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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.

Green spaces have been associated with a wide range of health benefits in adults, including mental health; however, there are relatively limited data about the relationship between exposure to natural environment and children's and adolescents' mental health, and particularly depression. The aim of this review was to synthesise and discuss the literature regarding the effect of the natural environment on preventing depression among children and adolescents and also to identify potential mediating factors. Based on most studies, exposure to green spaces, especially in urban environments, was shown to contribute to the prevention of depression among children and adolescents. Specifically, increased exposure to greenery was shown to reduce by 6% to 11% the risk of depression in children and adolescents, and this association was more powerful in urban areas with higher population density. High levels of exposure to green spaces during childhood were also significantly associated with a lower risk of depression in later life with the risk of subsequent mental illness for individuals who lived in areas with low levels of greenery during childhood being 55% higher than for those who lived in areas with higher green coverage. However, above associations were not confirmed across studies, and findings regarding potential mediating factors were inconsistent. This review has shown high heterogeneity of the identified studies, using different samples, both in size, age and participants' characteristics, different outcome measures and different tools for estimating outcome measures. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of the natural environment on preventing depression in the case of children and adolescents, while future studies need to utilize similar participant criteria and common outcome measures and instruments, to allow for comparison of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.