Young Climate Leaders in Jordan

The Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS), in partnership with the German International Cooperation (GIZ), Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Education have initiated a project entitled "Young Climate Leaders; Autumn School".

This project aims to educate youth leaders about Climate Change, enable them capable of understanding and interpreting  the information related to climate change, its consequences in Jordan, and develop visible solutions to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

Activities include comprehensive training workshops by experts in climate change offered to students from 11 Eco-Schools in Amman. Training includes interactive games aimed to deliver a clear message, knowledge and linkages with the theoretical materials provided.

A competition between the participating students for the best scientific paper on Climate Change will be displayed in the final celebration.

Jordan will consider the Theme of Climate Change as part of the Eco-Schools programme in a framework of developing the implementation of the programme at the national level.

National Operator Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful hosted 100 delegates from 54 countries at the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Eco-Schools National Operator Meeting. They were welcomed to Northern Ireland with a reception at Stormont.

Front Row: Anna Lo MLA, Chair of the Environment Committee; David Weir MLA, Chair of the Education Committee; Daniel Schaffer, CEO Foundation for Environmental Education and Tony Wilcox, Chair of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

Pictured from left to right are Dr Ian Humphreys, CEO Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful; Bríd Conneely, International Director of Eco-Schools; Daniel Schaffer, CEO Foundation for Environmental Education; Anna Lo MLA, Chair of the Environment Committee; and David Weir MLA, Chair of the Education Committee.

National Operators were welcomed to Northern Ireland with a reception at Stormont hosted by Anna Lo MLA, Chair of the Environment Committee and David Weir MLA, Chair of the Education Committee.

Pictured are L-R: Erdenbayar Shinetsetseg, Eco-Schools Mongolia; Anna Lo MLA, Chair of the Environment Committee; Nadezhda Morozova, Eco-Schools Russia; Chew Pei Jing, Eco-Schools Malaysia and Chitra Venkatesh, Eco-Schools Singapore. 

Pupils from Lagan College, Belfast and Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt were there to report on the proceedings.

L-R Nicolas Jamison, Lagan College; David Eagleson, Rainey Endowed; Dr Ian Humphreys, CEO Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful; Mark H Durkan MLA, Minister of the Environment; Daniel Schaffer, CEO Foundation for Environmental Education; and Amy McCloy, Lagan College.

Delegates had the opportunity to visit Belmont Primary School to see their excellent Eco-Schools work.

Pictured with Teddy Myles and Katie Walker from Belmont Primary School are Sukhprit Kaur, Eco-Schools India and Agnieszka Pabis, Eco-Schools Poland.

The international visitors enjoyed a trip to local Eco-Schools showcasing best practice including Belmont Primary School in Belfast who impressed with their knowledge of all things Eco.

International Conference 'Education as a Driver for Sustainable Development Goals'

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) has demonstrated that education can play a vital role leading to sustainable development. The UN DESD closed with an International Conference in Nagoya, Japan in November 2014 with the declaration of the Global Action Programme (GAP). The GAP has identified five priority areas to advance the Education for Sustainable Development agenda and enable strategic focus and foster stakeholder commitment. CEE is a key GAP partner to the priority area ‘Advancing Policy’. Every country and region would need to develop their own GAP agenda bringing in local perspectives and initiative.  

In September 2015, the UN also launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an outcome of global consultative processes. It is important for ESD communities to look specifically at each goal and determine how education can play an effective role in helping achieve this.  

An international conference entitled 'Education as a Driver for Sustainable Development Goals' is being organised by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), in partnership with UNESCO, UNEP and the Government of India. 
The Conference will be organised from January 11-13, 2016. It aims at bringing together global experience and expertise to highlight and strengthen the role of education in realising the SDGs. It will be an opportunity to build upon the learning from the UN DESD and recognise Education as a key enabler.

The SDGs are applicable to the world as a whole. Increasingly, the emphasis has moved away from a solely economic view of development to a larger view that includes the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social and economic. With this new emphasis comes also the recognition that policy instruments or technological solutions are not going to be enough and that behavioural change is crucial in achieving Sustainable Development. Thus the role of education in its broadest sense including training and capacity building, communication and creating public awareness, scientific research, sharing and access to information and networking; and partnerships become a key strategy for achieving the SDGs.

The objective of the Conference is to bring together the global experience and expertise of using Education as a way of achieving SDGs and showcasing the India experience in doing so.

