International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208

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International Journal of Educational Research Open

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijedro

Environmental education in urban cities: Planet regeneration through

ecologically educating children and communities
Carolina L Zilli Vieira a, 1, *, Nijima Novello Rumenos b, 1, Carla Gheler-Costa c, 1,
Flavia Toqueti d, e, 1, Maria de Lourdes Spazziani e, 1
a
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Landmark Center 4 West (HSPH) Room 420, Boston, MA 02215,
United States
b
School of Sciences, State University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
c
Câmara dos Deputados, Brazilian Congress, Brasília, D.F., Brazil
d
School of Engineering, State University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
e
Instituto Noosfera, Arealva, Sao Paulo, Brazil

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Purpose: In this study, we describe the impact of the Environmental Education (EE) projects for environmental
Environmental education regeneration conducted by the Group of Research and Studies in Environmental Education and Sustainability
Green spaces (GEPEASA) in Brazil.
Ecological conscience and human health
Methods: EE programs have been conducted in National Parks and public schools in urban cities with the
objective to include EE in the school curriculum, with school farms, classes of sustainability, food security and
environmental health, and recover local green areas.
Results: In the areas where EE programs have been applied, there are increases of green areas, ecological con­
sciousness and social engagement, and well-being of students and communities.
Conclusions: Lack of ‘nature’ contact is critical in urban areas, where reduced green areas and outdoor activities
have created an artificial lifestyle and a false perception of natural reality, increasing the risk of chronic diseases
and mental disorders. EE carries the main responsibility to reestablish the connection between nature and
children and communities, re-educating them to be the future’s conscious Earth’s citizens.

Introduction ‘Education must prepare learners to understand the current crisis and
shape the future. To save our planet, we must transform the way we live,
Among the countries that already live in a critical environmental produce, consume and interact with nature. Integrating education for
crisis due to climate change, Brazil has recently suffered the worst sustainable development into all learning programs must become
drought and hydric crisis in a century due to prolonged dry conditions fundamental, everywhere.’
followed by an accelerated deforestation in Amazon rainforest and
Pantanal wetlands [National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General (2021)
(NASA), 2021]. Studies have shown that little education and low human
development index (HDI; Index based on health, education, and income)
The introduction of EE to children at early ages can influence their
are strongly associated with higher deforestation rates (Godoy et al.,
parents’ environmental knowledge and behavior (Fornari et al., 2012;
1998; Jha & Bawa, 2006). To overcome these worldwide crises, the
Straub & Leahy, 2017). Children’s environmental literacy can establish
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
a strong respect, and a permanent sense of preservation and connection
(UNESCO, 2021) has urged making Environmental Education (EE) a
with the natural environment. Lack of contact with nature and of
core curriculum in all countries by 2025 in order to improve effectively
environmental literacy can aggravate the public unconcern and,
public action and response.
consequently, public inactions on the development of a sustainable

