Fostering Ecological Awareness in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Evaluation of Campus Cycling and Car Free Day Initiatives

Abstract

Higher education institutions' efforts to create a sustainable campus environment require an in-depth evaluation of green mobility initiatives. This study aims to evaluate the impact of campus cycling programs and Car Free Day (CFD) on ecological awareness. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews to explore participants lived experiences related to active mobility. The results revealed that daily physical interactions with green infrastructure significantly broke down cultural barriers and increased environmental empathy. The academic community's involvement in these initiatives was not simply a matter of complying with institutional regulations, but rather a process of internalizing values that reconstructed a pro-environmental communal identity. Furthermore, these spatial experiences proved capable of converting abstract climate understandings in the classroom into practical, everyday mitigation actions. This fundamentally strengthened students' climate change literacy. In conclusion, campus mobility initiatives operate as a hidden curriculum that is crucial for developing future climate change agents.