Introduction
Within the framework of the project, an initial survey was conducted among students and staff of participating schools. The aim was to establish a baseline of awareness, knowledge, and willingness to adopt sustainable practices related to plastic use, pesticides, bioenzymes, and zero-waste cooking. The results serve as reference data for evaluating project impact and guiding upcoming workshops and curriculum innovations.
Methods
The survey was distributed to two groups: students (aged 14–19) and teachers/administrative staff across participating institutions. Questions addressed familiarity with bioenzymes and zero-waste practices, current use of plastic and pesticides, and willingness to undergo training and change behavior. Responses were measured on a 1–5 Likert scale (1 = not willing at all, 5 = completely willing) and through categorical questions on awareness.
Results
- Students (N = 67)
• Training willingness: 3.7/5
• Willingness to reduce plastic and pesticide use: 3.9/5
• Willingness to apply zero-waste cooking: 4.1/5
• Familiarity with bioenzymes: 39%
• Familiarity with zero-waste cooking: 76% - Teachers and staff (N = 28)
• Training willingness: 4.3/5
• Willingness to reduce plastic and pesticide use: 4.6/5
• Willingness to apply zero-waste cooking: 4.5/5
• Familiarity with bioenzymes: 71%
• Familiarity with zero-waste cooking: 71%
Plastic Use Frequency
- Students (N = 67)
• Daily: 40%
• Several times a week: 31%
• Rarely: 27%
• Never: 1% - Teachers and staff (N = 28)
• Daily: 14%
• Several times a week: 39%
• Rarely: 39%
• Never: 7%
Average Weekly Plastic Items Used
- Students
• 0–5 items: 61%
• 6–10 items: 30%
• 11–20 items: 9% - Teachers/Staff
• 0–5 items: 71%
• 6–10 items: 18%
• 11–20 items: 7%
• More than 20 items: 4%
Discussion
Teachers and staff show consistently higher awareness and willingness to adopt eco-friendly practices, especially in the use of bioenzymes. Students, however, display strong openness to zero-waste cooking, with 76% already familiar with the concept and an average willingness of 4.1/5 to apply it. The largest gap is in bioenzyme awareness (39% of students vs. 71% of staff), highlighting a key training need.
Interpretation of the initial survey provides more analytical data:
- Students are almost three times more likely than staff to use plastic daily (40% vs. 14%).
- Teachers are more likely to limit usage to rare occasions (39% vs. 27%) or not at all (7% vs. 1%).
- When counting weekly items, staff are generally lighter users: 71% report 0–5 items per week compared to 61% of students.
- Students show a higher proportion using 6–10 or 11–20 items weekly, indicating greater contribution to school waste streams.
Conclusion
These findings provide a baseline for evaluating project impact. Planned workshops on bioenzymes, eco-packaging, and zero-waste practices will directly address knowledge gaps while leveraging the high motivation of both groups. Post-project surveys will allow comparison with this baseline to measure changes in knowledge, skills, and sustainable practices.