Search Results (3)

The Two-Dimensional Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV) explores the environmental values and attitudes of adolescents, typically 11–16 years old. The 2-MEV has two higher-order factors (values), Preservation and Utilisation, and primary factors (attitudes) under each value. The 2-MEV Scale has been validated in several industrialised countries, showing a negative but weak to moderate correlation between the two values. When in a previous study the scale was tested in rural Nepal, a non-industrialised country, the relationship between the two values was also negative but much stronger. The aim of the present study was to test this unusual relationship using the scale in urban Nepal. Five hundred forty-seven adolescents responded to the 25 items, which were reduced to 19 items after exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The model used in the urban setting resulted in a weak, negative corelation between the two values, which is similar to the structure that has been found in industrialised countries. However, the characteristics of environmental attitudes of adolescents in urban Nepal showed a strong similarity to the characteristics found in the previous study in rural Nepal. Therefore, the construct or structure of environmental attitude does not appear to be dependent on the socioeconomic status of a country/community. The results also showed slightly higher pro-environmental attitudes in adolescents in the urban community compared to the rural community of Nepal. Full article

The First Sustainable Globe Conference 2021 was held virtually from 8 to 10 September 2021. The partner organizers were Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg from Germany, RootsGoods Private Limited from India, and the Vriksha Foundation from Nepal. The theme of the conference was sustainability for climate action. The focus topics of the theme were education, agriculture (nutrition), urban and rural development, and natural and cultural resources management. Abstracts were submitted from 20 universities in 13 countries. In total, 69 registrants attended the conference, and 29 papers were presented, of which 4 were poster presentations along with 10 invited and keynote speakers. The presentations were either in English or Spanish (with English subtitles and/or live translation). The conference was divided into two plenary sessions—first, education; and second, natural and cultural resources, urban and rural development, and agriculture. In the education session, most of the discussion was related to environmental education to improve environmental literacy in all age groups. The project-based education, along with formal and informal teaching and educational methodologies, was discussed. For the second plenary session, the discussion was mixed with protecting natural and cultural resources by promoting scientific applications and public participation in citizen science. However, the final remark was guided by one of the keynote speakers, who highlighted the importance of spirituality in sustainability, and how the discussion of spirituality is lacking in the public discourse on sustainability. Therefore, the conference aimed to develop future themes regarding sustainability by not missing the critical aspect of spirituality. The context of spirituality here was defined as approaching problems as not being separate from our existence but, rather, a part of our existence and, thus, in addition to applying scientific, technical, didactics, and engineering solutions, also applying attitudes, values, and beliefs toward the problem matter. To elaborate on these remarks, this issue presents the abstracts of the presented papers in the conference, while the keynotes and entire session can be revisited on the YouTube channel of RootsGoods Private Limited. Full article

The Two-dimensional Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV), developed and verified in Western Europe, successfully explores the environmental values and attitudes of the children (11−16 years old) using questionnaires/items. However, the reliability of the 2-MEV Scale and its bi-dimensionality in a non-industrialised country, such as Nepal, is unexplored. Nepal lies within the monsoon region, which triggers extreme environmental crises such as floods. As environmental values and attitudes are related to pro-environmental/adaptive behaviour, this study analyses not only the values and attitudes of children but also the validity of the 2-MEV Scale in a different geographic and socioeconomic setting. Therefore, the items of the 2-MEV Scale were modified, translated, and validated in two rounds with 200 and 201 children. Results were examined using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The findings validated the two constructs of environmental values (Preservation and Utilisation) with a correlation of −0.93, but the attitude’s pattern varied from that found in industrialised countries. Finally, the rural Nepalese version of the 2-MEV was used to measure environmental values. Most children (78.62% from n = 379) show an inclination towards Preservation, 0.26% towards Utilisation, 20.05% towards both values partially, and 1.05% were neutral. In general, the children held pro-environmental values and attitudes. Full article