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Socioscientific issues (SSIs), which are an important component of scientific literacy in science education, are scientific-based issues with dilemmas and no clear answers. SSIs can be local issues that affect a region or global issues that affect the world. This study aimed to investigate informal reasoning (IR) patterns and their influencing factors on science teachers about local SSIs. The research was designed as a case study. The participants consisted of 38 science teachers from various provinces of Central Anatolia, where the local features of context were at the forefront. Teachers were asked to form an IR about the texts with dilemmas addressed to them. Using content analysis, teachers' IR patterns were based on rationalistic, emotive, and intuitive reasoning; factors affecting their reasoning were analyzed according to sociology-culture, environment, economy, science, technology, ethics-morality, and policy (SEE-STEP). In the results, science teachers mostly use rationalistic IR and rationalistic and intuitive IR patterns about energy-related local SSIs. While the factors that most influence teachers' IR regarding local SSIs are economy and environment, the factor that least influences their IR is ethics. As a result of the study, IR is closely related to the context and environmental/socio-cultural background that can influence IR. Based on the result that teachers' IR is affected by the content, the main suggestion of this study is to investigate the IR of different contents in local SSIs.

This study aims to assess the determinants of environmental sustainability among students from a tertiary education institution in Central Luzon, Philippines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used a descriptive-correlational research design with the online survey as the primary data gathering tool. A total of 136 students participated in the online survey using the convenience sampling technique due to restriction protocols implemented by the government authority. For the instrument of the study, the researcher adopted and modified a previous instrument to fit with the study's objectives. With the help of SPSS 23, the researcher computed and analyzed the gathered data using weighted mean, Pearson-r, and regression analysis as statistical tools. In general, the students were "very aware" of environmental sustainability. In addition, students "often" do waste and recycling activities, consume consciously, and save energy. Furthermore, statistical inferences revealed a weak-moderate positive correlation between waste and recycling activities, conscious consumption, energy-saving awareness, and environmental sustainability. For the determinants, waste and recycling activities and energy-saving awareness provided substantial evidence to influence the students' environmental sustainability in the study. This study becomes a reference and basis for future research in the field of environmental sustainability.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive analysis of the carbon footprint of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), including direct and indirect emissions from utilities, logistics and purchases, as well as a discussion about the commonly used method. Emissions are presented in three scopes (scope 1 reports direct process emissions, scope 2 reports emissions from purchased energy and scope 3 reports indirect emissions from the value chain) to identify carbon emission hotspots within the university's operations. Design/methodology/approach: The carbon footprint was calculated using physical and monetary activity data, applying a process and economic input-output analysis. Findings: TU Delft's total carbon footprint in 2018 is calculated at 106 ktCO[subscript 2]eq. About 80% are indirect (scope 3) emissions, which is in line with other studies. Emissions from Real estate and construction, Natural gas, Equipment, ICT and Facility services accounted for about 64% of the total footprint, whereas Electricity, Water and waste-related carbon emissions were negligible. These findings highlight the need to reduce universities' supply chain emissions. Originality/value: A better understanding of carbon footprint hotspots can facilitate strategies to reduce emissions and finally achieve carbon neutrality. In contrast to other work, it is argued that using economic input-output models to calculate universities' carbon footprints is a questionable practice, as they can provide only an initial estimation. Therefore, the development of better-suited methods is called for.

Caribbean nations are amongst those considered the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This necessitates climate change education (CCE) to enhance the mitigation and adaptation capacities of the region's populace. CCE is necessary at all levels of the education system, from pre-primary through to the tertiary level. To facilitate this, teachers must be exposed to CCE, understanding what climate change is, its impacts, and how to respond to climate change. Additionally, in order to facilitate students' (as well as their own) abilities to visualise various climate futures and respond to the range of emotions associated with climate change, teachers' own visioning skills must be developed. This article focuses on educators' engagement' with a low-carbon visioning exercise in a CCE course for educators at a regional university in the Caribbean. Thematic analysis of the document and interview data offers illustrations of the possibilities of visioning for awakening students to alternative future possibilities and engendering hope.

