A recent study published in the prestigious journal *Environmental Education Research* sounds the alarm about how environmental education is taught in Romania. Although students learn about recycling and climate change, their knowledge remains confined to the classroom, failing to translate into concrete actions at the community level or into solutions to combat energy poverty.
In the context of an increasingly urgent climate crisis and an energy transition that is reshaping the global economy, schools are considered key players in preparing new generations. However, the study titled “What happens in schools stays in schools! A critical assessment of environmental education in Romanian local communities,” coordinated by Romanian researchers George Jiglău, Simona Iftimescu, Maria Olariu, and Anca Sinea, reveals a huge gap between theory and practice in the educational system of Northwest Romania.
Energy Literacy: A Mystery to Students and Parents
The study focused on the concept of “energy literacy”—the ability to understand how energy works, where it comes from, and how it can be used efficiently. In a country where energy poverty affects a significant percentage of the population, this form of education should be vital.
Researchers found, however, that environmental education programs, while present, are often sporadic and lack a real connection to local issues. Students can recite definitions of the greenhouse effect, but few understand how they can influence their own home’s energy consumption or how they can contribute to their city’s energy transition.
School, an “island” isolated from the community
The study’s title, a paraphrase of the famous saying about Las Vegas, captures the essence of the problem: information does not “trickle down” from students to parents or local authorities.
“Schools are seen as important formal social institutions, but their impact on the local climate dialogue is minimal,” the authors note. Although schools are expected to provide local responses to global climate challenges, the qualitative study—which included interviews with students, teachers, and parents—shows that:
- Lack of resources: Teachers do not always have the resources or training needed to turn environmental topics into community projects.
- Generational gap: Parents are often receptive to their children’s ideas, but economic constraints and the lack of coherent local public policies prevent these ideas from being put into practice.
- Fragmentation: Environmental activities are often extracurricular and depend on the individual enthusiasm of teachers, rather than being systematically integrated.
Turda and the local context: A mirror of Romania
The research highlights specific situations in communities such as Turda, where challenges related to infrastructure and energy costs are acutely felt. The study suggests that environmental education could be a driver of resilience if it included solutions for energy poverty, teaching citizens how to access funds for energy efficiency or how to become prosumers.
A Shift in Mindset
The study’s authors advocate for a radical change: transforming schools from spaces for the passive accumulation of information into community “hubs.” For the energy transition to succeed in Romania, environmental education must move beyond textbooks and into people’s homes in the form of lower bills and greener communities.
Until then, experts warn, efforts in schools risk remaining merely theoretical exercises, while the climate crisis and energy bills continue to put pressure on Romanian society.
The results of this study are promoted by UBB Core, the Career Guidance Center for Researchers at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania through the PNRR C9-I10 program, Next Generation of the EU and the National Research Authority of Romania.
