Fostering Students’ Engagement in Low-Carbon Education through an Electricity-Saving Project

Abstract

Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) result from burning fossil fuels. Industrial activities continue to produce CO₂, which can increase by up to 64% annually. CO₂ raises global temperatures; this has adverse eff ects on the climate, leading to climate change. In Indonesia, 56% of electricity is generated using coal-fi red power plants, a process that signifi cantly contributes to CO₂ emissions through coal combustion. Consequently, optimising electricity usage is paramount to mitigating these emissions effectively. Reducing emissions is one way to address climate change. Therefore, this study aims to ascertain how university students implement and respond to project-based electricity saving. This case study involved 75 participants enrolled in the Statistics Department. The findings demonstrated that students could complete the one-month project electricity saving (kWh), resulting in reductions in emissions of CO₂ (kg) and developing as sense of Quantitative Literacy (QL). The most popular ways to save electricity are to turn off lights and televisions, unplug phone chargers, use LED lighting, and control the use of electrical fans. From this study, it can be inferred that students were capable of fi nishing the project with a satisfactory rating of 4.5/5. The students in this study are expected to continue their energy-saving initiative upon the conclusion of this project. They are also encouraged to take part in more projects. Further research to determine how much longer-term energy saving can be performed by students is suggested.

Keywords: low carbon; quantitative literacy; project-based; electricity saving; carbon engagement