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: cazilli@hsph.harvard.edu (C.L.Z. Vieira).
1
All authors contributed equally.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100208
Received 12 July 2022; Received in revised form 13 September 2022; Accepted 14 September 2022
Available online 29 September 2022
2666-3740/© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
C.L.Z. Vieira et al.
socio-economy and lifestyle in harmony with nature. Roth (1968 &
1992) was the first author to suggest people who are environmentally
illiterate usually pollute the environment more, and affirmed that to be a
successful society with a sustainable and functional economy, we would
need to learn how to protect all ecological systems and use natural re­
sources wisely and efficiently.
The concept of EE was introduced by Stapp et al. (1969). In his
article, Stapp already addressed the problem of USA becoming a pre­
dominately urban nation and that would lead to a reduced interaction
with the natural environment and, with it, a lack of awareness of our
dependency upon the proper management and use of the natural re­
sources (Stapp et al., 1969). Stapp believed community knowledge and
awareness of environmental problems and contamination are essential
for effective citizen-decision-making policies and solutions to resolving
environmental problems. Ultimately, EE would help the environmental
preservation and nature contact through a high-quality system including
awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and participation, in which
people interact with the biophysical environment to advance human
welfare and well-being (Stapp et al., 1969). Brandão (2008) emphasized
that education does not change the world, it changes people, and people
change the world. He stated that there is no future for humanity without
education, which involves analyzing, deciphering, understanding,
internalizing, and acting for the common good (Brandao, 2008).
Currently, the importance of EE arises due to the urgent need for
ecological consciousness and responsibility to promote more effectively
recovery and regeneration of the natural environment by overcoming
the deleterious effects of human activities over the past centuries. The
main goal of EE is to provide theoretical and practical activities to:
improve social engagement to minimize the environmental impacts of
human actions (Layrargues & Lima, 2011) and increase civil re­
sponsibilities over nature and environmental policies. Both of these can
improve the quality of life and wellbeing of humans and other species, as
well as the natural environment (Sorrentino et al., 2005). Academically,
EE can be considered an educational process in which the subject is
exposed to epistemological influences of the field of education in its
various dimensions, promoting reflection and discussing the intercon­
nection and challenges of socio-environmental, economic, and cultural
issues. Early and regular experience in nature may be more determinant
to the successful academic and social formation, especially for elemen­
tary school children (Paraskevopoulos et al., 1998).
With community engagement EE can also improve and expand local
green areas and school/urban farms, promoting well-being and health.
Students in urban schools may be more affected by reduced green areas
and lack of the nature contact than in rural areas. Children who live in
urban areas mostly grow disconnected from nature, losing its benefits
and empathy for the surrounding environment and the sense of re­
sponsibility for its conservation; while students from rural areas have
more contact with green spaces, showing greater sensitivity to conser­
vation (Tiriba, 2017). Hall (2019) emphasizes that there is a current
human inability to notice plants in their own environment, called "plant
blindness", which derives from the lack of ability to identify and
recognize plants and their role in the biosphere in support of life.
Braubach et al. (2017) suggested that urban health and well-being can
be improved through the contact with nature, reducing stress and
stress-related noise, heat, and pollution exposures. Contact with nature
also improves children’s socio-intellectual development, immune func­
tion, mental health, happiness and life satisfaction, and reduces stress,
anxiety, aggressivity, risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,
obesity, and diabetes (Frumkin et al., 2017). In addition, activities
related to gardening promote social engagement, and mitigation of
pollution for communities, as well as an improved physical environment
