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Forest fires, as all natural disasters, have the potential to seriously affect both the environment and the social structure of a local community. Unlike some of the natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornados and tsunamis which are unpredictable, the phenomenon of forest fires could be easily predicted and controlled, since the causes are mainly anthropogenic. This article, focusing on the paradigm of forest fires that occurred in Greece during the summer of 2007, deals in depth with the significant role that Civic Ecology Education plays in the promotion of resilient societies. Given the fact, that the specific forest fires resulted in an unusually high death toll, the article argues about the need for successful environmental education for resilience in order to avoid similar tragedies. Increasing the social tolerance to natural hazards and directing communities' efforts towards strengthening sustainable development in their area should become common practices everywhere.

Purpose: There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It surveys a sample of universities in Brazil, Germany, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the UK and the USA to ascertain the extent to which universities that are active in the field of sustainable development have formal policies on sustainable development, and whether such policies are a pre-condition for successful sustainability efforts. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved 35 universities in seven countries (five universities respectively). A mixed-methods approach has been used, ranging from document analysis, website analysis, questionnaires and interviewing. Findings: Although only 60 per cent of the sampled universities had a policy that specifically addressed SD, this cannot be regarded as an indicator that the remaining 40 per cent are not engaged with substantial actions that address SD. Indeed, all of the universities in the sample, regardless of the existence of a SD formal policy, demonstrated engagement with environmental sustainability policies or procedures in some form or another. This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Despite this, it is one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed. Research limitations/implications: This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Practical implications: The findings provide some valuable insights into the connections between SD policies on the one hand and the practice of sustainable development in higher education institutions on the other. Social implications: Universities with SD policies can contribute to models of economic growth consistent with sustainable development. Originality/value: The study is the one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.

Purpose: This study aims to focus on the University of Aegean's non-academic staff's environmental sustainability attitudes and behavior both at work and at home, their perceptions for sustainability enforcement and their active participation skills. Design/methodology/approach: The research participants were the 101 non-academic staff working at the Xenia Hill campus in Lesvos island. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire consisting of 45 questions, which was sent via e-mail during the summer of 2014. Findings: The analysis of the results brings light on the environmental profile of the University's non-academic staff on their intentions for greening their campus and the barriers that obstruct their attempts to promote sustainability at the University. Originality/value: The paper provides useful insights which allow a better understanding of the role of non-academic staff's environmental sustainability attitudes and behavior both at work and at home, their perceptions for sustainability enforcement and their active participation skills.

Ecofeminism suggests that women are more active than men regarding environmental issues for a variety of social, cultural, and biological reasons. In support to these arguments, women predominate within the overall grassroots of the Environmental Justice movement. However, claims have been made that environmental education theory and research are overlooking gender differences in environmentalism. Although literature research reports that women show stronger environmental concern and attitudes than men and although there has been a growing awareness of the importance of gender in the willingness to act environmentally, we argue that there has been relatively little recognition of its potential in the context of environmentally responsible behavior. Finally, we suggest that by incorporating findings about gender differences in motivation, attitudes, and behaviors, Environmental Education would be in a position to inspire women from all race and class backgrounds to engage in effective ecological and political action.

United Nations mandates recognize the need to promote the full participation of women in environmental decision-making processes on the basis of gender equality. But, there remains a profound lack of effective women's participation in some sectors of environmental decision-making. Free-choice environmental learning offers an effective educational process for encouraging and developing such participation. This study outlines the shifts in and possibilities for women in environmental decision-making processes in and beyond Western and Northern contexts, and proposes free-choice learning as a pathway to furthering women's participation. (Contains 1 note.)

The main objective of environmental education (EE) is that citizens develop a responsible environmental behavior. Environmental awareness constitutes an important factor for the shaping of a responsible environmental behavior. The mass media can strengthen the degree of environmental awareness of the public, through the dissemination of environmental information. The present study, through the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior, presents assessment of the intention of journalists of the local media of Lesbos island to cover environmental issues. (Contains 3 tables and 1 footnote.)

Citizen participation in environmental decision-making is of extreme importance in securing a good quality of life. Local communities know best what alternate solutions should be implemented for appropriate management of their area. This paper presents findings about the environmental characteristics of various Greek citizens' groups, where respondents' abilities and willingness to participate in environmental issues governance in relation to their free-choice learning context was analyzed. The results indicate that participants desire access to an appropriate non-formal/informal environmental education that will enable them to enhance their knowledge and acquire skills for critical thinking and active participation.