SUMMARY
Environmental awareness is one of the eighteen characters integrated into teaching materials, needs to be embodied in young learners’ qualities. Selecting appropriate, nativized, and culturally familiar teaching materials to build environmental awareness amongst young learners is respectfully urgent. This study aims to determine the effect of cultural familiarity of Wali Sanga folktales as teaching materials on fostering environmental awareness of pesantren-based EFL young learners. This research used pre-experimental in one group pre-test and post-test design. The researcher used purposive sampling to determine the research participant, consisting of 45 students. The data was collected by using measurement techniques in the form of a written test. Through the written test, it can be revealed that selected Wali Sanga folktales as culturally familiar teaching material containing the value of biocentrism ethical ecology increased students’ environmental awareness.