This project aims to assist the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to improve environmental education relating to eco-friendly worship. Completed tasks include: (1) Studying eco-friendly worship policies and success stories in Taiwan and foreign countries for reference to develop strategies of eco-friendly worship. (2) Investigating and analyzing knowledge, attitudes, and current behaviors between different generations, urban and rural areas, towards eco-friendly worship and establish as a strategy reference for national eco-friendly worship education and promotion strategies and indicators. (3) Editing of environmental education teaching materials and teaching plans relating to eco-friendly, and seed training program. (4) Constructing an EPA-certified eco-friendly worship institutions platform, and survey the practices of eco-friendly worship conducted by these institutions during major Taiwanese holidays. (5) Planning of diversified eco-friendly educational promotion and activities. The project results are as follows:
1. EPA has completed research into eco-friendly worship policies and success stories, as well as successful cases in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, India, United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.
2. EPA held three expert consultation meetings to develop research method of Eco-friendly worship, and completed 1,254 tests in June 2018. Based on the aforementioned study results, 2 consultation meetings were conducted to revise short, medium, and long-term promotion strategies of environmental education relating to eco-friendly worship.
3. EPA has compiled environmental education teaching materials and teaching plans relating to eco-friendly worship. EPA has held two expert consultation meetings, and, based on the expert advice, amended environmental education teaching materials and teaching plans for eco-friendly worship. The course structure includes: (1) The meaning of folk culture; (2) The impact of worship on environment, health and safety; (3) How to conduct eco-friendly worship. This course helps students understand the implications of worship; and the potential risks to environment, health and safety. Then they can come up with action plans balancing religious culture and environmental and health concerns.
4. EPA has held “Environmental education seed teachers training workshops”, with 137 participants. The majority of participants were environmental educators (37-40%) and the training helped participants enhance their knowledge and skills relating to eco-friendly teaching.
5. EPA has completed the analysis of current eco-friendly worship practices by worship institutions during major Taiwanese holidays, and conducted 221 surveys by August. Based on the results of the survey, the practice of collective burning, reduction of joss paper and incense ranked the highest in the survey. Established an EPA-certified eco-friendly worship institutions platform, with 112 institution members. EPA has learned that more than 60% of the institutions are willing to practice “reduction (reduced incense, firework, and joss paper” as a major eco-friend worship practice. However, “substitute worship” is the least choice of eco-friendly worship.
6. EPA has helped organize diverse activities promoting eco-friendly worship, which included: (1) Held 8 community eco-friendly worship promotional activities, and 8 environmental education conferences relating to eco-friendly worship; (2) Organizeed a Zhongyuan Festival eco-worship promotion event; (3) Held Eco-friendly worship international conference and invited experts from Singapore and South Korea to share their experiences in eco-friendly worship.