(Hall, 2019).
A majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Americans
spend >90% of their time indoors, including homes and vehicles
(Frumkin et al., 2017). Urbanization and its rapid expansion are asso­
ciated with reduced green areas, loss of habitat and biodiversity,
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International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208
problems with rainwater runoff (floods), thermal imbalance, and prob­
lems related to pollution and degradation (Douglas et al., 2019; Haaland
& van den Bosch, 2015; Moseley et al., 2013; Sanesi et al., 2017; Seto
et al., 2012). Exposures to urban pollution have been linked to increased
risk of respiratory diseases, allergies, neuroinflammation, and impaired
cognitive function in children (Cameron et al., 2020; Pénard-Morand
et al., 2010). In 2015, environmental pollutants killed over 5 million
people worldwide. Since 1950, over 140,000 new toxicants have been
introduced in the environment of which few have been tested for safety
or toxicity (Grubber, 2018). In addition, preventive interventions can
also be difficult to implement as modern medicine is mostly focused on
treating diseases (Grubber, 2018). The regulation and the rational de­
cisions of the risk of environmental pollutant exposures can be only
ensured by science, public pressure, and social engagement to eliminate
toxic pollutants and protect health (Grubber, 2018). Among urban
policies, one of the goals of the expansion of EE programs is access to
green spaces to provide safe outdoor areas for children to play, and
increased interaction with nature (Braubach et al., 2017).
According to Colding et al. (2020), environmentally favorable areas
play a relevant role in the path of sustainable societies, where
public-based policies can improve urban ecosystems and enable in­
dividuals to learn more about the natural environment, stimulating af­
fective connections and cognitive factors among individuals and nature.
The search for resilient futures focused on improving the relationship
between humans and nature is of great importance for future societies
where increased green areas can mitigate environmental contaminants,
reduce toxic exposures, and reestablish the natural environment for
other species.
Many countries (for example, Finland, India, China, Brazil, Kenya,
and Japan) have formally included EE in their education systems to
solve problems and prevent future environmental catastrophes. Since
2017, the Group of Research and Studies in Environmental Education
and Sustainability (GEPEASA) has implemented and researched the
impact of EE and citizen-science in children, adolescents and community
in National Parks and Public schools in the State of Sao Paulo and Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. GEPEASA is composed of researchers, collaborators,
professors, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as school
teachers and students, as part of the post-graduation program of the
Science Education Program at the Sao Paulo State University (UNESP),
Brazil. In this paper, we aimed to describe the impact of GEPEASA
projects on environmental regeneration through EE.
Methods
EE programs have been conducted by GEPEASA in national parks
and public schools in Brazil. Study participants have written and signed
informed consent prior to participation.
EE projects’ description
Project Environmental Education in National Parks (EENP)
The project “Implementation, testing and improvement of Citizen-
Science for Management and Conservation in the Serra da Bocaina
and Serra dos Órgãos National Parks” took place in two Brazilian Na­
tional Parks: the Serra dos Órgãos National Park (PARNASO) in the
interior of Rio de Janeiro and in the Serra do Mar State Park, Cunha
nucleus (PESM) in partnership with the Serra da Bocaina National Park
(Figs. 1 and 2).
The evaluation of biodiversity and development of ecological ser­
vices was the central focus of the training processes that involved 147
subjects, mostly residents of cities that circumscribe the two national
parks. Activities were carried out to recover terrestrial habitats, monitor
native species and improve the assessment of the conservation status of
fauna and flora species. The strengthening of socio-biodiversity pro­
duction chains and the participatory monitoring of the use of resources
in Conservation Units and their surroundings involved the programs of
C.L.Z. Vieira et al. International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208

