China: Gunter Pauli named one of the Nation’s best science teachers

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The Xinhua News Agency announced the 10 best science teachers of China.  Gunter Pauli, one of the most influencer speaker at WEEC Congress, famous all around the world for his books and lectures, has been recognized as one of the Nation’s best science teachers (first time for a foreigner).

“Gunter’s Fables” are remarkably popular, and the production each year of 36 additional fables has offered a continuous flow of inspiration to teachers and children alike.
«Remember perhaps I have an agreement to publish 365 fables, I have already written 306 and the Chinese Government already published 216 – said Mr Pauli – Over the past 7 years I have taught 35,000 teachers and have spoken to more than 300,000 students. These model  classes have become so popular that the Government decided that within a decade these classes will have been presented in each and every province … by me in person».

It was just last November 2 that Alibaba and the Government awarded Gunter Pauli the “Best Education on Nature” award.  «What an honor to be recognized  now for the science education – he commented –  After all this is exactly what we need “be inspired by Nature” and ensure that we transform society for the better based on innovative science».

Empowers successful clean-up in “the hinge of Africa”

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The local section of ICENECDEV – Cameroon organised a full action packed clean-up  in the coastal village of Isobe Idenau. The community members received information on the effects of marine litter and how actions can be taken in order to prevent waste from ending up in the environment. Their joint efforts led to a collection of 1004,8 kg of plastic waste! Which means the coastal community made sure that they saved more than a ton of waste from ending up in the ocean and harming our marine life. The executive director Fongoh Eric and his organizing team ICENECDEV together with the local community worked hard to realise this goal!
Discovery Networks Norway joined this plastic waste movement on their impact day and contributed to clean-up with quintuple global effect sponsoring clean-ups around the world. Thanks to their sponsorship, it led to new clean-up in a whole new region of Empowers journey- West Cameroon. Because of the geographical and cultural diversity of the country, it is often referred to as “Africa in miniature” and as “the hinge of Africa”.
Like many African countries, Cameroon exhibits the burdens of waste managements. Several factors such as inadequate financial resources, low levels of enforcement of regulations, lack of knowledge and poor governance often lead to poor waste management services. The local partner ICENECDEV (also accredited to UNEP) has actively been working towards combating marine plastic litter and micro plastics.
With partners they aim to increase awareness and actions on the environment along the coastal village communities along the west coast of Cameroon (Isobe, Idenau, Etissah, Batoke,Bakingli). «We are thrilled to be a part of this campaign with ICENECDEV to illuminate on the waste problem and incentivize plastic waste collection in the region. We humbly thank everyone involved for all their superb efforts in this collaboration».

Read the full article here

YRE: an interview to Gunter Pauli at 10WEEC

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When we were about to leave the conferance hall, we heard someone talking enthusiastically. We sat back to our seats. It didn’t take much time of the speaker to catch our attention. He was Gunter Pauli the author of the book The Blue Economy. We would like to share some highligting points from his speech.

“Tell the people three-minutes stories , they will ask for more.”

Everyone loves stories if we turn the most difficult scientific subjets into stories by using childhood games that we all played outdoor. Childrens mustn’t lose their fantasy . We need this fantasy to move to a vision. Plus, science should be solid. We can use children toys and games to make science concrete for them. For example we can use kites to teach gravity and ascending force.

“Now it’s time to sell the diplomas.”

We should stop whatever we are doing today because it seems that it doesn’t work as we can’t save the world as we don’t have any sustainability to the economy with old industrial errors of which the worst is the education. Because we still have mind control at schools. The biggest industry today is selling diplomas. We don’t need to be there; we should change whatever we are doing today.

“We should shift from green economy to blue economy”.

After his speech, we had a chance to talk about his book, The Blue Economy, which was translated into 34 languages. In his book he claims that green economy doesn’t work. Moreover, it is expensive as it doesn’t use what we have in nature. Sustainable economy requires new methods; blue economy which is cheap and responses to the people’s needs by using what we have in nature. We must benefit from our oceans and seas.

