RESEARCH PAPER – SCIENCE EDUCATION Environmental literacy of undergraduate college students: Development of the environmental literacy instrument (ELI) Jenny Lloyd-Strovas 1 | Christine Moseley 2 | Tom Arsuffi 3 1 Department of Biology, Texas Tech University, Junction, Texas 2 Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 3 Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Junction, Texas Correspondence Christine Moseley, Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249. Email: Christine.Moseley@utsa.edu Abstract As the world population continues to increase and natural resources become limited, environmental education (EE) in universities play an essential role in developing environmentally literate. This study measured the environmental literacy (EL) levels (familiar knowledge, factual knowledge, attitude, behavior) of undergraduate college students. Measuring EL on a scale of 0–100%, undergraduate students scored 52%, indicating that they are not environmentally literate. Students had somewhat high atti- tudes (63%) but low levels of familiar knowledge (40%), factual knowledge (56%), and behavior (44%). College years are brief and formative; therefore, EE should be infused within university curricula in order to increase EL levels of students, who are future policy makers, voters, business people, and teachers. KEYWORDS curriculum, ecology/environment, reform, science/science education 1 | INTRODUCTION As evidenced by current political debates regarding climate change, fossil fuel consumption, and water shortages, envi- ronmental problems that exist today will influence the deci- sions students will make later as adults. Changes in global climate coupled with the exponential growth of human popu- lations are changing the way in which natural resources are used and valued. Thus, educating people about environmen- tal issues is vital toward the development of environmental stewards, knowledgeable voters, and a societal foundation for sustainability (Toomey & Domroese, 2013). The inclu- sion of environmental education (EE) into formal education, one effective way to address current and future environmen- tal issues, offers an interdisciplinary approach toward bridg- ing the gap between society and the natural environment (Tao, 2012). One major goal of EE, as established by the Belgrade Charter and adopted by the United Nations, is to develop an environmental literate citizenry “that is aware of, and con- cerned about the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul- tural Organization—United Nations Environment Pro- gramme [UNESCO-UNEP], 1976, p. 2). An increase in public awareness of environmental issues by policy makers, educators, and community leaders has led to an increased emphasis on the inclusion of EE in schools, including higher education (Moseley, Desjean-Perrotta, & Crim, 2010). As described by the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO-UNEP, 1978), EE “should be integrated into the whole system of formal education at all levels to provide the necessary knowl- edge, understanding, values and skills needed by the general public and many occupational groups, for their participation in devising solutions to environmental questions” (p. 4). Effective EE in higher education can provide individuals with an increased awareness of the environment, a con- sciousness (or mindset) of living with the environment with- out harming it, and knowledge about how to solve environmental problems (Sahin, Cerrah, Saka, & Sahin, 2004). Institutions of higher education can play an integral role in the education and development of environmental liter- ate adults. A study by Kempton, Boster, and Hartley (1995) indicated that people with higher levels of education tend to School Science and Mathematics. 2018;1–9. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ssm V C School Science and Mathematics Association | 1 Received: 29 May 2017 | Revised: 7 November 2017 | Accepted: 18 December 2017 DOI: 10.1111/ssm.12266 j