A summer school was organized in Punta Arenas, Chilean Patagonia to co-create an educational program to promote a different approach to wetlands protection; identify the diverse valuations of these places; and explore the impacts of these visits on high school students and teachers. Key lessons include the need of providing safe spaces to share not only what students learn, but also their emotional responses to the actual state of the environment and the future; nurturing a sense of place with the local ecosystems and acknowledging both the problems and the positive changes in the environment; and strengthening shared responsibilities.

This study compares the impact of conservation messaging through online video-based talks and in-person presentations at the Toronto Zoo, examining effects on visitor learning and behavior change. Four talk variations—species-centered vs. biodiversity-centered and charismatic vs. less charismatic species—were tested in both formats. Results show minimal differences, with video slightly more effective for behavior change. This highlights video as a valuable supplement to in-person talks for promoting pro-conservation outcomes. It also underscores digital media’s potential in environmental communication, especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic’s shift to online content.

The U.S. is currently facing a growing national water crisis and a significant contributor to this crisis, meat consumption, has been the target of numerous campaigns calling for it to be eliminated from diets. These campaigns have yielded inconsistent results. The current study outlines an alternative approach by promoting meat sourced from water-conscious farms as opposed to the reduction or elimination of meat from one’s diet. Guided by Psychological Reactance Theory (PRT; Brehm & Brehm, 1981), participants (N = 240) viewed one of two experimental messages (directive loss-frame vs. autonomous gain-frame) advocating for smarter meat consumption rather than eliminating meat consumption. Results revealed that participants exposed to autonomous gain-framed messages were more likely to support meat purchases from water-conscious farms.

One of the most significant challenges facing humanity today is the loss of biodiversity, which plays a crucial role in sustaining all life on Earth. This study implemented a “hands-on” activity using DNA barcoding to identify marine invertebrate species, including invasive species, among middle school students. Invasive species are a primary driver of biodiversity loss, making the adoption of more sensitive and effective identification methods a priority for enhancing local management efforts. The increase in correct answers and positive feedback from students highlight the effectiveness of this educational activity in significantly improving their knowledge of marine biodiversity and invasive species management.

This study aimed to enable preschool teachers to comprehend a complete vision of nature-based teaching to teach curricular subjects while introducing nature to children as a source of wonder, value, and endless opportunity for learning. Twenty-five preschool education teachers have participated in a one-week nature-based teaching program. Teachers engaged in hands-on activities including experiments, field trips, observation, play, drama, and online interactive applications. A qualitative case study approach was utilized in this study. Findings revealed that although participating teachers emphasized the value of nature-based teaching, they rarely used nature and natural materials in their activities before involving in this project.

Green buildings are increasingly part of the fabric of life on college campuses and promising avenues for environmental education, but effective public engagement remains an open question. This work adapts a framework from environmental education to suggest evidence-based guidelines for green building communications. The framework is then used as a tool for the content analysis of photographic data of signage in three case study green campus buildings. Results of this analysis suggest building signage overly relies on static displays that likely fail to engage building occupants. Implications for designers of green buildings and environmental communications are discussed.

This study developed a local climate change curriculum that incorporates generative learning strategies and emphasizes the creation of visually engaging educational content. The curriculum’s impact was assessed by examining generative learning through recall and knowledge transfer, as well as declarative knowledge across elementary students with different multiple intelligences (n = 68). The findings offer preliminary evidence of moderate learning gains. We also discuss the implications of these findings for the development of a localized climate change curriculum.

This article analyzes the dynamics of communication that contributed to halt the logging plans in the Ebo forest. The study was conducted through a mixed research approach combining qualitative research based on bibliometric analysis and the political ecology method. Our analysis identified an emergent three-step strategy: a media campaign to name the problem, blame the government, and claim reparations; a mobilization of conservationists, local communities, and political actors to raise awareness; and support from foreign partners to rebalance power dynamics. These efforts led to the government suspending the logging plans. The study has practical implications for stakeholders engaged in similar conservation initiatives.

Fish bombing impacts the marine ecosystem and local communities adversely, but is still being practiced in Sabah, Malaysia. To encourage more sustainable fishing practices, a creative educational strategy using a comic book was developed and evaluated in a marine protected area in Sabah. Questionnaire surveys and focus group discussions with 120 schoolchildren revealed that the comic book facilitated the improvement and retention of knowledge over time, knowledge sharing with family members, and growing intention to communicate the downsides of fish bombing to their community. This demonstrates the capability of comic books to convey sensitive environmental messages to coastal communities.