ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS IN SELECTED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN REGION 02 EILEEN C. BERNARDO 1 ABSTRACT

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1 ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS IN SELECTED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN REGION 02 EILEEN C. BERNARDO 1 ABSTRACT This study sought to determine the attitudes and behavior of students in Higher Education Institutions in Region 2 on some environmental issues and concerns. The study showed that majority of the students (91.6%) are concerned about the environment and considered themselves as environmentalists. Majority perceived that the Philippine government is concerned enough about the environment. Likewise, most of the respondents thought that the Filipino public and businesses and industries in the Philippines were in general, worried enough about the current state of the environment. The students were most concerned with the decrease in the quality of drinking water, air pollution, damage to the ozone layer, garbage disposal and pollution of rivers and they were least concerned with global climate change and radioactive contamination. The main activities performed by the respondents and their families to improve the quality of the environment were volunteering for an environmental group, recycling, and cutting down the household s use of energy. There is a need to continuously recognize the attitudes and behavior of college students on the environment. To enrich environmental education in the Philippines, global environmental issues and concerns, could be integrated in courses at the tertiary level. Keywords: environmental attitudes and behavior, perceptions, environmental quality, environmental education, environmental problems and issues Introduction The environment is still continuously suffering from environmental degradation. Toxic gases enter the atmosphere. Toxic wastes threaten surface and ground waters and agricultural lands. Environmental problems such as air, water and soil pollution, the solid waste problem, among others, together with the social, political, and technological changes going on in the country have brought about greater challenges to the academe, government, industries and other stakeholders. The protection and improvement of the environment have, therefore, become imperative educational goals. 1 Professor 6, Department of Environmental Science and Management, College of Forestry and Environmental Management, Isabela State University, Cabagan, Isabela 36

2 The urgency for Environmental Education (EE) has been recognized due to these increasingly pressing environmental problems besetting the Philippines and the world. Exploitation of ecosystems and the direct damage on the environment, through various kinds of pollution, have lowered the capacity of the Earth to support mankind s increasing population. This has impinged on various social and economic aspects of life but most distressingly on the basic necessities for survival - food, clothing and shelter. The problems are so numerous and complex that no single institution can solve these problems alone. Various sectors of society must be involved. Policy-making bodies must enact a legislation that will ensure the protection of our environment and a program that promotes sustainable development. The role of formal education, in the current state of environmental efforts, however, is the most basic: to produce a citizenry that is environmentally sensitive and ecologically aware so that these environmental problems will be prevented. Thus, while the environmental situation requires concerted efforts by every concerned citizen, educators must focus on developing people whose values, attitudes, knowledge, behavior, and skills reflect their concern for Mother Earth as their home, an ecosystem where harmonious relationships must be preserved, whose healthy ecology must be sustained, if it is to continue nurturing future generations. The Philippine educational system integrates various environmental concepts in the school curriculum at all levels - elementary, secondary and tertiary levels. There is a need for baseline information for teachers in colleges and universities to work with to further integrate environmental education in developing an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who will ensure the protection and the improvement of the environment. Objectives of the Study This paper aimed to investigate the environmental attitudes and behavior of college students towards some environmental issues and concerns. Specifically, this research aimed to: 1) determine the environmental attitudes of students in selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Region 2; 2) describe the perceptions of the college students on the environmental concerns of the public, the government, and the industry sectors; and 3) identify the environmental issues that are of greatest concern to the students and to describe the behaviors they exhibit towards these issues. 37