An experiment tested whether user-generated pro-environmental messages (UGC) enhanced environmental self-identity among message creators. Participants were randomly assigned to create a message about saving energy, view a message with similar content ostensibly created by similar others, or view irrelevant messages. Those who created their own messages had greater post-message self-identity than those in the other two conditions. Additionally, those who created their own messages had greater post-message intentions to save energy in the near future than those in the other two conditions, and behavioral intentions were positively correlated with self-identity. Implications for campaigns and educational efforts are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious disruptions to higher education institutions across the globe, prompting even the ill-prepared ones to embrace virtual teaching and learning approaches. Academic-industry partnerships remain an underutilised and under-researched mutually beneficial way of strengthening organisational performance. This study used the case of Zimbabwe to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the types and extent of cooperation between academic institutions and industry towards inclusive virtual learning in public and private universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used electronic questionnaires and virtual interviews to collect data from a sample of 100 university staff and executives in industry. The findings revealed major challenges concerning infrastructure, facilities, high cost of data and intermittent power cuts. At present, particularly in public universities, academic-industry synergies were focused on internet and data provision. However, no support was made available for infrastructure and related facilities. The study recommended the need for strong academic-industry partnerships towards funding infrastructure and facilities to enhance virtual teaching and learning.

How should the strategies and regulations of the Mexican laws be designed in order to trigger a country to go from a non-sustainable energy economy towards a sustainable energy economy? This paper proposes a classroom debate of the reformed Law of Public Electricity Service in Mexico (LSPEE, 1992: Ley del Servicio Publico de Energia Electrica), which, in 1992, opened new opportunities for private investment in the Mexican utility industry. The legal reforms allow the private sector to invest, operate, and be owners of part of the public utility system in Mexico, mainly, for power generation. Evaluating the dilemmas of the past, students are encouraged to debate present and future reforms considering political, economic and financial frameworks with a sustainable development approach and to evaluate the role of foreign and private investment in public utilities around the world.

The present study investigates the knowledge transfer (KT) processes from Norwegian University of Science and Technology to College ESLG in Kosovo. An inter-organisational knowledge of transfer theoretical framework from the business sector was applied to guide the present study. The data was generated through semi-structured interviews with key university officers, professors, and students in continuous education programmes from College ESLG and documentary evidence analysis from two partner universities. Based on the thematic analysis of the data, the findings demonstrated that the curriculum mapping process, joint lectures between Norwegian and Kosovar professors, joint research, and joint study visits facilitated the KT. While the transfer of knowledge most evidently resulted in institutional capacity development for the Kosovar College unit, the dissemination of knowledge to other units within the college was more challenging due to communication problems between the Real Estate Department and other units within the college.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss an innovative course offered as a partnership between the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) (Canada), the Prince George Chamber of Commerce (Canada) and local businesses: UNBC's third-year undergraduate/graduate course, carbon and energy management. Design/methodology/approach: The authors have all participated in the development, design and/or delivery of the course and have provided their reflections on the experience. In addition, they sought insights from students and other interested people on the impact and significance of this course. Findings: Carbon and energy management is an action learning-based co-created course initiated by the Chamber to address an interest in mitigating climate change amongst local businesses. Among businesses, the carbon economy is under considerable discussion. The increased awareness of climate change, and the need to better manage carbon, has led to local businesses eager to reduce greenhouse gases but lacking the expertise necessary. UNBC students (undergraduate and graduate) learn innovative and practical skills through creating carbon footprint analyses for small- to medium-sized business/non-profit clients, providing recommendations on reducing reliance on fossil fuels and formally presenting their findings to their clients. After five years, 46 businesses and non-profit organizations have participated in the course along with over 30 students and 5 separately hired student interns. The Chamber is now rolling out the program for Canadian Chamber of Commerce interested in similar community-university partnerships. Originality/value: This paper describes a course that is a novel approach to university-community partnerships, both in approach and focus area. The linking, through the course, of small- to medium-sized businesses with the provision of plans for carbon reduction developed by university students is an unusual approach. However, there is significant value to all partners in the approach. Allowing the main community partner to serve as the lead in the project also offers an unusual experience and perspective for the university partner, as often such partnerships are largely driven by the post-secondary institution's interests and needs, which can create a challenging power dynamic. Instead, the course offers a lesson in how a university can be clearly in service to the community at the community's invitation. Finally, this paper offers reflections on the value of this type of project for creating sustainability initiatives from the perspective of all participants, students, faculty, university administration, city government, participating businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating the critical need for understanding a project as an intersection of all participating actors.

