An integrated approach to environmental education and research: a case study

• Autores: J. K. Staniskis, Z. Stasiskiene
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 23, no. 6, 2007, págs. 1141-1150
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Industrial processes have different levels of impact on the environment and there is a need to foster knowledge of the environmental consequences of industrial activities. One of the ways of achieving this is by the application of the concepts of industrial ecology (a multidisciplinary research approach) to industry's day-to-day activities. Another possible way of pursuing this goal is to use environmental education as a tool for increasing awareness with regard to the social, political and economic relevance of, as well as the need for, environmentally sound industrial methods. Technical universities in the Baltic Sea region, under the framework of the BALTECH consortium, have decided to develop and implement a new MSc Programme in Environmental Management and Cleaner Production, based on an integrated approach to industrial ecology towards current and long term/strategic environmental goals. The programme focuses on technologies and concepts in environmental planning and management for sustainable industrial development. The programme began at Kaunas University of Technology in September 2002. The Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI), which is the main organisation responsible for the Environmental Management and Cleaner Production MSc programme in Kaunas University of Technology, treats the multidisciplinary approach as the main priority in the design of curricular models and views it as a strategic device in training graduates who will succeed in the labour market. This paper outlines a new educational model that provides students with both a systemic perspective and a more technical attitude for handling environmental multidimensionality.