PERCEPTION OF DIFFERENT TARGET GROUPS ABOUT MEANING ECO-SCHOOLS AS A STYLE OF LIFE

Razvoj znanosti in tehnološki napredek, ki ga trenutno dosega človeštvo, je velikega pomena, nič manj pomembno pa ni to, kakšen odnos imamo do narave na vseh področjih našega življenja. Pomembno je, kako skrbimo za okolje, v katerem živimo, in kakšnega bomo zapustili našim zanamcem. Rek pravi, da so otroci naše bogastvo in zato moramo z vso možno vnemo in odgovornostjo paziti na to, kaj jim bomo zapustili. Da bi lahko to uresničili, pa moramo že mlade vzgajati v smeri okoljevarstva na vseh področjih, kjer človek deluje. Potrebno je torej razmisliti in raziskati, na kakšne načine, kje in kdaj mladim približati okolju prijazno ravnanje in jih seznaniti z njim. Najlažje in najbolj učinkovito je to v procesu vzgoje in izobraževanja: da jim že v otroštvu predstavimo, kako se je potrebno vesti, da ne škodujemo sebi, drugim in okolju, v katerem živimo. V teoretičnem delu te diplomske naloge so opisani pomen izobraževanja, šolski sistem v Sloveniji in različne ciljne skupine mednarodnega programa Ekošola. Temu sledi opis vpletanja ekologije v delovanje podjetij s pomočjo ekološkega managementa, kaj prinaša program Ekošola in kako deluje. Za zadnji del teoretičnega dela pa smo se odločili predstaviti marketing in vpletenost marketinga z ekologijo ter samo blagovno znamko Ekošola. K temu smo dodali še, kaj je mladim pomembno, kakšne so njihove vrednote in kaj najhitreje opazijo. S pomočjo marketinga lahko to izkoristimo in jim približamo okolju prijazno ravnanje preko programa Ekošola. Praktični del diplomske naloge smo izvedli z raziskovanjem. Naredili smo raziskavo s pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika na dveh eko fakultetah. Študente smo povprašali, kakšne so njihove navade in vrednote, kakšno je njihovo mnenje o okoljevarstvu, ali se zavedajo pomembnosti varovanja okolja, ali ločujejo odpadke, kakšno je njihovo mnenje o programu Ekošola itd. Cilj raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kakšne so ustrezne spodbude fakultet za pridružitev k mednarodnemu programu Ekošola, kakšno je ustrezno ravnanje programa Ekošola s ciljno skupino študentov, kako se razlikuje v primerjavi z ostalimi ciljnimi skupinami in predstaviti pomen blagovne znamke mednarodnega programa Ekošola ter pomen širitve tega programa za podjetja.The development of science and the technological progress, which we are currently reaching, are of great importance. The attitude we have towards nature in all areas of our lives is just as important. It is crucial to take care of the environment we live in because we will leave it to the future generations. It has been said that children are our fortune and therefore we need to take care of what we are going to leave behind for them. In order to achieve this, we have to educate all young people about the environmental protection in all areas of our lives. It is necessary to consider and investigate in what way, where and when to introduce the environment and environmentally friendly practices to the younger generation. The easiest and most effective way is to start at the beginning of their education process. This way we can teach the children how to act so that they will not harm themselves, others and the environment in which we live. The theoretical part of this thesis describes the importance of education, the school system in Slovenia, the target groups of the international Eco-schools program, followed by a description of the involvement of ecology in the operation of enterprises using environmental management. In the theoretical part it is also explained what the Eco-schools program is and how it works. For the last part of the theoretical part, we have decided to present marketing and its involvement in Ecology and the brand Eco-school. We also presented what is important to young people, what are their values and what do they notice at first. Through marketing we can use this information and bring the environmental concept and Eco-school closer to the younger generation. For the practical part of the thesis, we carried out a research. We did a survey using a questionnaire in two Eco-faculties – “Ekofakulteta”. Students were asked about their habits and values and their view on ecology. We also asked them if they are aware of the importance of environmental protection, if they recycle and what is their opinion on the Eco-Schools program. The aim of the research was to determine the appropriate incentives for the faculty to join the international program Eco-Schools. We also wanted to determine the proper use of the program Eco-Schools for the target group of students and compare this group with other target groups. We also wanted to present the importance of trademark international program Eco and the importance of extending this program to businesses