Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goes hand in hand with realising a more sustainable future, taking into account environmental, economic and social dimensions. Education can accelerate these goals, with teachers playing a central role. In 2021, a study was conducted among teachers in Italian mandatory schools to investigate knowledge, sources of information and attitudes towards the SDGs. An online survey was conducted, based on a Likert-scale with 62 items. The questionnaire was completed by 417 teachers. The overall knowledge score shows a median of 42.9%, an interquartile range of 25% and a range of 1.8–91.1%. A very good level of knowledge among teachers is limited to some topics, such as the Greenhouse effect (19.6%) and Resilience (13%), which may be better known due to wider media coverage. Sustainability issues are not yet considered as a shared responsibility, as teaching in designated hours was often suggested. The commitment of Italian teachers and schools to a stronger integration of sustainability issues into didactic programmes still needs to be improved. A change of perspective is urgently needed, whereby sustainability education should be seen as a collective responsibility.

Mismanagement of hazardous waste (HW) causes severe threats to ecosystems and human health. We conducted a systematic literature review and evaluated the evidence regarding the association between residential exposure to HW and childhood neurobehavioral effects. We consulted international agencies websites and conducted a search on MEDLINE and EMBASE databases by applying a "Population-Exposure-Comparator-Outcome" question. The evidence evaluation, based on the quality of the studies and their concordance, was graded in sufficient/limited/inadequate. Documents from international agencies were not found. Of the seventy-five studies screened, nine met the eligibility criteria. Studies agree on the association between residential exposure to HW sites and negative neurodevelopmental effects. The evidence of the association was attributed limited to cognitive and behavioral outcomes, and inadequate to Autism Spectrum Disorder. The evidence was evaluated sufficient for HW sites releasing lead and cognitive disorders. Residential exposure to unsafe HW sites may contribute to childhood neurobehavioral alterations. It is urgent to implement environmental remediation of contaminated sites and counteracting illegal and unsafe HW management practices.

Education and knowledge are essential for fostering sustainable living, which helps to protect our planet and promote health and socio-economic development. This study investigated sustainable living knowledge and behaviours among the general Italian population. A 40-item questionnaire was created to assess knowledge, awareness, and attitudes in eight domains: house, energy, food, personal care, shopping, transportation, waste, water and other consumption. The questionnaire was distributed online between January and June 2023. A multiple logistic regression model was performed to assess the relationships between all the variables surveyed. Among the 420 people who participated (66% female, median age of 39 years), 76% had a higher-level education degree and 72% had never participated in a sustainability initiative. Knowledge about sustainability was lower in the domains of shopping (70.6%) and transportation (85.0%). The fewest behaviours carried out/products used were found in the domains of personal care (31.3%) and transportation (47.8%). Positive associations were found between the use/adoption of sustainable items and knowledge about sustainability (aOR: 1.38, CI: 1.35–1.41) and previous inherent educational activities (aOR: 1.04, CI: 1.03–1.06). Age, region of residence and urbanisation context were factors that discontinuously influenced the implementation of the considered items for transportation and food. Improvements are needed to close the gap between knowledge and action, especially in the domain of personal care. A better understanding of the factors that play a role in the non-use of transportation will help to develop measures to promote sustainability and societal wellbeing.

Background: Sustainable living plays a crucial role in creating a fairer society, but various constraints prevent consumers from adopting sustainable behaviours. This study investigated the reasons for non-adoption of sustainable products or behaviours among the Italian population. Methods: From January to June 2023, we surveyed the Italian population using a 40-question online survey that asked about knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward sustainable behaviours and products. Participants were asked about the reasons why they did not engage in a certain behaviour or did not use a selected product. Descriptive statistics, t-test and chi-square tests were performed to assess association with participant characteristics. Results: The 420 participants had a median age of 39 years (interquartile range: 32-56), 66% were female. The largest discrepancy between knowledge of sustainability impacts and implementation was in the personal care (92% knowledge, 31% implementation) and transportation (85% knowledge, 48% implementation) domains. In general, the main reasons for not using the surveyed products were practical complications in everyday life (25%), the difficulty of finding or producing them (23%) and their cost (13%). Specifically, practical complications (42%) were the main reason for not adopting sustainable behaviours in the transport domain. In the personal care domain, low confidence in product quality or ignorance of their existence accounted for only 26% of reasons for non-use, while supply problems, practical complications in everyday life and existence unawareness accounted for 61%. Conclusions: Targeted measures are needed to address the reasons for non-use or adoption of sustainable products and behaviours. In this way, these actions will help to promote healthy living, protect our planet, support socio-economic development, and ensure global prosperity. Key messages: • A greater sustainability- implementation awareness gap was found in personal care and transportation domains. • The main reasons for not implementing sustainable living were practical complications in daily life, supply difficulties and product cost.

Education and knowledge are essential for fostering sustainable living, that will help protect our planet, promote health and socio-economic development. This study investigated sustainable living knowledge and behaviours among the Italian general population. A 40-item questionnaire was created to assess knowledge, awareness and attitudes in 8 domains: house, energy, food, personal care, shopping, transportation, waste, water and other consumption. The questionnaire was distributed online between January and June 2023. A multiple logistic regression model was performed to assess the relationship between all the variables surveyed. Among the 420 people participated (66% female, median age of 39 years), 76% had a higher-level education degree, and 72% had never participated in a sustainability initiative. Knowledge about sustainability was lower in the domains of shopping (70.6%) and transportation (85.0%). The fewest behaviours acted/products used were found in the domains of personal care (31.3%) and transportation (47.8%). Positive associations were found between the use/adoption of sustainable items and knowledge about sustainability (aOR: 1.38, CI: 1.35–1.41), and previous inherent educational activities (aOR: 1.04, CI: 1.03–1.06). Age, region of residence and urbanization context were factors that discontinuously influenced the implementation of the considered items for transportation and food. Improvements are needed to close the gap between knowledge and action, especially in the domain of personal care. A better understanding of the factors that play a role in non-use of transportation will help to develop measures to promote sustainability and societal wellbeing.

National and international frameworks provide strategic direction for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), while their translation into operational practice remains inconsistent. Building on ARCO Step I findings, this study aimed to establish an interregional, multidisciplinary consensus on sustainable AMS implementation strategies across hospital and community settings in Northeastern Italy. A modified Delphi methodology engaged 33 interdisciplinary professionals from Northeastern Italy. Eighteen operational statements across three domains (Governance, Hospital AMS, Community AMS) underwent two quantitative scoring rounds (relevance and feasibility; 1–10 scale) separated by a structured in-person workshop with thematic round-table discussions. Consensus threshold was defined as median score ≥ 8.0; high-priority statements required combined score ≥ 8.5. All 18 statements achieved consensus for relevance, whereas 12 statements achieved consensus for feasibility. Post-discussion median scores feasibility showed a numerically larger increase for feasibility (Δ +0.78) compared to relevance (Δ +0.44), indicating that structured deliberation reduced perceived implementation barriers. Furthermore, 14 statements were classified as high-priority. Qualitative analysis identified key enablers (CEO performance mandates, multidisciplinary teams, standardized indicators) and barriers (digital infrastructure gaps, resource constraints). The participatory approach helped translate strategic policy into a set of practice-oriented recommendations, offering a potentially transferable model for regional health authorities implementing AMR action plans, pending evaluation of actual implementation.