Fig. 1. Serra da Bocaina National Park location, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (ICMBio - www.icmbio.gov.br).

articulation actions and implementation of public policies sought to

Fig. 2. Serra dos Órgãos National Park location, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(Detogne et al., 2017).
the three developed courses.
The EENP prioritized the scientific training and socio-environmental
intervention of residents of the areas surrounding the Parks. Regional
promote the integration and applicability of data collected by the par­
ticipants for the conservation of existing biodiversity. It was also
intended to extend and strengthen the educational actions, strength­
ening and encouraging the volunteer work in the National Parks. The
project has enabled the training of subjects and educational in­
terventions in the environmental area in Conservation Units (UC),
encouraging volunteering and the development of values that aim to
improve the relationship between people and nature, through the
perspective of Citizen-Science.
The entire process was recorded in field reports and images. An
initial survey was conducted to understand the profile and conceptions
of the course participants about the themes of each course, along with a
questionnaire at the end of the course to identify the participant’s level
of satisfaction with the course. In addition to these documents, class
observations, activity plans made available by the professors, and the
partial reports prepared by the professors of the courses were collected
and analyzed. Qualitative data analysis has been carried out EEking to
analyze the results obtained from the various sources of information
based on the theoretical perspective of Citizen Science and related areas
such as critical Environmental Education, Fauna Ecology, and the
principles of Coupled Human Action (CHA). Informed consent terms
were signed by all participants. The project was funded by the National
Council for Scientific and Technological Development, which is an en­
tity linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations to
encourage research in Brazil, the Foundation for Research Support of the
State of São Paulo, and the Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation and
Biodiversity.
The project included the preparation and development of training
activities, organized into three central themes, whose objectives were to
train people who live in the surroundings of Parks and other UCs (con­
servation units) to act from the perspective of Citizen Science, contrib­
uting to the conservation of natural areas with the promotion of

