Comportamento pró-ambiental, crenças e percepção de sustentabilidade na construção civil: uma análise de universitários ingressantes e concluintes

Abstract

The production urban of solid waste (MSW) from civil construction represents more than 50% of MSW in medium and large Brazilian cities. With increasing urbanization, proper management and treatment represent a challenge for managers and professionals. In this context, the environmental training of the civil engineer can contribute to the solution and improvement of constructions in favor of sustainable development. The objective of this study was to analyze the pro-environmental behavior, beliefs and perceptions of sustainability in undergraduate and graduate students of civil engineering, through the following instruments: Ecological Behavior Scale (ECE), Environmental Beliefs Scale (ECA) and a questionnaire which was elaborated by the authors to evaluate the perception of sustainability in civil construction. A total of 166 students from a higher education institution in southern Brazil participated in the study, being 71.1% men and 64.5% women, with prevalence of D social class. The level of significance was p <0.05. It was verified that the anthropocentric beliefs were higher in the first year of graduation, when compared to the fifth year (p = 0.04). In the ECE, referring to the reports of pro-environmental behavior of urban cleaning, the indices were statically higher in the fifth year (p = 0.02) when compared to the first one. Related to gender, when the variables were analyzed in the first year, the score on the pro-environmental behavior of urban cleaning was higher in females (p = 0.01); In the fifth year, the score of ecocentric environmental beliefs (ACE) was also higher for women (p = 0.03). In the questions on sustainability it was possible to identify a positive scenario, however, the students report the need for more information on the origin of materials used in construction and solid waste management. It is concluded that in the sample studied university life was associated with less anthropocentric environmental beliefs and reports of urban cleaning behaviors more environmentally friendly at the end of the course, however, no differences were observed in relation to the other areas of the pro behavior-environmental. Therefore, the results show the importance of articulating environmental education strategies for engineering students, with emphasis on the promotion of waste management processes and clean construction technologies.