Vocational education and training (VET) can play a transformative role in reducing CO[subscript 2] emissions and improving the energy efficiency of buildings across Europe. Nearly zero energy building (NZEB) requires an energy literate workforce, with broader and deeper theoretical knowledge, higher technical and precision skills, interdisciplinary understanding, and a wide range of transversal competences. Through an investigation into VET for low energy construction (LEC) in 10 European countries, the article identifies a range of different strategies advanced under constraints imposed by the VET systems and construction labour markets. At one extreme, representing the 'high road', LEC elements are mainstreamed into broad-based occupational profiles, curricula and qualifications, whilst at the other, the 'low' road, short, specific and one-off LEC courses simply aim to plug existing 'skills' gaps. It is argued that the 'high road' approach, in encompassing a broad concept of agency, successfully addresses NZEB requirements whereas the 'low road' represents an instrumentalist approach to labour that jeopardises the achievement of higher energy efficiency standards. The article concludes by presenting a transparency tool set within the European Qualifications Framework, against which different VET for LEC programmes can be assessed.

This paper reports a problem-based learning model for the training of university students in the area of industrial energy efficiency, and discusses its context, contents, and the results from its implementation. The impact has been significant, with hundreds of university graduates trained and many of them now working in industry, leading their organization's energy efficiency initiatives.

This cross-sectional survey examined the structure of university students' subjective knowledge of green computing--hypothesized to be a multidimensional construct with three important dimensions--and its association with pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Using a previously validated green computing questionnaire, data were collected from 842 undergraduate students attending ten different public universities in Malaysia. The sample was split into two random halves (n[subscript 1] = 400 and n[subscript 2] = 442) to allow for Factor Analysis procedures and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to be conducted. Principal Component Analysis extracted a three-factor structure of subjective knowledge consisting of knowledge about green computing (GC) vocabulary, computer nature or characteristics, and e-waste, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis procedures confirmed the structure's measurement validity. SEM fit statistics indicated a strong influence of subjective GC knowledge on PEB with its three extracted dimensions cumulatively explaining 37% of students' reported PEB. The results confirmed the study's hypotheses regarding the multidimensionality of subjective knowledge, the adequacy of the measurement model of subjective knowledge, and its strong positive role in influencing PEB. The article concludes with guidelines for future research in areas involving green computing, subjective knowledge and PEB with an emphasis on the conceptualization and measurement of each construct.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method of assessing the environmental impacts of the manufacture and use of a product or provision of a service such as waste management. LCAs are based on quantitative science, but softer skills are also required in interpreting the results. Therefore, LCA provides an ideal opportunity for students to develop and apply both quantitative and qualitative skills in order to address complex real-world problems. In this research a simplified spreadsheet LCA tool was produced for students to assess the environmental impacts of a waste management system. Detailed feedback from face to face and distance-learning students were positive about the tool, with students welcoming the detail provided in the results and the use of a practical example to help their learning. In conclusion, LCA is an effective way of encouraging environmental and engineering students to develop and apply a wide range of transferable skills.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, as few universities have assessed their ecological footprint (EF), a benchmark for Colombian universities is presented. Second, a practical calculation tool for measuring the EF in educational institutions (EIs) is developed. The purpose of this tool is to facilitate the process of assessing the EF in EIs that are starting sustainability initiatives and to unify criteria with those already involved. Design/methodology/approach: The development of the Ecological Footprint for Educational Institutions (EFEI) calculator is detailed showing the seven categories analyzed and the adaptation to the Colombian context. Findings: Results are presented from a case study of EFEI implementation at Universidad Icesi. Furthermore, the relation between these results and the action taken to mitigate EF at the university is detailed. Practical implications: Colombian EIs have recently joined the sustainable campus movement. The EF methodology and this tool serve to assess impacts and identify what EIs can do to ameliorate their environmental stewardship. Social implications: EIs are called on to lead by example in terms of sustainability, not only in teaching and researching cutting-edge technologies but also in being sustainable and transferring this knowledge to future generations. Originality/value: First, an EF benchmark for Colombian universities is presented. In addition, a unified methodology for EIs is developed. The availability of a standard tool will encourage other EIs to move forward in the effort to achieve a sustainable campus.

