Although Taiwan is surrounded by the sea, due to its climate and geographical conditions, the available freshwater resources are insufficient, making water the most significant constraint on Taiwan’s social and economic development. In recent years, countries all over the world have become aware of the importance of sustainable resource development, the maintenance of biodiversity, and ecological conservation. Water resources are crucial to all these efforts. NCUE’s Environmental Education Centre, and General Education Centre are responsible for the planning and implementation of environmental programmes related to the freshwater ecosystem. We provide free education to communities locally and nationally to not only NCUE students, but also current junior and high school teachers by applying for programmes funded by the government. The subjects cover freshwater ecosystems, freshwater organisms, observation of indicator organisms in freshwater, freshwater water quality factors, freshwater ecosystem water quality factors, testing of campus and community water quality, water used in production (including irrigation, industrial water, energy water, agriculture, and fisheries), leisure and tourism, and individual and business efforts in controlling water pollution and conserving the water environment. These programmes aim to improve the knowledge of NCUE students, current junior and high school teachers, and communities locally and nationally on water environment and their awareness of water environment protection.

1. Environmental Education Centre at NCUE:

The Environmental Education Centre at NCUE promotes programmes, including 24-, 33-hour courses for the certification of environmental education personnel’, the “Fangyuan Reengineering USR Seed Programme”, and the “2020-2022 Sprouting Programme for In-Depth Cultivation of Fangyuan, Working Hand in Hand with Dacheng: Industrial and Environmental Sustainability Plan of the Two Townships of Changhua County Project”.

(1)24-, 33-hour courses for the certification of environmental education personnel:

The Environmental Education Center (EEC) nurtures environmental education talents and, in conjunction with the project “In-Depth Cultivation of Fangyuan, Working Hand in Hand with Dacheng: Industrial and Environmental Sustainability Plan of the Two Townships of Changhua County”, provided relevant education courses for the local and nationwide communities from July to August 2022, with the details as shown in Table 1 and the activities as shown in Figures 1-2:

Table 1. Environmental education program activities

Forty educators were trained in environmental education and freshwater ecosystem maintenance.

Links to course video information:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.636923044887728&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.636918504888182&type=3

(2)“Fangyuan Reengineering USR Seed Programme” and “2020-2022 Sprouting Programme for In-Depth Cultivation of Fangyuan, Working Hand in Hand with Dacheng: Industrial and Environmental Sustainability Plan of the Two Townships of Changhua County Project”:

Bilingual workshops on freshwater ecology and water quality were held at National Hemei Experimental School and Changhua County Erlin Senior High School. The workshop course includes topics on freshwater ecosystems, freshwater organisms, the observation of indicator organisms in freshwater environments, water quality factors in freshwater, water quality factors in freshwater ecosystems, and testing the water quality in the school campus and the community. Link to reference information:

https://www.facebook.com/NCUEUSR/photos/?tab=album&ref=page_internal.

2. Center for General Education:

The Center for General Education offered one class of the related general education course “Water Resources and Human Civilization” in 2022. Link for reference information:

https://reurl.cc/dmlx2g.