Views and attitudes of primary school students regarding water conservation in the municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece

¹ Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DIMITRA (ELGO - DIMITRA), Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, 11528, Ilisia, Athens
² School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

^* Corresponding author: stsiaras@fria.gr

Abstract

Environmental education contributes to raising students’ awareness of environmental issues. When they deal with environmental problems from an early age, children develop a high level of knowledge about the environment and adopt a responsible attitude towards it. Water scarcity is a major environmental problem, and environmental education programs can help young students better understand the issue, create a positive attitude towards water conservation, and increase their awareness. This work aimed to investigate the views and attitudes of primary school children regarding water conservation through questionnaires. The research took place in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece, in the context of implementing a voluntary educational action aimed at environmental awareness. The students evaluated what they attended during the activity, and they expressed great interest in the topic, while most of them responded that they conserve water in their households. The research proved a need to create targeted environmental programs for water to increase young students’ awareness of saving water. The students who participated in the activity were delighted and generally comprehended the principles and the importance of water conservation in daily life, participating actively during the presentation with pertinent questions. The educational action demonstrated that environmental education has great potential and can raise the students’ awareness towards significant environmental challenges.