The cross-disciplinary nature of energy-efficient building design has created many challenges for architecture, engineering and construction instructors. One of the technical challenges in teaching sustainable building design is enabling students to quantitatively understand how different building designs affect a building's energy performance. Concept based instructional methods fall short in evaluating the impact of different design choices on a buildings' energy consumption. Building Information Modeling (BIM) with energy performance software provides a feasible tool to evaluate building design parameters. One notable advantage of this tool is its ability to couple 3D visualization of the structure with energy performance analysis without requiring detailed mathematical and thermodynamic calculations. Project-based Learning (PBL) utilizing BIM tools coupled with energy analysis software was incorporated into a senior level undergraduate class. Student perceptions and feedback were analyzed to gauge the effectiveness of these techniques as instructional tools. The findings indicated that BIM-PBL can be used to effectively teach energy-efficient building design and construction.

Building owners are caught between two powerful forces--the need to lower energy costs and the need to meet or exceed outdoor air ventilation regulations for occupant health and comfort. Large amounts of energy are wasted each day from commercial, institutional, and government building sites as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems replace indoor air with fresh outdoor air multiple times per day. Heating or cooling energy is continually wasted in the exhaust air stream, while new energy must be generated and used to condition entering outdoor air. Building owners who fail to capture this wasted energy will continue to incur high energy costs, negatively impacting asset values, profitability, and the ability to attract tenants, customers, or students with corporate or federally directed energy-efficiency mandates. To address this challenge, many building owners are turning to site-recovered energy technologies such as Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV). Designed to operate with new or existing HVAC units, ERV technology provides an affordable means to simultaneously cut HVAC energy costs without compromising outdoor air ventilation requirements. (Contains 3 figures and 5 endnotes.)

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to investigate the perceptions of successful small-school superintendents in regard to maintaining or improving district efficiency and financial status. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with seven purposefully selected small-school superintendents. Findings suggest that in their efforts to increase revenues, these superintendents are seeking to understand and to navigate the state's funding system to its maximum potential and to the greatest benefit for their districts. They are looking outside their districts for expert advice in their efforts toward improved revenue projection. Additionally, they are accepting out-of-district transfer students to generate revenue. Other areas of improved efficiency include personnel considerations, reducing district expenditures through purchasing and energy use. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

Most higher education facilities have already accomplished some measure of a "microgrid" investment with building control systems (BCS), energy management systems (EMS), and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installations. Available energy production facilities may include boilers, chillers, cogeneration, thermal storage, electrical substations--possibly new renewable resources (wind/solar/biofuel/geothermal)--and actively managed district energy (DES) and building management systems (BMS). Missing, until recently, has been a decision tool tying these resources together in a coherent, optimal control regime that allows facility managers to operate these resources in the most economical fashion, while meeting all organization comfort and operational constraints. The addition of decision logic and control regimes can transform a "microgrid" into a "SmartGrid" resource. Several vendors now offer microgrid "dashboards" as a tool to monitor and squeeze additional economic benefits from facilities. However, most of these tools fall short of optimizing facilities operations or realizing all the economic value inherent to the facilities operations. For facilities managers the world has changed. The world is virtual and digital. Information access is greater than it has ever been. Transactions and collaboration with peers is no longer the exception, but the norm. Facilities managers are adapting to reduced budgets and increased expectations as university finances continue to be stressed. Several university facilities managers have found innovative approaches to enhance their facilities' economic performance and earn new revenues for their schools. This article describes how Drexel University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the University of California at San Diego, and other institutions are doing things with their advanced SmartGrid systems today. These campuses, working with Viridity Energy, Inc., are using an automated, advanced decision making tool that enables them to sell energy, and load curtailments, to the grid. Viewed as "virtual power plants" by the grid, these resources are compensated for both generation and load curtailments. They have become active market participants selling to the grid, rather than simply passive buyers of electricity. (Contains 1 note.)

This article describes how two institutions in the U.S. Southwest--Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico and Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona--have implemented new energy projects on their campuses. Albuquerque Academy's one-megawatt DC photovoltaic solar array is one of the largest secondary schools projects to date in the United States. The array is located on five acres of land at the east end of the Academy's 312-acre campus. PCC's replacement of its Desert Vista central cooling/heating plant with a packaged modular central plant (MCP) allowed for installation savings, a fast-track schedule, and improved energy efficiency.

