The paradox of the ‘sustainable fieldtrip’? Exploring the links between geography fieldtrips and environmental sustainability

Figures & data

Table 1. Responses to questions about student perceptions of geography fieldtrips and environmental sustainability.

Statement and response	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Fieldtrips should be a core part of the geography curriculum at “x” university	74%	17%	4%	4%	0%
Fieldtrips at “x” university help to increase my awareness of environmental sustainability	39%	39%	22%	0%	0%
Fieldtrips at “x” university have negative environmental impacts	4%	9%	48%	39%	0%
The impact of fieldtrips at “x” university on the environment is small	17%	57%	22%	4%	0%
The educational benefits of fieldtrips outweigh any negative impacts	35%	30%	35%	0%	0%
Virtual fieldtrips are more environmentally sustainable than fieldworks which involve physical travel	13%	61%	13%	13%	0%

Table 2. Student responses to survey questions about which activities they would be willing to undertake to offset emissions from fieldtrips.

Statement and response	Yes	No	Not sure
Reducing consumption of meat	52%	26%	22%
Purchasing offsets as “carbon sinks” (for example schemes to plant trees)	96%	0%	4%
Using more public transport	64%	14%	23%
Walking or cycling more regularly	91%	0%	9%
Using less electricity on campus Recycling more of my waste	96% 100%	0% 0%	4% 0%
Using less water on campus	91%	4%	4%