Within this decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), educational institutions need to increase their efforts to educate their students for a sustainable future. Teachers are most influential in educating children and teenagers to be leaders of tomorrow in protecting the environment. Thus, aspiring teachers should demonstrate pro-environmental behaviour and attitudes if they are to integrate ESD effectively in their teaching upon graduation. They should also have good knowledge about the environment to ensure effective delivery. However, previous studies show that many students and teachers lack sufficient environmental knowledge but demonstrate positive attitudes towards the environment. This lack of knowledge is believed to contribute to the lack of pro-environmental behaviours among them. This study is a survey of the environmental knowledge, attitude and practices of pre-service secondary teachers enrolled in an undergraduate Biology Teaching Methods course. The results suggest the readiness of these teachers to realise the goal of integrating ESD in the teaching of biology in schools. Results also indicate the need for more concerted effort in teacher education to prepare them for their role in educating for and about the environment.

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The control of environmental risks arising from construction has become a major issue for the public. Environmental risk is defi ned as any risk or potential risk to the environment (of whatever degree or duration) and includes all types of impacts. Much of the research conducted has portrayed construction as a major contributor to environmental disruption and pollution. Pollution risks due to construction are typically classifi ed as air pollution, waste pollution, noise pollution, and water pollution. Controlling the risks demands the ability to manage these types of pollution or eliminate their generation. The endorsement of environmental risk management and the mission of sustainable development have resulted in pressure demanding the adoption of proper methods to improve environmental performance in the construction industry. This chapter therefore places its focus on the risks arising from the construction industry, and how to manage these risks so as to strike a balance between development and environmental concerns. Real examples of construction activities are briefl y presented to enable readers to envision the risks and the actual efforts undertaken to curb them. This chapter also presents the perception of the public at large regarding the risks caused by construction.

Permaculture accounts as among the sustainable practices that incorporates diverse aspects of ecology, landscape, organic farming, forestry, agriculture, architecture, and city planning. However, the increasing loss of local values may indirectly influence the sustainability of the system, since local knowledge is an important source of information that influences permaculture design. This study attempts to understand the knowledge of local people in planning and designing a permaculture system subjected to their livelihood, culture and ecological aspects. In particular, this study identifies land use planning for permaculture zones, and design elements in permaculture zones. The study reviews the planning and design element of permaculture that is significant to understand the ecosystem based design with sustainable practices. The results discussed that local people, regardless of their locations either urban or rural, tend to take into account the natural layout, interior architecture and internal activities in planning and designing the zones for their house compound. The zoning is not only beneficial for efficient energy use, but also sustainable both in environmental, social and economic aspects appropriate to the livelihood and culture of local people. Therefore, local knowledge should be considered when designing a permaculture system, as it is likely to design with nature rather than design against nature.