In this study, we assessed the general marine environmental knowledge and attitudes of university students from eight public universities in Hong Kong. The Ocean Literacy Framework and revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) were used as tools for questionnaire development. Data were collected via in-person and online surveys. An in-person survey was conducted at the university canteen from 16 May to 24 May 2017, and an online survey was conducted via email from 1 May to 31 May 2017. A structured questionnaire was provided to interested students from different levels of study and majors. Data obtained from these surveys were summarized based on participants’ correct answers in the general knowledge section and five-point Likert scaling for attitude statements. Results show that Hong Kong university students possess moderate marine environmental knowledge and pro-environmental attitudes. Knowledge scores significantly correlate with demographic variables, such as major of study, gender, institution, and parents’ education. Students’ pro-environmental attitudes are associated with different factors, including participation in various marine recreational activities, taking marine-related courses, and attachment to conservative marine initiatives. The study results have implications regarding the advancement of marine environmental knowledge and the pro-environmental attitudes of university students, such as mapping a well-structured pathway for disseminating marine environmental knowledge, curricular involvement, and the development of an integrated web resource. Copyright © 2023 by the authors.

The Hong Kong Green School Award (HKGSA) is a school award scheme hosted by the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) to encourage schools to promote environmental awareness and for students to develop an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Since its inception in 2000, the HKGSA has undergone several phases of development. Between 2000 to 2008 it took the form of a competition with 3 winning schools and 10 merit schools After an initial review in 2005, it was decided to change the 8th HKGSA from a competition format to a benchmarking process. The successfully accredited schools were given the title of Green School once they fulfilled certain requirements. Another major reform took place in the 12th HKGSA in 2013 to allow flexibility for schools to satisfy the requirements in phases by completing the accreditation to attain the gold award over a period of 3 years, the introduction of facilitators to act as mentors and the enforcing of a maximum validity period for the accreditation. This structure mirrored the sustainable schools program in Victoria, Australia. HKGSA has become a well-received accreditation scheme which can also act as a driving force to promote education for sustainable development in the school sector which in 2020 will be subsumed under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE). This chapter describes the development of this initiative in Hong Kong, its framework, implementation, impact and future. Copyright © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The world is increasingly recognising the importance of addressing key issues such as climate change, environmental protection and clean air and water through initiatives such as Agenda 21 (United Nations, 1993), and the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2016). In 2013 Hong Kong Institute of Education launched a one-year full-time Master of Arts in Education for Sustainability degree, targeted at an international audience. The program is an educational innovation that seeks to graduate students who will reform the contemporary world. The first cohort commenced in September 2014, and this research investigates the motivations of students who enrolled in the first three cohorts of the program, particularly • where the students come from • their undergraduate background • their reasons for enrolling in the program • what they learned from the program • where they are now • whether the program changed their career directions. All students enrolled to date were to complete a questionnaire that addressed the above questions (approximately 100 students). Their responses were analysed thematically and provide insight into the role of the Masters degree in developing graduates' abilities to reform the contemporary world. This is particularly important in the Hong Kong SAR and China because most graduates come from mainland China, and China recently released its 13th Five-Year Plan on Education Development (CPC, 2017). The Plan defines the requirements for implementing ESD at all education levels in China for the next five years. This paper reports on how well prepared the students feel to work towards these goals in China and elsewhere.

In the last few decades, the Asia Pacific region has faced unprecedented social, economic, political and environmental challenges. These in turn have prompted the necessity for partnerships on order to realise sustainable development in the region.

Education for sustainable Development (ESD) in Hong Kong schools is administered by the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) through its core education programs, mainly the Hong Kong Green School Awards (HKGSA) and Student Environmental Protection Ambassador Scheme (SEPAS). This is supported partly by the SAR Government Education and Development Bureau (EDB) which seeks the permeation of ESD through the formal curriculum but is seriously hindered by the curriculum structure. Research recently conducted by the authors reveals that there are still questions to be answered regarding the readiness and willingness of schools to engage with ESD. In China, on the other hand, ESD is being promoted mainly through its Green School Program administered by the State Ministry of Education (MOE) and sponsored by the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). This chapter provides an in-depth description and comparison of the history, development, and the theoretical framework of ESD for schools in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The name ‘CRUCIAL’ stands for Center for Resources and Understanding of Cross-curricular Instruction and Learning. Project Crucial was fully funded by The Hong Kong Institute of Education and started to operate in 1997. the project was launched because it is believed that Cross-curricular Education is urgently needed for present-day education in Hong Kong. In addition, the Chief Executive’s devotion to develop IT (information Technology) aided education has further confirmed the feasibility of establishing a Center for Cross-curricular education. Crucial was initiated, therefore, as a development of cross-curricular subject interaction and delivery by means of networked resources through the Internet. The URL is http://crucial.ied.edu.hk. The principle is to use computer networking to support curriculum enhancement, resource sharing, and access to remote databases, to improve local education from primary to secondary level. In a previous paper about the vision and reality of IT in education, it was found that school teachers’ perception of CRUCIAL and the use of learning technologies in classrooms are very positive. In this paper the feedback from ~150 students will be analysed and described. The feedback from students was obtained from a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire is divided into two parts. The first part contains fixed response items that focus on the respondents’ attitude towards the effectiveness of the project while the second part contains open-ended questions for them to elaborate their opinions further.