Expected Outcomes

• To apply the learning of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to develop programmes to achieve the SDGs

• To look at how the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD can play a major role in the SDG strategy

• To develop synergies and partnerships

For more details, contact Conference Secretariat at
Email: esdgconference@ceeindia.org
Website: www.ceeindia.org/esdg

450 Participants at the National Eco-Schools Conference in Slovenia

Attending the Eco-Schools national conference in Slovenia were 450 coordinators, mentors and principals plus international guests. The focus was on presenting the work and the programme for this school year, on sharing best practices and experiences of stakeholders’ involvement in Eco-Schools activities, and also on giving practical examples about how to include activities in the school curriculum.

International cooperation and projects

The opening speech at the conference was given by Dejan Židan, the Slovenian Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forestry. After that, international guests welcomed the participants: the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Slovenia, Bart Twaalfhoven, welcomed the participants and announced collaboration between the Dutch and Slovenian Eco-Schools programmes. The first Theme they will focus on will be water. Also, Rachel Boyle, International Director of the LEAF programme (Learning About Forests), officially launched the programme in Slovenia.  It is expected that kindergartens and schools will participate in the programme and systematically approach the Theme of Forests.

Slovenian Eco-Schools’ coordinators, mentors, principals and supporters of the programme met at the beginning of the school year at the annual conference. The focus was primarily on the presentation of the work plan in which some new national and international projects are going to be launched. Particular attention was given to the exchange of knowledge, experiences and information between mentors. This was an important input for coordinators, as this school year all will particularly focus on the information, promotion and stakeholder involvement within the seven-step methodology approach.

The Round Table - “Experiences and lessons learnt from cooperation with the programme Eco-Schools and different stakeholders”

Market of best-practices and round table

Therefore, the programme for this year’s conference brought some interesting novelties: the so-called ‘market of best-practices’ was organised with the purpose of sharing good projects and ideas in order to adjust and implement them in different institutions. 25 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools presented projects, activities, results and products on several themes: food, water, energy, waste etc. Additionally, participants of the conference welcomed the organisation of a round table in which different stakeholders took part, namely: the mayor, the company’s marketing representative, the principal and the waste company expert. They explained their reasons for cooperating with the Eco-Schools programme and presented their best practices. The main conclusion and the message to the coordinators was that they should believe in their ideas and present them to different stakeholders in order to achieve the support for project implementation.

The Market of Best Practices

International cooperation and projects

The opening speech at the conference was given by Dejan Židan, the Slovenian Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forestry. Afterwards, international guests welcomed the participants: the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Slovenia, Bart Twaalfhoven, welcomed the participants and announced the cooperation of the Dutch and Slovenian Eco-Schools programmes. The first topic of this cooperation will be water. Also, Rachel Boyle, International Director of the LEAF programme (Learning About Forests), officially launched the programme in Slovenia.  It is expected that kindergartens and schools will participate in the programme and make the topic of forest systematically approached.

Awards

Green Flags were awarded to new member institutions of the Eco-Schools programme and new national projects were presented. At the very end of the conference, practical lectures on the inclusion of the activities into school curriculum were given with the purpose of supporting coordinators to plan and successfully implement their ideas and projects as much as possible.

Lucija Marovt

Global Action Days November 2015

It’s that time of the year again. Time to act and help the environment! The Global Action Days is a campaign by the Foundation for Environmental Education to activate students and teachers to lead the change for a more sustainable world by getting involved in fun-filled, informative, activities.

Participating in constructive, meaningful actions helps young people to see the point of being involved, and aids their understanding of what they can do themselves to help the environment.

It’s all very simple. Plan your action, document the action by taking pictures, making a video or writing an article, register your school online and SHARE with the rest of the world on our Global Action Days Facebook group in the week of 9-15 November 2015.

Remember to ask your schools to include your country name or some other code in their posts, so you can then find everything happening in your country when using the search field!

The chosen theme for Global Days of Action 2015 is Climate Change because of the Climate Conference known as COP21 which takes place in Paris later this year. The conference is about all governments agreeing to a deal to significantly reduce man-made Climate Change. As Climate Change is such a huge topic, FEE believes it is the ideal theme to focus on in 2015. 

All information on how to join this action can be found on www.ecoschools.global/global-action-days

#globalactiondays #FEE #EcoSchools

Eco-Schools Awards and Climate March in Latvia

On 25 September, with the start of a new school year, the annual Eco-Schools awards ceremony took place in Riga, Latvia. This was an event of celebrating achievements,  exchanging experiences, acknowledging best practices and taking part in a joint action.