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C.L.Z. Vieira et al.
community development. To meet this objective, each course was
planned with 40 h of theoretical-practical activities taught by research
specialists in the respective areas and another 40 h of intervention ac­
tivities in the National Parks and surroundings.
The training courses had two main themes: (1) “Community-Based
Ecotourism”, enabling the acquisition of scientific knowledge and
methodological tools so that the subjects could develop an intervention
plan in their community, according to local needs; (2) The theoretical
and practical activities to stimulate social participation, volunteering
and the notion of collectivity, through workshops and immersion. All
participants signed the informed consent form for the disclosure of the
photos during the program activities.
Project Syntropic Environmental Education in public schools (EE)
The project “Syntropic Environmental Education (EE), a proposal for
action research and encouragement of volunteering through the themes
of Health Education (self-education and environmental health educa­
tion), Food Safety and Nutritional and Citizen Science” is part of the
Public Education Improvement Program of public schools in the interior
of São Paulo State. This project has been funded by a grant from the São
Paulo State Research Support Foundation. All participants signed the
informed consent form for the disclosure of the photos during the pro­
gram activities.
The project include a training program in EE, which involved the
reconstruction of green and farm areas in schools, and promotion of
productive dialogues between scientific professionals and community
schools. The EE training programs included: (1) Environmental Health
and Emotional Education (with practices of meditation); (2) Food and
Nutrition Security; and (3) Citizen-Science. Within the scope of this
project, training has been carried out by teachers, and directly and
indirectly involved more than 5000 students from 5 public schools in the
municipalities of Arealva and São Manuel, in the interior of São Paulo
State (Fig. 3).
The EE project was conducted by researchers and collaborators from
the GEPEASA research group. First, two types of questionnaires were
Fig. 3. Cities of Arealva (a) and São Manuel, São Paulo State, Brazil (b) (Adapted from www.wikipedia.org).
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International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208
applied to the schoolteachers. Questionnaire 1 comprised 6 blocks of
questions, as follows: Block I: general questions about teachers, such as
the school they work at, education, age, among others; Block II: ques­
tions about Environmental Education; Block III: questions about the
perception of the school where teachers work; Block IV: questions about
the structure and functioning conditions of the school; Block V: ques­
tions about the perception of the teaching-learning process; and Block
VI: questions about knowledge related to food security/time (Table 2).
Questionnaire 2 covered questions about quality of life and emotional
health and was adapted from Whoqol-100 (Portuguese version of the
World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment) (Table 2).
The second stage of the project took place by weekly online training
processes for the schoolteachers from 5 public schools (three in the city
of São Manuel and two in the city of Arealva, both in the interior of São
Paulo State, Brazil). Self-reporting by the participants was encouraged.
There were also moments for the discussion of the theoretical activities
in the form of articles, books, videos, and other materials on Citizen-
Science, Emotional and environmental health, and Food Safety.
Emotional and environmental health was included in the EE program as
there is no environmental regeneration if humans do not heal them­
selves first. All meetings were recorded, and made available to all the
school communities. Concomitantly, the schoolteachers were asked to
submit a report/summary of the weekly meetings and activities.
The third stage of the project will follow the schoolteachers on their
activities with the students in schools. In this stage, there will eventually
be meetings between GEPEASA and the students to reinforce the
schoolteacher teachings.
Results
Overall, our findings show improvement of public green areas, and
also improved well-being and social engagement in our study
populations.
C.L.Z. Vieira et al.
Project: EENP
In the fauna inventory course, theoretical and practical activities
were carried out by 11 teachers and 147 participants who became
familiar with the methods of identifying wild animal and plant species
(Table 1). This course sought to provide participants with fundamental
knowledge about biological and ecological aspects of animals, training
students and improving their performance as ecotourism guides, envi­
ronmental monitors, and fauna consultants. In addition to the extensive
characteristics, the course also allowed verifying the efficiency of an
intensive and condensed teaching of fauna inventory techniques, and
showed that even short activities can provide relevant knowledge in the
professional training of the participants.
The course "Community-Based Ecotourism" included the participa­
tion of 54 people that had as its main objective to inform the society
around the parks on the theme "Ecotourism" in order to understand the
demands of local communities for the promotion and improvement of
ecotourism in the region through the development of intervention pro­
jects. The activities were carried out by qualified researchers in the Serra
dos Órgãos National Park (state of Rio de Janeiro) and Serra do Mar Park
(state of São Paulo), and the actions included the communities and the
involvement of the managers of the Serra da Bocaina National Park
(state of São Paulo). Theoretical classes and workshops were held, in
addition to encouraging volunteer work for community-based tourism
(Fig. 4).
The course, involving 47 participants, “Physical training for health,
environmental development, and citizen science”, aimed to develop and
conduct human actions of physical training coupled with the preserva­
