Abstract

Today, Global warming is a major dilemma facing our globe that has changed the world concerns to
reconsider the pollution sources affecting planet earth. This along with the tremendous increase in carbon
dioxide emissions all over the world in the last decade has simulated the EDRG (Environmental Design
Research Group, at the Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design Department) at the AAST
(Arab Academy for Science and Technology) to setting the Environmental awareness campaign in the
Schools of Alexandria, Egypt. The campaign is run mainly by Architecture professors, and both graduates
and postgraduates of the architecture department and this is where the novelty of this campaign mainly
lies and will be discussed in this paper. Environmental issues are not properly integrated in curricula of
secondary schools in Egypt, and attract quite a little attention there. Continuous research carried out by
the EDRG founded by the authors of this paper highlighted the problem of local environmental awareness
in Egypt and that it was one of the main obstacles behind lessening pollution rates in this region and
saving the environment. Therefore, this campaign has set this awareness program as today’s kids are the
aim of proper development in Egypt.
This project has two main objectives to fulfil; one is to engage the architectural students in raising
sustainable and environmental awareness in our non-sustainable societies and second is to raise
environmental awareness of school children and the youth by using artistic means, and to encourage them
to participate in solution of environmental problems in their communities. Theatre, movie, painting and
social role-plays are perceived as an interactive method to speak up global environmental problems in
understandable and creative way. The campaign promotes and aware students within all education levels
about the main reasons behind global warming, climate change and pollution and the proper use of
renewable energy technologies, ecological and sustainable approaches to decrease carbon dioxide
emissions all over the world and save our planet earth. The paper considers the role of environmental
awareness at an early stage in the proper application of alternative energy sources in our built
environment. The environmental awareness campaign is discussed along with its main aims and
outcomes in this paper. The paper also contemplates the role of Architects and Architecture students in
social interaction and in awareness of their communities.