Towards Sustainability:
Challenges and Demands for
Environmental Education in Hungary
Márton HERCZEG & Noémi NAGYPÁL Ph.D. Student and Assistant Lecturer Ph.D. Student
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Introduction
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
1. Demands by SocietyState of the environmental awareness
in Hungary
2. Demands by Industry and FirmsLevel of corporate environmental
awareness
3. Challenges in Hungarian Environmental Higher Education
State of environmental education
4. Environmental Management Specialist Post-grad Course
A response for the need
Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Founded in 1000 AD
Population of 10 million
Will join the European Union in May 2004
The European Union has a market size of around 380 million people
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Founded in 1782
Became the 1st technical university in the world in 1881
Has about 13,000 students
DoEE has 2,000 students
Curriculum in “Environmental” …
Economics, Management, Audit, Law, Performance evaluation, Policies, Strategy, Evaluation, etc.
Environmental Awareness in HungaryA Survey Questionnaire
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Sample of 1,000 people
Representative regarding gender, education, age and residence of the Hungarian population
Control group formed by university students taking environmental courses
Residence
20%
39%
41% Budapest
Other cities
Other settlement
Education
44%
42%
14%Primary school
Secondaryschool
Higher education
Age stucture of the sample
39%
37%
24%-29
29-49
50-
Environmental Awareness in Hungary A Survey Questionnaire
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
1.State of the environment2.Interest in environmental issues and
participation in programs3.Opinion concerning environmental liability of
firms4.Environmental information, source of
information5.Environmental programs at school, work and
home6.Environmental issues related to consumption7.Willingness to pay for environmentally sound
products
Issues in focus:
Environmental Awareness in Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
2. How serious is the problem of environmental pollution at or close to your residence, in your opinion?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Very serious Pretty serious Not a significantproblem
It is not a problem
Per
cent of an
swer
s
Sample
Control group
Environmental Awareness in Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
7. Who has the primary responsibility for the environmental protection of the country (settlements)?
05
10152025
303540
4550
Government(local
authorities)
Organisations,companies.
Civilorganisations
(NGOs).
Citizens. Other.
Pe
rcen
t of
an
swer
s
Sample
Control group
Environmental Awareness in Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
8. Do consumer attitudes have role in decreasing environmental problems?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Yes, signif icantimpacts.
May haveenvironmental
impacts.
No. No answer.
Per
cen
t of
an
swer
s
Sample
Control group
Environmental Awareness in Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
12. Would you pay more for goods in order to guarantee the reduction of pollution?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Yes, I am w illing topay more.
I am not sure to paymore.
I w ould definitely notpay more.
No answ er.
Per
cent
of a
nsw
ers
Sample
Control group
Environmental Awareness in Hungary
Budapest University of Technology and EconomicsFaculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Conclusions of the survey
Generally, people are aware of their own environmental role and the negative impacts related to their consumption of goods and services.
They follow environmental related events: main source of information is the electronic media.
Consumers would like to consider environmental information when choosing products and services, but …
Consumers would like to have more environmental information about the products and services they buy.
The willingness to pay seems to be remarkable.
Environmental Higher Education
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Increasing demand from society and business since the early ´90s
Must confront two issues:
Inadequate preparation of applicants
The demand for more and better prepared graduates
European initiatives: Cardiff and Bologna Processes
Positive tendencies:
General improving tendency
Different forms of training
New educational tools implemented
Negative tendencies:
Environmental education is not compulsory for every student
Lack of effective cooperation with environmental associations
“Professional jealousy”
Environmental Higher Education
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Full-time, other forms and (sub-branch) specializations
Environmental engineer
Environmental economic agricultural engineer
Environmental sciences teacher
Environmental protection teacher
Environmental sciences
Environmental pedagogy
Total number of students
0200
400600800
10001200
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
Stude
nts
Total number of students
Business Need for Professionals
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Organizations observed by our study:1. Companies with ISO 14001 certificate2. Companies not certificated but having significant
environmental impacts3. Local authorities of municipalities
For companies certified under ISO 14001 it is more important to employ environmental specialists than for the rest of the sample:
9 to11 specialist vs. 1 to 3.
For both groups of companies it is important to employ experts in order to fulfill legal requirements and have good relationships with authorities, while higher market share is less important.
ISO 14001 certificated companies find positive image more important in environmental issues than non-certified companies.
Business Need for Professionals
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Business Need for Professionals
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Environmental Management SpecialistPost graduate course at DoEE
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Environmental management specialists will have an up-to-date knowledge of:
environmental management systems,
environmental impact assessment,
environmental risk assessment,
environmental audit,
project management, projects with significant environmental impacts,
preparation environmental policies, reports and statements.
Environmental Management SpecialistPost graduate course at DoEE
Budapest University of Technology and EconomicsFaculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Correspondent course
450 contact hours (lectures and lab work)
Friday & Saturday 9.00 am to 18.00 pm
4 semesters
120 credits must be earned
First semester finished with 19 students
Budapest University of Technology and
EconomicsFaculty of Economic and Social Sciences Department of Environmental Economics
Thank you for your attention!
Márton HERCZEGPh.D. Student and Assistant Lecturer
[email protected]: + 36 1 463 19 41
Fax: + 36 1 463 11 49
Address:Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Department of Environmental EconomicsH–1111 Budapest, Stoczek u. 2.
HUNGARY