Evaluating School Engagement and Environmental Awareness Outcomes Following Involvement in an Alternative High School Community Sustainability Program

Abstract Recent empirical focus on positive youth development included substantial attention to the promotion of adolescents\u27 community engagement and civic responsibility. Given the current emphasis in the larger sociopolitical context on environmental issues and sustainable living practices, environmental education is one obvious pathway for promoting youths\u27 sense of personal responsibility for their communities. In the current study, we evaluated outcomes of involvement in a sustainable living/environmental awareness greenhouse program based at an alternative high school. Program participation involved didactic instruction, learning food growing practices in a school-based community greenhouse, and environmental field trip experiences. Participants included 21 students; 8 in the greenhouse/environmental awareness program and 13 as the control group. Program effects on youth environmental knowledge and conservation behaviors, school belonging, and sense of personal responsibility toward community well-being were assessed