YRE Turkey in WEEC 2019 Thailand
By İrem Yılmaz & Mehmet Ardan

September 20-27: a week for the future

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World mobilization and strike week for the Earth from 20 to 27 September, announced by Fridays for future, while in New York on the 23rd António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, convenes the leaders of the planet for a summit leading to concrete actions for the climate. «Join the ‘Week for Future and Climate Justice’ of Fridays for future and take to the streets next to the young», this is the appeal of the Secretary General of the WEEC network Mario Salomone.

In New York, where Greta Thunberg arrived crossing the Atlantic by sailboat to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 is held.

The invitation of UN Secretary General António Guterres to world leaders is to bring to New York concrete and realistic plans to increase the measures decided at the national level by 2020, in line with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 45 % over the next decade and to reduce net emissions to 2050 by zero.

Guterres also appointed a special envoy, Mexican diplomat Luis Alfonso de Alba (in the photo), with the task of ensuring that every country in the world has the tools, vision and political will necessary for ambitious climate action, benefit of all aspects of society.

Fridays for future: a week of international mobilization, for the future and for climate justice. The WEEC Network is at their side

In the same days the mobilization week (with “global strike” on Friday) held by the Fridays for future takes place all over the world. A “global barrage” of climate strikes, they said, awaiting the participation of millions of students, workers and adults in general.

«The appeal of Greta Thunberg and the young people of Fridays for future – declared the secretary general of the international network of environmental education WEEC Mario Salomone – must certainly be picked up and relaunched. Teachers, university professors, educators in general, from every sector and every organization, must be mobilized, alongside their daily work of building up knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors, including the presence alongside all those who demonstrate against the climate crisis. The future and climate justice are also our goal».

SDG Accord Report 2019: Progress towards the Global Goals in the Universities and Colleges

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The Annual SDG Accord Report 2019, titled Progress towards the Global Goals in the University and College sector was launched some days ago in New York at the UN High Level Political Forum. The SDG Accord – says Iain Patton CEO, EAUC-The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education – is a high profile international initiative that the Global Alliance developed to allow the tertiary education sector to demonstrate its commitment to playing its part in meeting the SDGs, and sharing best practice. This is a partnership initiative, endorsed by the UN’s HESI and many other global partners. It was launched in 2017, at 9WEEC in Canada, and it currently has official commitment to its tenets from 110 institutions, 103 support organisations and 817 individuals – all spread across 85 countries.

from the left: Iain Patton EAUC-The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education and Mario Salomone WEEC Secretary General at 9WEEC Vancouver (Canada) 2017

The SDG Accord provides a platform to come together in a movement, to inspire, celebrate and advance the critical role that education has in delivering the SDGs, and presents this in a coherent Annual Report for use by the UN, governments, business and wider society. While the sustainability journey of each institution will reflect its unique context, it is clear that connecting them together through the SDG Accord offers the opportunity for scaling of impact. Signatories of the SDG Accord commit to embedding the SDGs into their education, research, leadership, operations, administration and engagement activities.

«The SDG Accord brings institutions together, giving them a platform to share best practice and empowers them to be more aspirational on this agenda – says Sam Barratt Chief, Education and Youth for UN Environment and Chair of the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative – . The report shows that acting on climate change and education are the stand-out priorities, but positive action is being taken on all of the SDGs with real change taking place, just one year on since the last report. As ever, there is always more to do and certainly the UN and partners in the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative will look at the recommendations outlined in this report which will inform our thinking for the months ahead. We look forward to seeing institutions tackle these global challenges with the fierce determination and smart innovation of which they are so capable, with our door wide open to help in any way that we can».

Here you can read the Accord, full text  

The Accord can be signed on four levels.

