We are living in the middle of an ecological crisis, where climate change and biodiversity loss are intensifying. Tackling this crisis calls for concrete action and increased environmental awareness at all levels of society. But what does environmental awareness actually mean, and why does it matter in working life?

What is environmental awareness?

Environmental awareness refers to a combination of a person’s motivation, knowledge, and skills to make choices and take action that support the environment (Harju-Autti, Neuvonen & Hakkarainen 2011, 8; Partanen-Hertell, Harju-Autti, Kreft-Burman & Pemberton 1999, 20). Motivation, or the willingness to act, arises when a person’s values and attitudes lead them to see changes in the environment as problematic. Turning information into meaningful knowledge requires general awareness, good judgment, and critical thinking. In addition, it helps to understand the cause-and-effect relationships behind ecological problems. To take the environment into account in their actions, people need more than just motivation and knowledge — they also need the practical skills and abilities to act. (Harju-Autti 2011 et al., 9–14.)

Many studies examining environmental awareness and attitudes often highlight another key factor: a person’s intention to act in an environmentally friendly way. Increased knowledge does not directly lead to pro-environmental behavior. Instead, knowledge influences behavior through its effects on a person’s environmental attitudes and intentions. (Liu, Teng & Han 2020, 10; Bala, Singh & Sharma 2023, 129–130.)

How environmental awareness develops

Environmental awareness develops in stages. These stages progress in a similar way at the level of individuals, organizations, and even societies. In the first stage, motivation to increase knowledge and skills arises from noticing changes in the environment, particularly when these changes affect human health. However, in this stage, problems are often thought to be solved by someone else. In the second stage, knowledge increases, and some actions are taken, but environmental problems are still seen as separate issues rather than a bigger picture. In the third stage, the comprehensiveness and global nature of environmental problems are understood, which can sometimes lead to frustration. Nevertheless, environmentally friendly behavior becomes part of everyday life, and opportunities for sustainable choices exist both in private life and in working life. In the fourth stage, the environment is no longer seen from a human-centered perspective, but as valuable in itself. Instead of consumption, values are directed toward well-being and happiness, and humanity is understood as part of the ecological whole. (Partanen-Hertell et al. 1999, 21–26.)

Moving toward goals through collaborative learning

The 2030 Agenda, the UN’s action plan for sustainable development, is the most important international framework guiding environmental awareness and responsibility. One of its objectives is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns — something that can only be achieved if awareness of sustainable development and nature-friendly lifestyles is widespread. (United Nations 2025.)

We are all dependent on the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems. Also organizations cannot afford to ignore this fact in their operations. It is essential that organizations and their employees recognize the environmental impacts of their work and know how to take effective actions to reduce them.

It has been recognized that the lack of right skills or know-how is often a key barrier to achieving organizational sustainability goals. Tregaskis et al. (2023, 174–180) suggest that the achievement of these goals can be facilitated by the emergence of sustainability communities of practice, where diverse knowledge bases and expertise are combined. Within such communities, members learn from another through shared experiences and relationships. It is important to note that a community of practice is not a group established for a specific project or task, but rather a freely formed community united by a common purpose, such as sustainability.

Eco-Support activity – from awareness to action

Eco-Support activity (Ekotukitoiminta) is an operating model developed by the City of Helsinki to promote environmental awareness and serve as a tool for environmental management. The city recognized that achieving its environmental objectives would be easier with the help of a network of employees who were personally interested in environmental issues. These employees, known as eco-support persons, were offered training on environmental topics. The training covered ongoing ecological crises and explained the city’s sustainability goals and actions to promote ecological responsibility in its operations.

Through this training and collaboration, eco-support persons became environmental experts in their own workplaces, inspiring their colleagues to take more environmentally friendly actions. They were also provided with practical tools and materials to make it easier to promote environmental issues within their teams.

Between 2009 and 2011, I worked in an EU-funded project where we extended the Eco-Support activity from Helsinki to cities in Estonia. In this project we organized joint meetings where eco-support persons from both sides of the Gulf of Finland could reflect on differences in work culture and environmental practices, while also sharing best practices. I also coordinated the evaluation of the Eco-Support activity´s impacts, which showed significant positive results for energy savings in both Estonia and Finland, and in waste sorting in Finland. The impacts on sustainable mobility and procurement were smaller or negligible.

Today, the Eco-Support activity continues to thrive, engaging numerous municipalities and public organizations. Eco-support persons still emphasize how rewarding it is to be able to act according to their personal values at work.

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Author:

Pirita Kuikka, Master’s program in Business Administration, Sustainable Future, Savonia University of Applied Sciences

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References:

United Nations. 2025. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda. Accessed 29.9.2025.

Tregaskis, O., Graham, J., Baric, M., Harvey, V., Maguire, D., Michaelides, G., Nayani, R. & Watson, D. 2023. Organizational Change towards Sustainability: From Ambition to Impact through Mindsets and Communities of Practice. In publication Di Fabio, A. & Cooper, C. (eds.) Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Organizations. E-book. London: Taylor & Francis Group. Accessed 29.9.2025.

Bala, R., Singh, S. & Sharma, K. K. 2023. Relationship between environmental knowledge, environmental sensitivity, environmental attitude and environmental behavioural intention – a segmented mediation approach. Management of Environmental Quality, 34 (1), 119–136. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-08-2021-0202. Accessed 25.9.2025.

Harju-Autti. P., Neuvonen, A. & Hakkarainen, L. (eds.) 2011. Ympäristötietoisuus: suomalaiset 2010-lukua tekemässä. Helsinki: Rakennustieto Oy.

Liu, P., Teng, M. & Han, C. 2020. How does environmental knowledge translate into pro-environmental behaviors?: The mediating role of environmental attitudes and behavioral intentions. Article 138126. Science of The Total Environment (Volume 728), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138126. Accessed 25.9.2025.

Partanen-Hertell, M., Harju-Autti, P., Kreft-Burman, K. & Pemberton, D. 1999. Raising environmental awareness in the Baltic Sea area. The Finnish Environment 327. Helsinki: The Finnish Environment Institute. https://helda.helsinki.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/b2eb9473-225d-4285-9279-9cd1e374becb/content. Accessed 24.9.2025.