114 educational institutions - including pre-schools, primary, secondary, high-schools and even two universities (Liepaja University and Vidzeme University), received the Green Flag award. Another 47 schools, which are on their way to the highest award, received the Eco-Schools diploma.

After the opening words from the Eco-Schools jury, FEE Latvia and UNESCO Latvia, Eco-school representatives shared stories about their most successful campaigns and events from the previous year.  Liepaja University’s Eco Committee had bicycle stands installed and marked all the light switches in the University to help save energy. There was a festival for exploring and learning about the biggest river in Latvia – Daugavatogether with other Eco-Schools which was organised by the Eco Committee of Aizkraukle Gymnasium. Teachers from the primary school CreKids explained how they set up a healthy lifestyle and nature exploration summer camp for kids

The event ended with participants walking together in a Climate March with flags and posters they had created together, to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.

The goal of the action was to remind the general public and the authorities about the shared responsibility of combating climate change in regard to the UN Climate Change Conference taking place this year in December, in Paris (COP21). At the end of the march, participants arrived at the ministry and put together a creative installation of painted rocks, making it into a slogan which calls for action. They were greeted by the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Kaspars Gerhards, who expressed his gratitude and support to the Eco-Schools students and teachers, and acknowledged the importance of improving the environment.

FEE joins Global Alliance of higher education sustainability networks in Open Letter to Cop 21 Ministers

The collective voice of the world’s universities, colleges and students will be heard at COP21 when the United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Paris, France during the first week of December.

A global alliance of tertiary and higher education sustainability networks today jointly issued an Open Letter urging Ministers and Governments to acknowledge and strengthen the research and education role that universities and colleges play in addressing climate change. With networks on every continent pledging signatures, the global alliance already represents more than 3000 universities and colleges worldwide.

The Open Letter celebrates and confirms the critical role universities and colleges play in finding and implementing solutions towards climate change mitigation and adaptation and places it in the context of addressing wider issues of sustainability, including social and economic policies and practices.

Addressed to COP21 Ministers and Governments the letter also calls for more specific measures to be taken such as showcasing universities and colleges as living laboratories for climate change adaptation and mitigation, increasing support for trans-disciplinary learning, teaching and research approaches, and using university and college campuses and operations as a leverage agent to accelerate the transition to clean energy sources.

The Open Letter from the global alliance will be handed to COP21 General Secretary Pierre Henri Guignard on 14 October at the UNESCO Headquarters during the Higher Education for Climate Change Action Event. The event is hosted by The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative- HESI which was created by a consortium of UN entities UNESCO, UN-DESA, UNEP, Global Compact and UNU.

If you represent a university or college sustainability related network and wish to become a signatory to the Open Letter, please email john.north@grli.org or ipatton@eauc.org.uk before 9 October.

We hope you will join us in the effort and look forward to your response. You can view the letter here.

Eco-Schools in Northern Ireland Celebrate 20 Years at a Special Event

Eco-Schools Northern Ireland hosted a special event to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Eco-Schools programme in March 2015. Over 2000 school pupils, teachers and guests gathered to enjoy speeches, presentations, workshops, exhibits and awards.

The event organised by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the environmental charity that operates the Eco-Schools Programme in Northern Ireland, was created to thank pupils and teachers for their unwavering dedication and to provide a forum to inspire new ideas. 

Northern Ireland Eco-Schools have a number of reasons to celebrate. They were one of the first countries in the world to join the programme, and the first country to award a Green Flag, to Downpatrick Nursery School in 1994. In recent years the programme has been going from strength to strength and in 2015 Eco-Schools Northern Ireland were proud to announce that 100% of their schools are now part of the Eco-Schools programme and working their way towards Green Flag excellence.

Key speakers opened the event: Mark H Durkan, Minister of the Environment; Ian Humphreys, CEO of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful; and Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education, all congratulated Northern Ireland Eco-Schools on reaching this landmark moment and encouraged pupils to look to the future and continue to make Northern Ireland and the World a greener, cleaner place.

Eco-Schools were delighted to be joined at the celebration by Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education and Bríd Conneely, International Eco-Schools Director. There were also guest Eco-Schools representatives from Scotland and the Republic of Ireland and pupils from the Republic of Ireland Eco-Schools attending.

Northern Ireland are now looking forward to hosting the Eco-Schools National Operators Meeting in November 2015 which will see representatives from FEE and the 59 Eco-Schools countries worldwide come to Northern Ireland to share good practice and discuss the on-going development of Eco-Schools for the benefit of young people and our environment globally. As the host nation Northern Ireland is eager to provide visitors with a rich and welcoming cultural experience and will showcase some of the great work being implemented in Northern Ireland’s schools.