  1. Leaders of institutions sign to make a corporate commitment – this must be the highest authority such as Vice Chancellor, Principal, President etc.
  2. Leaders of related university and college support organisations sign to make a corporate commitment to supporting the sector
  3. Leaders of student associations ie Students’ Unions or Student Guilds – this must be the president.
  4. Individual students, researchers, academics and operational staff can sign to make a personal and professional commitment to playing their part in advancing sector performance

Sign up here

 

Survival: One Health, One Planet, One Future

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Planet Earth has been here for over 4.5 billion years but in just two human generations we have managed to place our only ‘home’ at great risk. Complicating things further, the author observes, we may be on a path where information or data is becoming more important than feelings – reality vs science fiction? Many lessons from history have not yet been learned and new lessons may prove equally, if not more, difficult to take on board as we head deeper into the twenty-first century.

This book highlights two of our greatest social problems: changing the way we relate to the planet and to one another, and confronting how we use technology for the benefit of both humankind and the planet.
Covering a wide range of key topics, including environmental degradation, modern life, capitalism, robotics, financing of war (vs peace) and the pressing need to re-orient society towards a sustainable future, the book contends that lifelong learning for sustainability is key to our survival.
The author argues that One Health – recognising the fundamental interconnections between people, animals, plants, the environment – needs to inform the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals and that working towards the adoption of a new mindset is essential.
We need to replace our current view of limitless resources, exploitation, competition and conflict with one that respects the sanctity of life and strives towards well-being for all, shared prosperity and social stability.

Toward a new worldview

There are no easy answers but, given the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), two fundamental changes are necessary if we are to survive in the coming decades: first, recognise the need to value and respect the interdependencies between people, animals, plants, and the environment (i.e., the One Health and Well-Being concept); and, second, shape through lifelong learning a new mindset – – transforming human attitudes: replacing our current view of limitless resources, exploitation, competition and conflict with one that respects the sanctity of life and strives towards well-being for all, shared prosperity and social stability.

Summarised in the Ten Propositions for Global Sustainability, the author challenges decision-makers at all levels – especially political and corporate – to take universal responsibility for the health and well-being of all people and planet – highlighting the criticality of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – ‘to leave no one behind’ and to evolve institutions to serve human, ecological and future needs, much sooner than later.

Evidence based and transdisciplinary – and including contributions from the World Bank, InterAction Council, Chatham House, UNESCO, World Economic Forum, the Tripartite One Health collaboration (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and World Health Organization), One Health Commission and more – this book cuts across sociopolitical, economic and environmental lines. It will be of interest to practitioners, academics, policy-makers, students, nongovernment agencies and the public at large in both developed and developing nations.

George R. Lueddeke MEd PhD is an educational advisor in higher and medical education and chairs the global One Health Education Task Force for the One Health Commission and the One Health Initiative. He has published widely on educational transformation, innovation and leadership and been invited as a plenary speaker to different corners of the world.

Universities and Colleges for the Climate Summit. A letter to sign here!

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In advance of the Secretary General’s Climate Summit on September 23, networks and institutions working in Further and Higher Education are coming together to add their support to this letter that would be shared with key government officials and the media in advance of this event.
The aim is to get as many networks and institutions as possible on board in order to showcase the commitments towards the attainment of SDG 4 (Education) and 13 (Climate Change).

As at 21st May 2019, networks from the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), Global Alliance, EAUC – The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education and Second Nature have already agreed to support this letter. Collectively, they represent over 500 individual institutions.

Mario Salomone, Secretary General of the WEEC Network, already signed the letter and invites everybody to sign and share it.

Who can sign: Ideally, the president or chancellor of respective institutions will sign on to this letter on behalf of the institution. However any faculty or staff member of the institution can sign on to reiterate pre-existing commitment. Networks that represent higher and further education institutions can also sign on to the letter.

Deadline: The current deadline for signing on to this letter is August 1st 2019.

