Title: Education for cultivation of awareness as an important factor of raising environmental consciousness

Authors: Harisios P. Ganatsios; Anastasia F. Filippou; Sofia Mpekiri; Kate Evelyn Danahy

Addresses: School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, PC 54124, University Campus, P.O. Box 268, Greece ' Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, PC 54453, Pasalidi 21, K Toumba, Thessaloniki, Greece ' School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, PC 54124, University Campus, P.O. Box 268, Greece ' Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Lawrence St Cambridge Ma 02139, USA

Abstract: This research aims to illustrate the importance of cultivating awareness in raising environmental consciousness, and to provide effective tools to overcome educational barriers by presenting a new educational paradigm based on the integration of concepts of holistic education and yoga, epistemology and findings from neuroscience. A university holistic curriculum based of powerful techniques was created, the assessment of its effectiveness in cultivating environmental consciousness was the challenge of taking action, and proved to have a significant qualitative impact on the students, by bringing balance between actions, thoughts and emotions. A group-administered questionnaire survey was included, given in three student groups of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Developing environmental relationships was the key of the success of this program and the most highly requested by students and the reason for taking action. Initially, students showed difficulty with forming groups and taking collective action. Two groups received training, one of them succeeded in developing a connection with nature.

Keywords: awareness; environmental consciousness; educational and scientific barriers; holistic education for sustainable development; deep transformation; yogic techniques; higher education; yoga.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHES.2021.117900

International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability, 2021 Vol.3 No.3, pp.231 - 265

Received: 11 Aug 2020
Accepted: 30 Jan 2021
Published online: 04 Oct 2021 *