tion and development of biodiversity. The results demonstrated the
positive effect of these human actions in terms of well-being, environ­
mental education, social engagement, and the development of biodi­
versity itself, providing students, researchers and parks with a new
awareness of the value of actions involving the environments.
During the EENP course at PARNASO, we helped restore 40.51 m2 of
one of the trails, representing 11.2% of the total area of 361.5 m2 of the
trail. A new trail was also built during the course, corresponding to
409.5 m2 (273 m length X 1.5 m width) corresponding to the union of
two existing trails. At the PESM, there was a practical restoration ac­
tivity on 12 flowerbeds (parcels) (12m2), to favor ecological restoration,
within the selected area (Table 1). The maintenance of the trail allowed
the PESM to build a stone path over a stream (4 m of path), flattening
approximately 120 m of the floor of the trail; installation of seven
handrails, construction of approximately eleven steps, and installation
of approximately 35 m of wooden boards to contain the trail, kEENPing
the walking section safer and firmer (avoiding slipping) (Table 1). Stu­
dents also were invited to name the trail that was created during the EE
activities.
These activities introduced the subjects to various environmental
themes, with relevant discussions and data surveys, enabling the
Table 1
Number of study participants and recovered green areas.
Location Project Teachers Students Initial Recovered green
green areas areas
National 1 5 147 361.5* 40,51 *(11.2%)
Parks 409.5*
2 6 none 12 gardens (12)*
35 m of cross
country
Schools 1 19 368 3164* Project under
2 23 481 3506* preparation
3 19 347 3683*
4 7 127 780*
5 12 89 – preliminary EE programs demonstrated that school and national park
*
Informations of areas in m2. Brazilian National Parks: (1) National Park
Parnaso; (2) National Park in Cunha-PESM; Schools: (1–3) Schools in Sao
Manuel, SP, Brazil; (4–5) Schools in Arealva, SP, Brazil.
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International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208
subjects’ scientific training, improvements to the parks and its sur­
roundings, as well as encouraging volunteering. Over that period, the
project resulted in: (1) Ecological restoration, aiming at enriching hab­
itats; (2) Maintenance and risk control on trails; (3) Awareness of the
community inside and outside the Park; (4) Possibility of expanding
partnerships with universities and other entities; (5) Contributions to
the formation of the team of other residents and guides who work in the
Park; (6) Qualification of employees who work directly in the Parks
activities; (7) Visibility of the activities carried out by the Parnas to the
surrounding communities (Table 2). The project contributed to the
strength of regional research capacity; (8) Articulation of future research
groups; (9) Involvement of researchers in the project activities and Parks
team; (10) Recognition of the potential of Parks within the scope of
research; (11) Insertion of course participants in Park activities and in
other actions in the surrounding region.
The project’s impact on scientific and technological development
had as the main focus the development of pedagogical methodologies
based on the assumptions of Citizen Science and Environmental Edu­
cation that are critical for the training of people living in the vicinity of
Conservation Units, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and
sustainable use and management to improve the lives of local commu­
nities. In this sense, the project identified the great interest of people in
participating in the courses and activities that encouraged volunteering
and social engagement to restore of green areas in parks.
Project: EE
Since February 2020, GEPEASA has conducted online theoretical and
practical workshop and course training of schoolteachers of 5 public
schools in the State of Sao Paulo (Table 1).
These workshops have included: Meditation Practices and Emotional
education; Environmental Health; Citizen Science; and Food Security,
with school farming activities. The training processes included 70
meetings. Schoolteachers answered a questionnaire to select the most
important activities to be included in the EE program in their school
(Fig. 5). Among the subjects, organic food, school farm, and meditation
and yoga were first-preference votes (Fig. 5).
Schoolteachers have written EE scientific reports of their online ac­
tivities with children and at schools since August/2021 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8).
Our materials have included reports, online interviews, articles, reports
of personal activities, proposals for activities, books, among others,
which document the potential of the intentions and objectifications of
what has been done, and indicate paths and possible adjustments to
correct what can be improved.
After the application of WHOqol questionnaire (Table 2), classes of
emotional education and mindfulness meditation were conducted by
schoolteachers.
At the beginning of the program, most schoolteachers were from
‘normal’ to very satisfied with their quality of life and well-being
(Table 2). School students have been trained with the practice of
mindfulness meditation (Fig. 7) as part of the emotional education, and
learning about sustainable waste collection, visiting local water systems,
and gardening and farming at schools (Figs. 6 and 8). Teachers describe
a significant improvement in their learning and socio-emotional skills.
In addition to all EE activities, there were lectures on EE themes, as
well as discussions of academic publications including articles and book
chapters.
Discussion
Since 2017, the GEPEASA has implemented and researched the
impact of EE in urban public schools and in National Parks in Brazil. Our
communities increased time spent in nature, well-being, environmental
awareness and literacy, citizen-science, social engagement, and
improvement of public green areas and urban gardens. Moreover,
C.L.Z. Vieira et al. International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208

