About us

Our history

Who we are

The WEEC congresses are the most significant existing experience connecting all stake-holders at the international level in the field of environmental education.

Since 2003 the Network has organized 11 world Congresses, which have seen the participation of thousands of people from over 100 different countries: university professors, government officials and international organizations, journalists, political representatives, businesses, NGOs,…

The Network operates in accordance with the UN and its agencies in collaboration with educational, research, and cultural and scientific organizations at international, regional, national and local levels such as Unep, Unesco, Unece, Un-Csd Education Caucus, Regional Centers of Expertise.

History

An international meeting on environmental education has been held for many years, namely since 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, when this idea was born.

In 1992 in Rio some NGOs drafted an “Alternative Treaty on Environmental Education”, in which they pledged to hold a “Plenary Meeting of Environmental Education for Sustainable Societies” within 3 years. They actually failed to do so. For this reason the First World Environmental Education Congress (1st WEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal, proved to be particulary valuable.

Espinho was the first of a long series of conferences, organized with confidence and determination, which proved WEEC to be the only organization in the world capable of networking and doing research for more than 20 years with 12 congresses held on all continents

2003
1WEEC Espinho - Portugal
2004
2WEEC Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
2005
3WEEC Turin - Italy
2007
4WEEC Durban - South Africa
2009
5WEEC Montreal - Canada
2011
6WEEC Brisbane - Australia
2013
7WEEC Marrakech - Morocco
2015
8WEEC Gotheborg - Sweden
2017
9WEEC Vancouver - Canada
2019
10WEEC Bangkok - Thailand
2022
11WEEC Prague - Czech Republic
2024
12WEEC Abu Dhabi - UAE

Other projects:

World Environmental Education Day

The World Environmental Education Day was established on October 14th in order to celebrate the first intergovernmental conference on environmental education held in Tbilisi (Georgia) from October 14th to 26th 1977.

On October 14th, 1977, the United Nations Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, organized by UNESCO and UNEP, opened in Tbilisi (Georgia’s capital), and ended on October 26th with a statement of great relevance still today.

Now, from October 10th to October 25th, schools, parks, environmental education centers, public institutions, associations, museums … aim to organise special events to highlight the importance of developing educational action to build transversal skills; to focus on the complexity of the challenges in a world where everything is more and more interconnected; to affect perception of the human relationship with the environment, to affect attitudes and therefore individual and collective behaviors; to make people the aware protagonists of a change towards more environmentally friendly, livable and equitable societies.

Discover The Project

Earth Prize International

From 2018 to 2020 the Earth Prize was organized by the WEEC Network in collaboration with the Municipality of Luino on Lake Maggiore. WEEC Earth Prize’s mission was to identify and recognize people, organizations, and projects replicable in other parts of the world, aimed at protecting and enhancing landscapes and environmental resources, in the light of climate changes occurring in the world.

At the end of 2020, the WEEC Network handed responsibility for this award to the Earth Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Earth Prize is now a $200,000 worth environmental sustainability competition for teenage students everywhere. The Earth Prize will recognize students and schools offering the best solutions to accelerate positive change towards environmental sustainability, according to the judjment of the Earth Prize Adjudicating Panel.

As part of the Earth Prize, and following the legacy of the original award, WEEC’s Secretary-General, Professor Mario Salomone, selects and awards a teacher who made an outstanding contribution to education with the Earth Prize Educator of the Year award, a $12,500 cash prize delivered by The Earth Foundation.

You can read more on:

https://www.theearthprize.org/

Discover The Project

The WEEC logo

“By leaves we live”, sir Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) wrote.

Since 2003 First WEEC eight leaves constitute the logo of our congresses and of the worldwide environmental education network. They remind us that “This is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and all dependent on the leaves” (Geddes, 1919).

Eight leaves can suggest also the wind-rose and the cardinal points: the environmental education is global and for all and it is the green compass leading the humankind towards the future.

About us

Who we are

History

2003

1WEEC Espinho - Portugal

2004

2WEEC Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

2005

3WEEC Turin - Italy

2007

4WEEC Durban - South Africa

2009

5WEEC Montreal - Canada

2011

6WEEC Brisbane - Australia

2013

7WEEC Marrakech - Morocco

2015

8WEEC Gotheborg - Sweden

2017

9WEEC Vancouver - Canada

2019

10WEEC Bangkok - Thailand

2022

11WEEC Prague - Czech Republic

2024

12WEEC Abu Dhabi - UAE

Other projects:

World Environmental Education Day

Discover The Project

Earth Prize International

Discover The Project

The WEEC logo

International Secretariat

Corso Moncalieri, 18
10131 Torino – Italy
tel.+39 0114366522
secretariat@weecnetwork.org

Legal Notices

Privacy Policy

Cookies Policy

About us

Who we are

History

2003

2004

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2022

2024

Other projects:

World Environmental Education Day

Discover The Project

Earth Prize International

Discover The Project

The WEEC logo

International Secretariat

Corso Moncalieri, 18 10131 Torino – Italy tel.+39 0114366522 secretariat@weecnetwork.org

Legal Notices

Privacy Policy

Cookies Policy

Corso Moncalieri, 18
10131 Torino – Italy
tel.+39 0114366522
secretariat@weecnetwork.org