Formal Environmental Education as a Tool to Combat Food Waste in the Domestic Environment

Nowadays, there has been a maximization of discussions related to environmental issues, in view of the exponential growth of the global population, which has led, for example, to ecological imbalance and the scarcity of natural resources. In this context, there is an urgent need to educate conscious citizens through environmental education. In view of this, this study aimed to raise awareness among 8th and 9th grade students in the municipality of Codó-MA about the importance of carrying out sustainable practices to minimize food waste in the domestic environment. To this end, two questionnaires were administered, a pre-test and a post-test, containing open and closed questions. Awareness-raising activities, lectures and workshops were part of the research methodology. The questionnaires used showed that the 9th graders had greater prior knowledge of the subject than the 8th graders. In both classes, there was an increase in the number of correct answers from the pre- to the post-test. In the awareness-raising activities, social, environmental and economic issues related to the topic were discussed, as well as alternatives for reducing food waste, thus attesting to the importance of Environmental Education. The data shows that both classes showed greater knowledge after the awareness-raising activities.