Developing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: Promoting Environmentally Responsible Behavior through the Student Climate and Conservation Congress

A thesis [actually a Plan B] submitted to the Faculty of University of Minnesota by Nathaniel Blood in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Environmental Education, May 2014. Advisory Committee Members: Dr. Julie Ernst, Dr. Thomas Beery, and Nathan Meyer. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.This project examined the Student Climate and Conservation Congress (SC3), a joint educational effort between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Green Schools Alliance. It examined the effect of SC3 on variables identified in the literature as influencing environmentally responsible behavior. These variables included perceived environmental knowledge, perceived knowledge of citizen participation and action strategies, perceived action skills, environmental attitudes, locus of control, personal responsibility, and intention to act. Furthermore, it explored whether or not these variables could be used to predict environmental action and continued commitment to conservation action. Perceived environmental knowledge, perceived knowledge of citizen participation and action strategies, perceived action skills, environmental attitudes, locus of control, and personal responsibility increased after participation in the program. Locus of control was found to significantly predict intention to act. None of the variables could be used to predict environmental action or continued commitment to conservation action. However pretest levels of environmental attitudes were significantly related to environmental action, and pretest levels of environmental attitudes and pretest levels of personal responsibility were significantly related to continued commitment to conservation action. In this study, intention for action was not related to action, nor was action related to continued commitment toward environmental action. Program implications and suggestions for future research were generated out of this study’s findings.University of Minnesota Duluth. College of Education & Human Service Professions