Purpose - Although researchers have identified correlations between specific attitudes and particular behaviors in the pro-environmental domain, the general relationship between young people’s development of environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors is not well understood. Past research indicates that geographic context can play a role, while social factors such as age and gender can have a more significant impact on predicting attitudes and behaviors than formal education. Few studies have systematically examined the relationships between education and environmental attitudes and behaviors among youth in Hong Kong. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study comparing secondary school students’ environmental attitudes and behaviors with age and related factors in two international schools and two government schools in Hong Kong. Students’ attitudes and behaviors were compared based on school type (curriculum), while the authors additionally compared the significance of social factors and attitudes on students’ behaviors.Design/methodology/approach - Attitudes were measured using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and the NEP for Children (NEPC), the most commonly used, internationally standardized tools for investigating environmental attitudes and values of adults and young people for comparative purposes. The authors compared NEP/NEPC scores and student self-reported environmental behaviors using a short questionnaire.Findings - No significant differences were found in attitudes or behaviors based on school type. However the authors did observe a significant effect of gender and age on students’ attitudes, and a significant correlation of student attitudes in the NEP with students’ self-reports regarding air conditioning consumption.Originality/value - This study builds a foundation for cross-national studies and for evaluating the impact of curricula over time. Copyright © 2016 Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

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 author discusses the shift of paradigm from traditional environmental education towards the notion of sustainable development. Consequently, the author suggests a possible framework for education for sustainable development in teacher education, and argues that risks and uncertainty awareness should be highlighted to explore the complex nature of the environment.