Environmental education of Z generation students for sustainable development of rural areas (the example of the Russian-Finnish project Luga-Balt-2)

In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 goals and 169 targets for sustainable development until 2030. The fourth goal provides for the development of inclusive and equitable quality education, and goals 12, 13 and 14 are aimed at protecting the environment and organizing appropriate education for this. When implementing environmental education, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of a generation of students, in this case, generation Z. For a number of years, Russian-Finnish projects were carried out in the Luga district of the Leningrad region. One of the main objectives of the projects concerned the environmental education of schoolchildren and students. Using international experience, a number of interactive teaching methods have been developed and are still being used. They are focused on fostering student independence and provide his motivation. A student conducts his own research work and participates in a youth team to prepare and to implement their own projects aimed at solving local problems. This approach forms an ecological culture of an ecocentric type among students, and their desire to bear their part of responsibility for the state of the environment.