Teaching and Learning About the Ecological Footprint to Primary School Students: A Vehicle for Achieving the 2030 SDGs

Nikolaos Galanis (), Alexandros Amprazis and Georgios Malandrakis
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Nikolaos Galanis: Department of Primary Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Alexandros Amprazis: Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Western Macedonia, 53100 Florina, Greece
Georgios Malandrakis: Department of Primary Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: The educational value of the Ecological Footprint (EF) lies in its ability to facilitate the identification and quantification of individuals’ environmental impacts, stemming from their daily habits and lifestyles, while also supporting the achievement of the 2030 sustainability goals. This study aimed to enhance primary school students’ understanding of their EF through the implementation of specially designed educational materials based on the Greek online EF calculator. A 10 h teaching intervention (TI) on EF was designed and carried out with 112 primary school students aged 10–12 years. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using a specially developed questionnaire. The results showed a statistically significant increase in students’ scores from the pre-test to the post-test regarding their understanding of the EF concept. When each EF category was examined individually, the most statistically significant differences were recorded in the categories of Infrastructure/Housing, Goods/Services, and Waste. These findings suggest that primary school students’ understanding of the EF can be effectively improved through a well-structured teaching intervention. This conclusion holds value not only for education for sustainable development (ESD), but also more broadly, in an era where understanding and embracing sustainability is a top priority for all modern educational institutions.

Keywords: SDGs; Ecological Footprint (EF); EF categories; primary school students; teaching intervention (TI); educational material; Greek online EF calculator; education for sustainable development (ESD) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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