The Role of Virtue Ethics in Training Students’ Environmental Attitudes

If we are to achieve an education based on quality standards, the constant ecological education must determine the building up and the development of a responsible ecological attitude in all students. But the existence of some confusions and contradictions at the level of the relationships between the three components – the cognitive, the motivational -emotional one and the volitional one – of the attitudes towards the environment, can create disbalances. Valuing some new virtues (e.g.: the respect towards nature, prudence, the practical wisdom, compassion in building up the human behavior towards nature etc.) would help improve the relationship between man and nature.The role of contemporary school becomes fundamental in the context of future environmental issues. It must play a more boldly role by putting into practice the ecological education and by focusing on attitudes towards values rather than knowledge. Ecological education must be implemented on a profound level in the preschool and primary education. It must be based on a curriculum whose strategy is to make children become more sensitive towards the environment.This study aims to conduct a thorough analysis of how the theories of virtue ethics can infuse the Romanian curriculum at the level of the primary school, and an analysis of the practical parts of the environmental awareness training for students.