Fig. 4. Theoretical and practical activities of the courses.

autonomy, self-efficacy and empathy (Pirchio et al., 2021). Residential

Table 2
and public gardens bring the opportunity to experience moments of
Survey of quality of life of schoolteachers in 5 public schools of the São Paulo
contemplation of fauna and flora, and their importance on pollination,
State, Brazil (n = 42).
frugivory, flowering and fruiting of trees.
Variables Mean (± SD) Min Max
The UN document "Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for
Physical aspects 49,82 (± 14,45) 16,70 75,00 Sustainable Development" states the importance of the expansion of
Psychological aspects 67,53 (± 16,09) 33,75 91,25 green spaces, including (1) The "strengthening capacity of alert systems,
Social relationships 73,50 (± 19,30) 25,00 100,00
Social independence 79,65 (± 10,90) 48,40 100,00
risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks"; (2)
Social environment 68,60 (± 11,60) 42,20 89,80 The “education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles,
Spirituality 87,51 (± 18,98) 37,50 100,00 human rights, gender equality, promoting a culture of peace and non-
Well-being and quality of life 69,06 (± 22,35) 25,00 100,00 violence, global citizenship and valuing cultural diversity and the
WHOQOL-100 questionnaire points. Description of points: (0) Very unsatisfied; contribution of culture to sustainable development”; (3) Sustainable
(1–25) Unsatisfied; (26–50) Normal; (51–75) Satisfied; (76–100) Very satisfied. Cities and Communities, referring to an inclusive culture, safe, resilient
and sustainable communities. The goals of the UN program are to
observational findings show that the EE implementation promoted sig­ improve mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to di­
nificant improvement in the children’s academic skills and learning sasters and support for relationships positive economic, social and
abilities. environmental conditions between urban, suburban and rural areas,
In general, in addition to the lack of urban green/natural spaces of and; universal access to safe, inclusive, accessible and green public
public and private areas and of afforestation, children and adolescents spaces, in particular for women and children, the elderly and people
are usually submitted to an intense scholastic routine with insufficient with disabilities (UN, 2021).
time to connect with nature, which can limit their development and Nature-based solutions must be used to offer innovative and sus­
capacity to use their creativity and innate skills to solve personal, social tainable approaches and perspectives to enhance and improve the
and environmental problems (Tiriba, 2017). EE brings the opportunity quality of urban environments, increase local resilience and promote
for the whole community to develop academic and civic ecological skills sustainable lifestyles, and improving the quality of life, health and well-
(Tidball et al.,2010), and social engagement to solve real-life environ­ being of citizens. WHO (2017) emphasizes that green spaces such as
mental challenges, which can be incorporated in their routines and parks, playgrounds, public and private yards, are the backbone to ensure
life-styles. Besides the increase of the civic ecological responsibilities, opportunities for interaction with nature among city dwellers, conser­
the contact with green areas is linked to beneficial human health out­ vation of sociobiodiversity, reduced air and noise pollution, mitigation
comes, and reduced income-related inequalities and criminality (Brat­ of extreme weather events (heat waves, floods), a better quality of life in
man et al., 2019; Weinstein et al., 2015). Cameron et al. (2020) cities, and an improvement in the health and well-being of citizens.
described three important impacts of increased green spaces to human Natural environments can provide air and water purification, stabili­
health: (1) Natural environments promote interest and are "preferred" as zation of climate, and protection from flooding (Bratman et al., 2019); as
the brain interprets them as more coherent, comfortable, and promoting well as increased soil contaminant uptake and detoxification (Liu et al.,
positive and affective emotions rather than artificial ones (Ballew & 2013; Gupta et al., 2013).
Omoto, 2018; Cameron et al., 2020; Sato et al., 2018; Van den Berg Although the movement of EE has grown over the past years 20 to 30
et al., 2016); (2) Some recent theories have tried to explain that our years in many developing and developed countries, there is still no clear
preferences for certain natural environments and landscapes may be correlation between EE, environmental literacy, and effective policies.
related to an evolutionary past (McGranahan, 2008); (3) Influence of The greatest barrier for the EE literacy seems to be related to the
natural aspects on human physiology and health: processes, species and obsolete educational system, as well as to the economy and government
events that somehow cause positive reactions in human beings, investment. In Brazil, formal implementation of environmental man­
including mood. In a common sense, for example, it is believed that agement started in 1972. Since 1988, the Brazilian government has
exposure to microorganisms found in natural environments, especially established that the EE would be part of all levels of education and
for children, has a great positive influence on immune responses present in the National Base Curriculum (Connect4Climate community,
(Schmidt, 2015). Moreover, EE also promotes positive emotions, 2019). However, the implementation of EE in schools has failed in

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C.L.Z. Vieira et al. International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208

Fig. 5. Description of teacher’s questionnaire. Which subjects should be included in the EE program? All three schools are in the city of Sao Manuel, SP, Brazil.

