The formation of sustainable development skills in educational institutions

Education is one of the key factors in forming the future of environmentalists, because it focuses on changes to knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Environmental learning and teaching help a person to get practical experience and direct access to ecological processes, and to acquire the skills needed to explore the environment, taking necessary action to solve its actual problems. One way to educate and enhance environmental knowledge is to explore and experience nature directly, in the field or the forest, or bodies of water. Environmental values are strengthened by increasing identification with nature, i.e. the more people feel that nature needs to be protected and conserved, the more often they class themselves as environmentally friendly. To promote ecological behaviour patterns, it is important to predict specific measures that allow people to achieve them. Schools develop values, attitudes and habits to protect the environment; therefore, it is favourable to develop environmental and sustainable development skills. The article investigates the problems of forming sustainable development skills in educational institutions in Lithuania. The research study was performed within the framework of sustainability school programmes which have been organised since 2015 to encourage interest in problems of environmental protection and to develop skills in sustainable development. This programme won the Swedish Business Awards corporate social responsibility initiative of 2015. Various educational institutions, from kindergarten to primary, secondary and professional non-formal educational centres, have participated in the programme. Sustainable development skills have been developed through the implementation of practical activities for reducing the ecological footprint of institutions. The object of the research is formative activities for sustainable development skills. The aim of the research is to analyse sustainable development skills in educational institutions, providing knowledge and skills for the creation of sustainable communities that are capable of managing and using resources, while combining environmental, social and economic aspects. The research methods include the analysis and synthesis of scientific literature and documents, and the expert assessment of the data collected about sustainable and environmental awareness activities. The ecological footprint method was used for the assessment of the environmental impact of institutions. A total of 59 educational institutions participated in our research between 2019 and 2021, including 25 colleges, 16 secondary schools, three primary schools, three professional training centres, and 17 kindergartens. In total, around 25,072 participants participated in the sustainable school programme, including 18,110 students, 1,703 teachers, 194 administrative staff, 4,923 parents, and 142 social partners. Sustainable development skills were assessed in 11 categories: food, water, electricity, heating, waste, material consumption, education for sustainable development, biodiversity, healthy educational environments, sustainable mobility, sustainable school communities, and supplementary activities. For the collection of the research data, an expert valuation questionnaire was developed, which was evaluated by six experts. Expert evaluation was conducted for each category of sustainable skill, and they were assessed on a scale from zero to ten points. The maximum points were given to activities initiated that were the best and most efficiently managed. Additional initiated activities received extra points. However, the total number of investigated educational institutions, students and teachers was only 6% of the total number of potential participants. The results show that the activity rate of institutions is quite low. It varied from 12% to 74%. It shows that educational activities alone are not enough to solve environmental problems. Although students have environmental knowledge, they do not use it in practice. Therefore, additional, diverse and perhaps more interactive tools are needed to initiate practical activities. This would attract more participants from different social groups. The research drew on one of the strategies for the formation of sustainable development skills, and showed that communities which involve more stakeholders and various social partners in activities are more active in the programme. The formation of sustainable development skills has made it possible to involve participants of all ages and groups in environmental education activities. The environmental education measures implemented facilitated greater involvement in environmental projects, and a better understanding of the consequences of environmental impacts. It was noted that participants valued nature more responsibly and were more resource-efficient