tomaintain not only our natural resources, but also our way of life. Researchand environmental education thus need to reach closer cooperation and


19/20

Title

more involvement in expanding their combined effect. With the support

provided by these two areas, industrialists on the one hand and educators onthe other, can do more than ever to help people understand - and act on -environmental concerns.

References

1. Du Preez N. P., Mohr-Swart M. (2004) An integrated approach toenvironmental education: a case study. International Journal ofSustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 11-20.

2. Giacomelli P., Travisi Ch., Nava M. (2003) Are graduates in

environmental sciences potential managers of the environment?.International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 4, No.1, pp. 9-16

3. Hberli, R., Bill, A., Grossenbacher-Mansuy, W., Thompson Klein, J.,Scholz, R. W., & Welti, M. (2001). Transdiciplinarity: Joint problemsolving among science, technology, and society. An effective way formanaging complexity (pp. 6-22). Basel: Birkhuser.

4. Hansmann R., Mieg H. A., Crott H. W., Scolz R. (2003) Shiftingstudents to experts complex systems knowledge. International Journal ofSustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp.151-168.

5. Leal Filho, (2002) Towards a closer integration of environmentaleducation and industrial ecology. International Journal of Environment

and Sustainable development , vol. 1 No. 1.6. Leal Filho, W. (1999) Sustainability and University Life. Peter Lang

Publishing, Berlin.

7. Mieg, H.A. (2000). University-based projects for local sustainabledevelopment: designing expert roles and collective reasoning,International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 1 No. 1,pp. 67-82.

8. Scholz, R.W. and Tietje, O. (2002), Embedded Case Study Methods: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Knowledge, Sage, ThousandOaks, CA.

9. Staniskis J. K., Arbaciauskas V. (2003) Industrial ecology in universitycurriculum: new M.Sc. Programme in Environmental Management and

Cleaner Production. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy.Springer, Vol.5, No.2, pp.92-94.

10. Staniskis J. K., Arbaciauskas V. (2004) Institutional capacity building for pollution prevention centres in Central and eastern Europe withspeciall referente to Lithuania. Journal of Cleaner Production, ElsevierScience, Vol. 12, No 3, pp. 207-214.

11. Staniskis J. K., Arbaciauskas V. (2004) Sustainable Industrial Development: Reality and Vision/Technological Choices forSustainability//Proceedings of NATO Maribor Workshop (Slovenia),


20/20

Author

ISBN 3540211314 Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York pp.

91 100.12. Staniskis J. K., Stasiskiene Z., Kliopova I (2002). Cleaner Production:

Systems Approach. // Monograph. Kaunas, 366 p. ISBN 9955 09 312 9 (in Lithuanian).

13. Yencken, D., Wilkinson, D. (2000). Resetting the Compass: Australia'sJourney Towards Sustainability, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

staniskis stasiskiene education helsinki

Documents