Brazil, as well as in other Latin American countries, especially due to the whose office was within the Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
lack of investment and misconceptions related to EE and education for EPA) (Connect4Climate community, 2019). With the introduction of the
sustainable development programs. In the U.S, the EE started been program No Child Left Behind Act in 2009, a bill was proposed to
implemented in 1990 with the National Environmental Education Act, include investment in professional development, technology healthy

7
C.L.Z. Vieira et al.
Fig. 6. School farm activities in the EE in 2021 (Photos: Teacher Silvana).
Fig. 7. Schoolchild practicing mindful meditation as part of Emotional Edu­
cation activities (Photos: teacher Beatriz).
living and nutrition to improve the environmental literacy. In 2014,
although 74% of states’ Departments of Education was supportive for
the installation of EE programs in schools, only 13 out of 50 US states
have implemented environmental literacy in schools. There still no
federal government investment for the No Child Left Behind Act in 2021
(Connect4Climate community, 2019).
The separation of human beings from nature in the modern societies,
reinforced by the unsustainable lifestyle and economic model of envi­
ronmental exploration and deterioration, has driven our planet to an
irreversible, chaotic and uncertain future (Tiriba, 2017). Urban green
8
International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208
areas must be publicly accessible and equally distributed throughout the
city. Therefore, these spaces are not only important for humans, but also
to ensure the conservation of fauna and flora and ecosystem services
within cities. Jeronen et al. (2009) emphasized that for the near future
one of the most important challenges is to support a lifestyle based on
sustainable development worldwide, with ethical responsibility for en­
vironments. The interaction of humans with the natural environment
reveals our interdependence and interconnection (Quay et al., 2020),
and understanding this makes communities, societies and, ultimately,
the whole planet more resilient, stronger, and healthier.
Our research has limitations. Although the EE program in National
parks were developed before the COVID pandemics, in schools it started
during the pandemics. Over ~2 years, teachers had intensive on-line
trainings of EE theoretical and practical approaches. This was critical
for the success of the program. Teachers were so engaged that kids,
when back to schools, were able to receive all academic and socio-
emotional supports to overcome the detrimental impact of COVID
pandemics in their lives. Our preliminary programs in National Parks
and public schools showed that EE can be a critical tool to increase
environmental literacy, ecological consciousness of communities, social
engagement, and help improve and expand green areas and urban/
school farms, with beneficial impacts on well-being and health of
communities.
Conclusion
The application of EE programs in National Parks and public schools
in Brazilian cities demonstrated the potential of EE in public and farm
school curricula, including classes of self-education, environmental
health, sustainability, food security, and citizen-science to recover local
green areas and to improve ecological awareness, food security and
environmental health. These EE programs have not only resulted in in­
creases of green areas, but also increased time spent in nature, social
C.L.Z. Vieira et al.
Fig. 8. Schoolchildren gardening during outdoor EE practices (Photos: teacher Beatriz).
engagement, and well-being of students and communities. EE can play a
critical role in reestablishing the connection between children and na­
ture, re-educating them to become conscious citizens of the Earth.
Author contributions
M.L.S., C.L.Z.V., F.T. and N.N. designed the research and EE pro­
grams; all authors drafted the manuscript; C.L.Z.V. organized and
finished the writings. All authors revised and approved the final version
of paper writings.
Funding
Funding source: This research has been supported by Sao Paulo
Research Foundation (FAPESP) (School grant: number 2020/12,667–3;
Park grant: number 2018/50,063–2).
Data availability statement
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current
study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable
request.
Ethical approval and consent to participate
All individuals signed the informed consent for the participation on
the study and divulgation of photos.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank J.M. Wolfson for assisting with
manuscript revisions. We thank the school teachers, students, staff, and
local communities for their unconditional dedication and love for the
EE. We would like to thank GEPEASA, in special Vanessa de Oliveira
Quinalha Crosatti for her dedication on this project.
Special thanks for teachers: Ana Paula Destro Zaparolli, Anita
9
International Journal of Educational Research Open 3 (2022) 100208
Rinaldo Cappi, Beatriz Aparecida Ferreira Garcia de Souza, Juliana
Caglioni, Lucimeire Pereira dos Santos Toledo, Maria Silvana Carraro
Jorge, Patrícia Ferreira Mendes, Renata Regina Gieromutti de Oliveira,
Siomara Aparecida Borgato Ricci.
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