Garden-based learning has seen a resurgence in early childhood and primary education in much of the world. This study examines the impact of garden-based learning on a population where it is rarely practiced: Japanese university students. Specifically, it looks at how gardening shapes student awareness of nature and explores the potential role of garden-based learning in addressing ecoinertia, the condition of being unable or unwilling to take action in response to the environmental crisis despite having all the needed information and access to all the required tools. Based on extensive observations, garden journals, and a questionnaire survey of 17 student gardeners and 137 students not involved in gardening, the study concludes that despite similarities in their perceptions of nature, gardening students were significantly more likely than non-gardening students to spend time in nature and make lifestyle changes to address the ongoing crisis. While these characteristics were evident from early in students’ involvement with the garden, journal entries indicate a deepening of nature-centered values over the course of the gardening year. Further studies are merited.

  The term “wetland education” may not be widely recognized in Japanese educational environments, necessitating efforts to actively promote comprehension of this terminology and systematically assess concrete instances of its application. In this study, grounded in an awareness of Japan’s distinct characteristics, we introduce a preliminary theory and vision for wetland education in the Japanese context and describe the prospects and directions for future wetland research.

  First, we examine “Resolution XIV.11 on wetland education in the formal education sector,” adopted at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This resolution underscores the importance of environmental education, positioning it as the foundation of wetland education. It emphasizes that “learning about the environment both in the school setting and in nature can support life-long learning including vocational education, particularly through experiencing wetlands.” To effectively apply the qualities and abilities acquired in school education to real-life situations, it is crucial to emphasize collaboration with local communities, including indigenous people, and to engage with institutions such as museums, waterfowl and wetland centers, zoos, and aquariums. Recognizing the educational significance of “wetlands” as distinctive locales is essential for the extensive development of environmental education theory.

  Examining specific examples of wetland education practices in Japan, this study references sources such as “Wetlands of Japan” and “Series <Living by the Waterside>, 3 volumes,” supervised as part of the Japan Wetland Society’s social contribution activities. Additionally, the study explores “Supplementary Readers for Learning about Regions and Townships,” edited and published by several municipalities, which are centered on the premise of wetland diversity. This study’s analysis aimed to confirm the actual situation of promoting wetland education in school environments. The study stresses that real educational activities and a lifelong learning society coexist with three forms of formal, non-formal, and informal education, established through collaboration and cooperation. This collaborative approach is vital to substantiate wetland education in Japan.

  Through longstanding bilateral collaboration between the Japanese Society of Environmental Education (JSFEE) ¹⁾ and the Society for Environmental Education in Taiwan ²⁾, both sides have had the privilege of engaging in research concerning various contemporary issues in environmental education and sustainability, including nuclear energy and associated matters.

  I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to delve into Dr. Yuki Ishiyama’s thought-provoking paper ³⁾, which explores the memories and experiences stemming from the 3.11 Fukushima nuclear accident. This scholarly work not only provides valuable insights but also prompts profound reflections on the landscape of environmental education in Japan.

  Therefore, in structuring my response article, the initial section will offer a brief overview of Dr. Ishiyama’s paper, outlining three key insights for further exploration. These include an examination of (1) the intersection of nuclear energy issues with environmental education, (2) the interconnection between human rights, the ‘principle of resistance’ (Kito 2007), and environmental justice, and (3) the imperative transition towards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (Hitsumoto and Asaoka 2014, Boeve-de Pauw et al. 2015, O’Flaherty and Liddy 2018) while redefining the role of the environmental education (Rooney and Blaise 2022). Subsequent sections will then elaborate on Taiwanese experiences aligned with these thematic pillars.

  Concluding the discourse, the paper will provide guidance and recommendations for potential future collaboration between Japan and Taiwan concerning education on nuclear energy and sustainable development.

  This study reports on and organizes the activities of the Study Group on Environmental Education Program Evaluation. It outlines the “Guidelines for Environmental Education Program Evaluation” prepared by this study group. Subsequently, it analyzes the contents of the Evaluation Guidelines to manage the current situation and clarify issues related to environmental education program evaluation in Japan.

  The results suggest that researchers and practitioners are primarily interested in survey methods that use readiness, which leads to pro-environmental behavior change, as an evaluation indicator. Moreover, they indicate the need to explore new psychological concepts suitable for environmental education program evaluation and the need for studies incorporating a “social impact evaluation” perspective that considers the regional characteristics of environmental education programs in Japan.

  This paper explored environmental education evaluations in Japan and Taiwan, highlighting both similarities and divergences in methodologies and psychological conceptualizations. This paper was structured into three key segments: 1) the similarities and differences of the orientation of guidelines for environmental education program evaluation between Japan and Taiwan; 2) the current development status of psychological concepts in environmental education between Japan and Taiwan; 3) the perspective and role of “Social Impact Evaluation” in the field of environmental education in Japan and Taiwan. During the analysis process, it can be found that Japan and Taiwan have the similar views and visions on environmental education. Taiwan’s dual framework and Japan’s focus were examined, alongside the necessity for a “social impact evaluation.” The research found that it is necessary to adopt dynamic evaluation with different weights in response to different environmental education goals, so that the evaluation method can be more adaptive to time and local conditions.