In Japan, landslides are one of the most frequent disasters, with approximately 1,500 occurrences in 2023. Therefore, education about landslides is important and is covered across various fields, including science and social studies, from elementary to upper secondary school. Japanese fifth graders learn about the effects of water flow on soil erosion while conducting experiments. Experiments are useful for understanding soil erosion without using special equipment. In this study, a model experiment was conducted by burying a model of tree roots in a soil slope to understand how trees affect soil erosion. Soil slopes were made of decomposed granite soil, culture soil, or andosols, and the slopes were assembled according to a fifth grader’s science textbook. Six models of tree roots made of copper wire were buried in the slope, and 400 mL of water was applied from the top of the slope. The tree root models did not significantly affect slope collapse on decomposed granite soil, but it was observed that the outflow of fine soil was inhibited by the root models. Significant effects were observed on culture soil, indicating that the tree root models inhibited slope collapse and soil outflow. On the andosol slope, the tree models inhibited slope collapse but slightly affected soil outflow. The effects of tree root models may depend on the physical properties of the soil. These results suggest that this experiment may be useful for understanding the role of trees on slopes in disaster prevention.

  With China’s rapid economic growth, waste management has become an urgent issue, promoting major cities to enforce household waste separation policies. This study examines the transformation of environmental education for waste management in primary schools in Liaoning Province before and after the introduction of these policies. A comparative analysis of textbooks reveals a substantial improvement in environmental education content related to waste management. The current textbook (published in 2016), together with a supplementary reader (published in 2019), provides more comprehensive coverage than the previous edition (published in 2002), both in terms of grade levels, content volume, and the inclusion of empowerment-oriented factors. Interviews with teachers responsible for the subject “Morality and Rule of Law” also indicated that the current textbook offers more comprehensive content than the earlier edition. All respondents emphasized the importance of environmental education for waste management in primary schools and noted observable behavioral changes among students as a result of learning activities. Teachers with access to the supplementary reader adapted its content to develop their own teaching materials and integrated environmental education for waste management across multiple grade levels through a variety of classroom activities. These findings indicate that environmental education for waste management in primary schools has become more systematic and action-oriented, aligning more closely with national waste management policies.

  The Satoyama Initiative is a global effort to realize “societies in harmony with nature.” It promotes landscape approaches that integrate biodiversity conservation and human well-being, such as the sustainable management and use of natural resources in Satoyama landscapes. One key approach of the Satoyama Initiative is to integrate traditional ecological knowledge with modern science in order to foster innovation. In the field of environmental education, it is essential to view Satoyama wisdom not as a relic of the past, but as living knowledge that can be advanced through integration with modern science. In line with this perspective, an experiential learning program was implemented that targets third-grade elementary school children and their guardians. The objective was to foster an understanding of the traditional ecological knowledge embedded in Satoyama, and to encourage its application in contemporary and future societies by integrating modern science in alignment with the goals of the Satoyama Initiative. As a result, the program yielded positive educational outcomes for both children and their guardians, including increased knowledge, heightened interest, and stronger motivation to conserve Satoyama landscapes.

  In this study, we created a Geographic Information System (GIS) -based teaching program that contributes to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by incorporating mystery workshops. We implemented this program in a general high school geography class as part of ESD and evaluated its effectiveness. As a result, all eight key competencies indicated by UNESCO improved, with particularly significant improvements in “systems thinking” and “strategic” competencies. From the above, we confirmed that the teaching program we created is effective.

  Recognizing the intrinsic value of the ecosystem is based on empathy toward nonhuman others. Perspective-taking to understand the world inhabited by nonhuman living things can be promoted through educational activities involving learners’ own sensory experiences. This study presents a practical example of such an activity, combined together with a role-play essay to visualize participants’ views of nonhuman others and the self. The activities increased learners’ interest in their senses and promoted perspective-taking toward nonhuman others in their role-play essays. Multivariate analyses revealed that the promotion of perspective-taking is associated with learners’ thinking of human/nonhuman relativization during the reflection process. The results also suggest that interventions encouraging learners’ reflection on their own context could further enhance the learning outcomes. This report provides a unique example of an environmental ethics education practice that cultivates and maintains an anti-anthropocentric perspective.