銚子産キャベツの「カーボンフットプリント」を用いた環境教育プログラムの効果

Abstract

Objective. This study developed a new environmental education program calculating the Carbon Footprint (CFP) of cabbage grown in Choshi city, Chiba prefecture. CFP is expected to be an environmental communication tool used to visualize the amount of CO2 emission by human activities. CFP can assists consumers in achieving sustainable consumption if they are provided information on the amount of CO2 emitted through the whole life cycle of products. While is important to establish a low carbon society, it is difficult to comprehend how our daily life is linked to global environmental problems through CO2 emission. This disconnected situation is called the “missing link”. The presented educational program aimed to recover the “missing links”.Method. This program was applied to 33 junior high school students in Choshi city. This program consists of a forty minute lecture, a sixty minute cooking experiment, and a fifty minute group work presentation and discussion. The lecture is a brief overview of the cabbage life cycle and the calculation method of CFP. The life cycle of cabbage is defined as the following eight stages, cultivation, yield, storage, transportation, selling, refrigeration, cooking and disposal stages. CFP was calculated by the addition of the amount of CO2 emission in each life cycle stage. The students choose from a standard set of transportation, refrigeration, cooking and disposal stages scenarios, and consider ways of improving their scenarios. In the cooking experiment, students measure the amount of CO2 emission for various cooking methods, e.g. LPG range, induction heater, electric heater and microwave. The calculated results of CFP are presented and discussed along with CFP reduction methods. The effects of this program are evaluated by a questionnaire and an analysis of student’s descriptions.Results and Discussion. The results of the group discussion and presentation showed that the students became more conscious of the CO2 emission from their daily life, and realized the connection between the CO2 emissions and the global environmental problems. Analyses on the data from the questionnaires indicated that this program was effective in making students recognize the “link” between their daily life and CO2 emissions. An analysis of students’ descriptions showed that an awareness of “perceived effectiveness” and “a sense of responsibility” resulted in enhancing behavioral intension of environmental action.Conclusions. The use of CFP in environmental education programs was considered effective in addressing the recovery of the “missing link” between global environmental problems based on CO2 emissions and our daily life, as well as modifying environmental action. It was important for students to be “facilitators” in promoting discussions appropriately. Adjusting system boundaries appropriately, this program could be highly effective for various education levels from elementary school to college.