APPA's Effective & Innovative Practices Award continues to highlight the best of the most creative and practical programs and processes that enhance and transform service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit an educational institution. This article features five 2011 award-winning programs which focus on LEED measurement and verification; energy management outreach; a roadways and walkways treatment process; cost-saving lean principles; and laboratory energy retrofits. Up to five Effective & Innovative Practices Award submissions are eligible each year for a cash award of $4,000, generously sponsored since the award's inception by Sodexo Campus Services. Entries are judged by APPA's Professional Affairs Committee and are based on: 1) institutional benefit; 2) innovation and creativity; 3) portability and sustainability; 4) management commitment and employee involvement; and 5) documentation, analysis, customer input, and benchmarking. The five successful schools that received special recognition and a check at the APPA 2011 conference in Atlanta last July are: (1) Georgia Institute of Technology; (2) Medaille College; (3) Purdue University; (4) San Diego Community College District; and (5) University of California Irvine.

Job creation and finding new sources of renewable energy have been inextricably linked in recent months; green-sector growth is seen as vital to grow the economy and create new jobs. There appears to be a great deal of agreement on the need for alternative energy sources; however, there is also a great deal of work ahead for the U.S. in developing those sources, building the systems that will deliver them, and training the workforce needed to create and sustain the emerging industry of alternative energy. This article highlights CTE programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels that are inspiring youth to pursue green careers, and training workers to enter the green sector. (Contains 8 online resources.)

People often use the term "green energy" to refer to alternative energy technologies. But green energy doesn't guarantee maximum energy savings at a minimum cost--a common misconception. For school business officials, green energy means getting the lowest energy bills for the lowest construction cost, which translates into maximizing green energy savings while minimizing its cost. To achieve maximum energy efficiency at the lowest cost, energy efficiency must be optimized. The only way to achieve energy efficiency in a car or in a building is to diligently optimize the energy efficiency of every aspect of the design, from start to finish. To accomplish this goal, one must follow a rigorous procedure proven to achieve results. In this article, the author offers four steps to follow when considering energy efficiency: (1) Define green energy as achieving maximum energy efficiency at minimum cost; (2) Set an aggressive goal to achieve 50% energy reduction beyond the energy code for every area of building energy use; (3) Perform energy simulations at the outset of the conceptual design phase to assess all energy-efficiency options with paybacks of 15 years or fewer; and (4) Select an experienced design team that includes an independent energy consultant who represents the owner for achieving optimal energy efficiency. By following this procedure, one will realize the maximum energy savings at the minimum cost; hence, one will achieve green energy for the next building project.

If adversity brings opportunity, great opportunity may now be on the doorstep. The dual forces of an economy transitioning from an industrial focus to an innovation imperative, and a global financial downturn of massive proportions are leaving families, organizations,and communities scrambling for relief, solutions, and hope. Meanwhile, a long-time community presence, Cooperative Extension, is finding itself increasingly marginalized as its agricultural roots and stakeholders constitute a diminishing influence within the university, the economy, and the political landscape. In the midst of this pressure for communities and Extension organizations to reinvent themselves, concerns about global warming, national security, and rising energy prices are pushing energy issues to center stage. The emergent possibility is for Cooperative Extension to play a catalytic economic development role in communities interested in taking advantage of energy opportunities by leveraging its ubiquitous community presence, and linking communities to the extensive energy expertise of universities.

In 2008, APPA forwarded a Web-based survey on the author's behalf to all designated representatives of APPA member institutions. The purpose of the survey was to determine if institutional policies are an important criterion for an institution's sustainable building practices and the use of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED[R]). Initiating this survey through APPA's Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) provided an opportunity to expand and strengthen the facilities body of knowledge, as well as engage members in groundbreaking research regarding green building policies in the United States and Canada. The research consisted of the comprehensive quantitative survey and qualitative follow-up interviews with 24 individuals who volunteered to participate with additional detailed questions. The number of interviewees was selected to ensure that four members in each of APPA's six regions were chosen to give a geographical balance across the United States and Canada. The survey evaluated the institution's use of a policy, guideline, standard, law, or goal related to sustainable building practices, and the interviews provided an opportunity for the researcher to qualitatively explore and supplement components of the survey and to gain greater insight as to the strategic application of sustainable facility initiatives at their respective institutions. This article examines the results of the survey, which indicated that higher education institutions are contributing to the growth in sustainable practices in higher education, and that the facility professionals are contributing to the much needed leadership in this field. The findings also confirm that the motivator for many institutions with a policy is assured lower building operating costs.