Click here to sign

Climate Emergency Letter
As institutions and networks of higher and further education from across the world, we collectively declare a Climate Emergency in recognition of the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change.
The young minds that are shaped by our institutions must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and capability to respond to the ever-growing challenges of climate change. We all need to work together to nurture a habitable planet for future generations and to play our part in building a greener and cleaner future for all.
We are today committing to collectively step up to the challenge by supporting a three-point plan which includes:
Mobilizing more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation;
Committing to going carbon neutral by 2030 or 2050 at the very latest;
Increasing the delivery of environmental and sustainability education across curriculum, campus and community outreach programmes.
We call on governments and other education institutions to join us in declaring a Climate Emergency and back this up with actions that will help create a better future for both people and our planet.

Click here to sign

Current representation:
23 institutions representing approx. 200,000 students
14 networks representing approx. 6,000 institutions

From local to European level: a meeting in France for EE networks

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The partners of the Erasmus+ strategic partnership programme invite you to a day of discovery on Friday 21 June 2019 in the Philippe Lamour area at Montpellier Supagro.

This day, open to all, is be an opportunity to discover the programme’s productions, share resources, discuss future perspectives…

In addition to the initial partnership of the project, we also welcome actors in environmental education and sustainable development from other European countries, including Mario Salomone, Secretary General of the WEEC (World Congress on Environmental Education).

Etres is supported by EU and brings together many training centres and SDEE professionals coming from 4 countries within a network.
The aims of the project are not only to add value to the ideas, practices exchanges and tools to be collectively thought on a local area.

The world in a photo, 4 competitions now open

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Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards are one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar.

The Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work.

Now in its 13th year, the Awards consist of four competitions (read more details at the links): Professional (for a body of work), Open (for a single image), Student (for academic institutions) and Youth (for 12-19 year-olds).

Always free to enter, there is a competition and a category for everyone – from Architecture, Documentary, Landscape, Portraiture, Sport, Street Photography, Wildlife, Travel, Culture and more.

All images are judged by industry experts from across the world, who come together each year in London to reward standout works. A total prize fund of $60,000 (USD) plus the latest Sony digital imaging equipment is shared between the winning photographers.

With the power to kickstart and shape careers, the Awards provide those working in photography a global stage to showcase their work. Previous winning and shortlisted photographers have gone on to be represented by renowned galleries and institutions worldwide, as well as their work being featured in major international publications.

In addition, the Awards recognize the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award; previous recipients include Mary Ellen Mark, Elliott Erwitt, Martin Parr, William Eggleston, Candida Höfer and, most recently, Nadav Kander.

The World Photography Organisation is a global platform for photography initiatives. Working across up to 180 countries, our aim is to raise the level of conversation around photography by celebrating the best imagery and photographers on the planet.

Circular economy, 3rd edition of the symposium in India

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FICCI is organizing the third edition of Circular Economy Symposium on 17th- 18th June 2019 at FICCI Headquarters in New Delhi.

This edition will also witness the Awards ceremony for the Frst India Circular Economy Awards.

The objective of the Symposium is to mainstream Circular Economy Principles in Indian businesses for long term value creation, both economic (extended value of products and materials for as long as possible) as well as environmental (minimizing waste generation and resource use). Alongside CES 2019, we would also be introducing the first ever “Indian Circular Economy Awards” to reward organisation doing exceptional work towards the circular economy.

Circular Economy, in such a scenario,through its innovative business models, serves as an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. In this context, adopting the principles of Circular Economy could help organizations decouple resource requirements from growth aspirations.
FICCI in year 2017 contemplated the idea of constituting a platform – the Circular Economy Symposium (CES) with an objective to mainstream discussion and action on CircularEconomy.
The 2018 edition of the Symposium was attended by over 200 delegates from industry (including startups), government, civil society and academia and witnessed the release of a theme paper on “Accelerating India’s Circular Economy Shift”. The report highlights that Circular business growth models could spell gains of up to US $ 697 bn in India by 2030. It gives a deep insight into how Circular Economy models can radically help Indian businesses in creating sustainable value

For registering online, please visit this website.

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