The Ecological Footprint (EF) is undoubtedly an important tool for calculating humans’ impact on the environment. For this tool to be even more accessible and understood by most of the people, many online ecological footprint calculators have been created, the most reliable of which was developed by Global Footprint Network (GFN). Aim of this study is to present the Greek population’s main drivers of consumption patterns after customizing the GFN’s international online calculator to the Greek statistics and national accounts. Moreover, the goal of this study is to assess the factors influencing the Ecological Footprint of Greek citizens. The development of a Greek-specific calculator was based on long-lasting research that included gathering and analyzing information about the Greek population. Five hundred seventy-four Greeks used the calculator after its adaptation, and data were collected regarding their total ecological footprint and its differentiation by land type and by consumption category. According to the results, Greece has a low mean of ecological footprint in comparison to other European countries, but there is still a lot of ground to cover for achieving a truly acceptable sustainable way of living. Additionally, only the variable of gender seems to affect the ecological footprint of Greeks, with females having significantly lower personal EF (M = 3.37) than males (M = 4.36, p = 0.011). The adapted online calculator and the produced results regarding the EF of Greek citizens are considered as a valuable tool for policy makers, stakeholders, and educational institutions.

The educational value of the Ecological Footprint (EF) lies in its ability to facilitate the identification and quantification of individuals’ environmental impacts, stemming from their daily habits and lifestyles, while also supporting the achievement of the 2030 sustainability goals. This study aimed to enhance primary school students’ understanding of their EF through the implementation of specially designed educational materials based on the Greek online EF calculator. A 10 h teaching intervention (TI) on EF was designed and carried out with 112 primary school students aged 10–12 years. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using a specially developed questionnaire. The results showed a statistically significant increase in students’ scores from the pre-test to the post-test regarding their understanding of the EF concept. When each EF category was examined individually, the most statistically significant differences were recorded in the categories of Infrastructure/Housing, Goods/Services, and Waste. These findings suggest that primary school students’ understanding of the EF can be effectively improved through a well-structured teaching intervention. This conclusion holds value not only for education for sustainable development (ESD), but also more broadly, in an era where understanding and embracing sustainability is a top priority for all modern educational institutions.

Το Ενεργειακό Αποτύπωμα (ΕΑ) είναι ένα εργαλείο κατανόησης των περιβαλλοντικών προβλημάτων και πρότασης συγκεκριμένων μέτρων αντιμετώπισής τους, στοχεύοντας στην επίτευξη της αειφορικής χρήσης ενέργειας. Σχεδιάστηκε και υλοποιήθηκε Διδακτική Μαθησιακή Ακολουθία (ΔΜΑ) 20 ωρών, σε 81 μαθητές/τριες Α΄ Γυμνασίου Θεσσαλονίκης. Ερευνήθηκαν οι τρόποι μείωσης της ενέργειας που προτείνουν οι μαθητές/τριες και ο πιθανός βαθμός βελτίωσής τους, μετά από τη ΔΜΑ, μέσω ερωτηματολογίου δώδεκα εικόνων. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι το ποσοστό των απαντήσεών τους αυξάνεται σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις μετά τη ΔΜΑ, με τους πιο συνηθισμένους τομείς μείωσης της ενέργειας την εξοικονόμηση ενέργειας (79%) και τη μείωση χρήσης προϊόντων ή υπηρεσιών (41%).