3 Review of Related Literature Environmental education has a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature. As such, it may mean different things to different people. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) defines environmental education as: 1) establishing sensitivity to environmental problems; 2) raising the level of awareness, appreciation, and concern for nature; and 3) generating commitment for appropriate action (Guzman and Guzman, 2000). The primary goal of environmental education is to have an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who will ensure the protection and the improvement of the environment, and bring about sustainability, social equity and economic efficiency in the use of the country s natural resources. Categories of EE objectives include not only awareness and knowledge but also attitudes, skills, and participation (ADB, 1999). Environmental attitudes refer to the totality of an individual s disposition or feeling towards the environment. Environmental behavior, on the other hand, refers to sound actions and advocacy for the environment. One s attitude becomes the basis for one s actions and activities (Ragragio, 2003). Thus, environmental education goes well beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills, to cover also the development of appropriate values, attitudes, life-styles, and behavior among individuals (Soriano, 1995). A survey of environmental attitudes and behaviors can be the starting point for educational policies and curricular development in relation to environmental education in the tertiary level. Ragragio (2003) conducted a survey on the environmental attitudes and behavior of 558 college students from the University of the Philippines Manila and De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. The survey showed a relatively moderate concern for some environmental problems. Most were concerned with problems directly affecting them or with which they had a personal experience, such as the quality of drinking water and air pollution. Global problems, such as global warming and acid rain, were not so much of a concern to the students. Most of the students were also doing activities which were household-related. They cut down on use of water and energy, and recycled materials. Ragragio further mentioned that while the respondents were found to be generally aware of environmental problems, most did not seem to make sacrifices to improve the environment. She further expounded that willingness to sacrifice is a behavior that indicates commitment. Methodology The questionnaire used by Ragragio (2003) was utilized in this survey study. Minor modifications were made. The questionnaire consisted of four parts namely: personal background information of the respondents; respondents perceptions on whether or not they consider themselves as concerned environmentalists and about their attitudes towards the government, the business and industry sectors, and the public as environmentalists; students attitudes towards some environmental issues; and activities the students or their families performed to improve environmental quality. 38

4 The questionnaires were randomly distributed to 486 college students from nine colleges and universities in Region 2 namely: Isabela State University (ISU)-Echague, Cabagan and San Mateo campuses, Nueva Vizcaya State University-Bayombong, Aldersgate College, Quirino State College, Quirino Polytechnic College, University of La Salette, Santiago City, Patria Sable College, Our Lady of the Pillars College and Cagayan Colleges Tuguegarao. Some questionnaires were distributed by their teachers during their class period. Results and Discussion Profile of the Respondents Majority of the students (54.1%) that participated in the study are 16 to 18 years old and only 22.6% are years old. There are more female respondents (63%) than males. Most of the students have annual family income of less than PhP 50,000 while very few have family income of PhP 250,000 and above (Table 1). Most of the respondents (52.5%) are enrolled in state colleges and universities (SUCs) while 47.5% are studying in private colleges and universities. In the Cagayan Valley, most students in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) come from low income groups. Table 1. Profile of the respondents Attribute Frequency Percent Age and above No answer Gender Male Female No answer Annual Family Income Below PhP 50, , , , , ,000 and above No answer

5 Perceptions of the Students on their Outlook towards the Environment, Philippine Government, the Businesses and Industries, and the Public Most of the students (91.6%) considered themselves as environmentalists. Of these, 77.3% considered themselves as strong and committed environmentalists (Table 2). In this study, an environmentalist is someone who is concerned about the environment. Table 2. Perception of the respondents on being environmentalist Perception Frequency Percent Do you consider yourself as an environmentalist? Yes No No opinion/answer Do you consider yourself as a strong and committed environmentalist? Yes No No opinion/answer Presidential Decree No of 1977 mandates the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports, now the Department of Education, to integrate subjects on Environmental Education (EE) in the school curriculum at all levels. In elementary and high schools, EE aims to orient young citizens develop their perceptions and actions towards environmental protection and conservation. Thus, these college students should be aware of the environmental issues and concerns that were discussed in their high school subjects. The perceptions of the respondents on the level of worry exhibited by the national government, local government, businesses and industries, and the public, were also gathered. Most of the students said that the Philippine government, the business and industry sectors and the Filipino public have the right amount of concern about the environment (Table 3). 40