A World First for Cork University Hospital as it Raises the Green Flag

On 8 April 2015, Cork University Hospital celebrated becoming the first hospital in the world to be awarded the prestigious Green Flag by An Taisce’s Green Campus programme on behalf of the international Foundation for Environmental Education. The flag was raised by Minister for State Kathleen Lynch, Department of Health. The Foundation for Environmental Education was represented by Mr José Archer, President of ABAE-FEE Portugal.

Key achievements in 2013 and 2014 for the CUH Green-Campus team include:

• Reductions in waste of 11% despite an overall 10% increase in hospital activity in that period. This includes a 205 tonne reduction in waste going to landfill, a 21 tonne decrease in clinical waste and a 77 tonne increase in recycling.
• 860 MWhr decrease in gas consumption
• 1,185 MWhr decrease in electricity consumption
• 785 tonne decrease in CO2

Patricia Oliver, Director of the An Taisce Education Unit, commended CUH on their efforts towards achieving the flag, citing the commitment of staff and students to the programme as well as crucial long term support from hospital management. Ms Oliver added: “A Sustainable Healthcare Environment Steering Group within CUH leads the direction of the hospital in reducingenergy, water and waste disposal costs. There is a strong feeling of togetherness and team work as everybody is moving towards making sustainable practices the norm and the way things are done across the CUH campus.

CUH’s CEO Mr. Tony McNamara said, “By creating a healthier environment for patients, staff and visitors, we are taking an important step in achieving the best outcomes for our patients and supporting community health.”

In 2010, University College Cork were pioneers in gaining the world’s first Green Flag for a third level education institute, an award that has been renewed on an annual basis ever since. As an acute teaching hospital and an academic partner with a Green Flag university, CUH were eligible to work towards gaining Green Flag certification and shared many environmental based projects with their UCC colleagues. CUH joins An Taisce’s national network of 21 third level Green-Campus colleges, ten of which have been awarded a Green Flag including:

• UCC
• Trinity College
• DCU
• Dundalk IT
• GMIT Mayo
• GMIT Letterfrack
• Ballsbridge CFE
• Coláiste Dhúlaigh Coolock
• Pearse College

Eco-Schools Platinum Certificate for Flower Valley in South-Africa

Eco-Schools International would like to congratulate the Flower Valley Early Learning Centre in South-Africa on renewing their Green Flag 8 times. Congrats and keep up the good work!!

Green Key and Eco-Schools partner up for the World Days of Action

FEE Portugal launched a challenge for the Portuguese Green Key Hotels to take part in the Eco-Schools World Days of Action.

At the annual Eco-Schools Teacher seminar (23-24-25 January) in Janeiro, Portugal, three teachers were awarded with a voucher of 1-2 nights at a Green Key Hotel for the work they have been doing to make their school more sustainable. FEE Portugal launched the idea of a prize to the Green Key hotels, and it was taken up by a large group of hotels wanting, not only to offer that prize, but also willing to take part in the WDA.  It was generally very positively accepted, and the hotels will also now be involving guests and staff with the schools activities from 20 - 24 April. The goal of the prize is to keep motivating the teachers that are leading really good projects in schools.

The World Days of Action is a project implemented among Eco-Schools by FEE International, the biggest ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) programme in the world, and it is being highlighted in Portugal through a partnership between schools and hotels, who are joining forces to work towards more and better sustainability and social responsibility.

Stay tuned to see the actions at the next WDA and find out who wins the next couple of nights generously offered by the following hotels: Herdade do Vau, Real Abadia, Hilton, Neya, Melo e Alvim, Tradicampo, Pestana, Porto Novo, Hotel Orca Praia, and Vila Baleira.

Eco-Schools South-Africa wins United Nations Award

A joint water project initiated by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and WESSA Eco-Schools has won a United Nations-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award.

The annual “Water for Life” Best Practices Award aims to acknowledge and promote efforts to meet international commitments made on water and related issues by 2015. The award recognises outstanding projects that are working to ensure sustainable long-term management of water resources and to help achieve the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.  The theme of the awards for this year was “Water and Sustainable Development”.  

The DWS/WESSA Eco-Schools Water Project was awarded in the category “Best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices” and shares the award with Project India.

Congratulations to Eco-Schools South-Africa!!