Household carbon footprint integrating extension and teaching in an undergraduate course in environmental engineering

The curricularization of university extension within the pedagogical projects of Engineering programs is a recent and still consolidating approach in Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate household carbon footprint management as an extension-based educational strategy in undergraduate Environmental Engineering. The extension project was conducted in 2024 and 2025 within the Environmental Management course of the Environmental Engineering program at São Paulo State University (Unesp), in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Students assessed environmental management practices in household settings that could reduce carbon emissions. 15 residences located in 8 municipalities within approximately 100 km of São Paulo were evaluated. The project included: (a) raising residents’ awareness of climate change impacts; (b) inventorying logistics (Scope 1), energy consumption (Scope 2), and solid waste generation and management (Scope 3); (c) conducting dialogic activities with residents to discuss alternatives for reducing the carbon footprint; and (d) estimating the projected carbon footprint based on management options selected by the residents. The results indicated that logistics was the main source of household carbon dioxide emissions (69%), followed by household waste management (20%) and energy consumption (11%). Although all residents demonstrated awareness of climate change and willingness to reduce their carbon footprint, resistance to change was observed, particularly regarding logistics-related practices. Consequently, the projected reductions based on feasible actions reached 12% for logistics, 23% for waste management, and 19% for energy consumption. The integration of extension activities into the Environmental Engineering curriculum contextualized course content and provided students with practical experience in understanding the social, economic, and cultural factors that influence environmental management decision-making at the household level.