6 Table 3. Perceptions of the students on the level of worry of the Philippine government, Philippine businesses and industries and the Filipino public on the Environment Level of Worry National Government (Percent) Local Government (Percent) Businesses & Industries (Percent) Public (Percent) Too worried Has the right amount of concern Not worried No opinion Environmental Attitudes of Students to Some Environmental Problems and Issues The results of the study showed that majority of the students are concerned about the environment. The ranking of environmental problems and percentage of respondents who are very concerned of these problems are shown in Table 4. The environmental problem which most of the students are very concerned of is the quality of drinking water. This is followed by air pollution, damage to the ozone layer, garbage disposal, and pollution of river. Drinking water, air pollution, and garbage disposal are problems directly felt by the students. In addition, the Cagayan Valley is traversed by the Cagayan River, the longest running river in the Philippines, and the students seem to know that the river is now under threat against pollution. Damage to the ozone layer is a global environmental issue and the students seem concerned about this problem. Few respondents (38.7%) are concerned about radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities because nuclear power is not used in the Philippines. Table 4. Ranking of environmental problems and percentage of respondents who are very concerned of these problems Environmental problem Rank Frequency Percent Drinking water Air pollution Damage to the ozone layer Garbage disposal Pollution of rivers, lakes, reservoir Toxic and hazardous waste Calamities/disasters Rapid population growth Global warming Loss of tropical rain forest

7 Natural resources depletion Loss of habitats and wildlife Ocean and beach pollution Global climate change Radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities Environmental Behavior and Activities of the Students and their Families The behavior of the students and activities of the students and their families are shown in Table 5. Majority (74.9%) voluntarily recycled materials while 61.3% did volunteer work for an environmental group. Doing volunteer work for an environmental group is a noble act and therefore, the students seem to be willing to commit their time to improve the quality of the environment. Sixty percent (60%) cut their household s use of energy by limiting the use of household appliances. Energy conservation might be related to the high cost of electricity. Note that most of the students who participated in this study come from low income families. Few students (27.4%) boycotted a company s product because of its record on the environment. This means that most of the students still buy products of companies that are not concerned of the environment. There are also few students (28.4%) who said they are using a more fuel efficient vehicle. In addition, there are only 31.5% who buy products that are recyclable. Table 5. Activities performed by the students to improve environmental quality Activities Rank Frequency Percent Voluntarily recycled newspapers, glass and other items Did volunteer work for an environmental group Cut household s use of energy by limiting the use of household appliances Avoided buying or using aerosol sprays Used cloth rather than disposable diapers Cut down on the use of a car by car pooling or taking public transportation Contributed money to an environmental group Cut household s use of water Specifically avoided buying a product because it was not recyclable Used a more fuel efficient vehicle Boycotted a company s product because of its record on the environment

8 Conclusion The results of the survey showed that majority of the students were concerned about the environment. The environmental problem which most of the students were very concerned of are the quality of drinking water and air pollution, problems they directly felt. Ocean and beach pollution, global climate change and radioactive contamination from nuclear facilities were not so much of a concern to the students. The students also performed activities such as recycling and cutting down on use of energy. Recommendations There is a need to continuously recognize the attitudes and behavior of college students on the environment. To enrich environmental education in the Philippines, a wide range of environmental experiences and global environmental issues and concerns, could be integrated in courses at the tertiary level. BIBLIOGRAPHY ADB (Asian Development Bank) Environmental Education Guide. ADB, DECS and EMB- DENR pp Bernardo, E. C Environmental conservation: What schools can do. Proc of the 4th International Conference on Environment and Development. J. Van der Ploeg, E. C. Bernardo and A. B. Masipiqueña (Eds). pp Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines. Guzman, R. S. and R. Z. Guzman, Environmental Education for Sustainable Development. Wisdom Advocates Publishers, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Soriano, L Save Mother Earth. Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. Quezon City. Ragragio, E. M Environmental attitudes and behavior of college students in two Manila Universities: Implications to tertiary level environmental education. Journal Environmental Science and Management, 6(2):