Mediterranean Solutions at IUCN Congress

/in /by

Under the leadership of the MAVA foundation, the organisations ACCOBAMS, Conservatoire du Littoral, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, MedPAN, MedWet, The MedFund, Tour du Valat, UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC, UNEP/MAP-Plan Bleu and WWF Mediterranean gather at the IUCN Congress to present the current challenges, accomplishments, new initiatives and collaborative work which are taking place in the Mediterranean region.

Each of these organisations harnesses different skills, operational structures and approaches. However, they all share the same goal: to kickstart a nature-based recovery across the Mediterranean, and get on course for a sustainable, equitable future that balances economic growth and the health of the natural world.

Two seminal reports published in 2020, The State of the Environment and Development (SoED) report, and the First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR 1) on climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean basin, shed light on the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution on the Mediterranean.

During the 6 days, the sessions at the Mediterranean stand explore solutions to the key environmental issues in the region, including Nature-based solutions, inclusive processes to support inclusivity and effective and equitable governance, as well as an analysis of the current funding landscape.

This is the first hybrid IUCN Congress in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Mediterranean stand will provide streaming service for most of the live events scheduled by this innovative collaboration.

ALL EVENTS  WILL BE LIVE-STREAMED through this link:
https://virtualmeeting.leni.fr/UICN21/A28/indexSuite.php

For further details read here

or IUCN World Conservation Congress website

Download the brochure here

For further enquiries, please contact Arantxa Cendoya at arantxa.cendoya@iucn.org

WEEC2022: submission & early bird registration deadlines extended

/in /by

More than 300 submissions from more than 40 countries have already been submitted to the 11th World Environmental Education Congress (14-18 March 2022 in Prague)! The keynote speeches, cross-cutting dialogues, webinars, and panels form a basis for a rich and inspiring program.

At the same time, we know that many people still struggle with the uncertainty of the COVID situation in their countries and need more time planning. In light of this, we have decided to postpone the upcoming deadlines: early bird registration to October 1st and abstract submission to November 30th

We hope that more time makes congress more available for the world environmental and sustainability education community.

In addiction, we allow an opportunity to flexibly change the form of registration from onsite to online (and vice versa) by the end of December 2021. What does it mean? If you are not sure about coming to Prague, you may still register for the onsite participation and submit one of the onsite forms of presentation now. In December 2021, you may change your registration from the onsite to online (or from online to onsite) form. This change could be done only one time and in the mentioned period. After this, you will automatically receive the surplus (for the change from onsite to online) or asked to pay the difference in the registration fee (for the change from online to onsite).

We are looking forward to seeing you!

GEEP Asia Pacific Forum. Save the date!

/in /by

Join the GEEP (Global Environmental Education Partnership) from November 30—December 2, 2021, for a three-day forum designed to strengthen environmental education in the Asia-Pacific region. This virtual forum is free and open to anyone who is interested in the power of environmental education in creating a sustainable future. Participants will have a chance to hear from leading environmental education experts and network with others from the region who are advancing key environmental and social issues. There will also be opportunities for networking with environmental education professionals from across the region to learn, share, and strengthen collaboration.

This forum will explore:
– How environmental education can help address large-scale environmental and social issues, including climate change, environmental justice, biodiversity loss, air quality, and marine litter;
– The role of networks, and how to build stronger regional and country-level networks that strengthen the impact and promote collaboration across borders and sectors; and
– How we can build leadership in the region and transition to a more just and sustainable future.

Download the promotional flyer

11WEEC submit your abstract now!

/in /by

There is less than one month left until the end of the abstract submission. Do not miss the participation in the congress. You can build the bridges and choose to submit your abstract within 13 parallel sessions and 1 cross-cutting theme.

Register here

11WEEC: is the conference fee too high for your budget?

/in /by

The COVID situation deployed the budget of many organizations. While we must keep our budget balanced, we also want to make WEEC available for all who want to participate.

To achieve this, we look for partners for possible proposals aimed at the financial support of our participants from different regions.

If you can see such an opportunity in your region, please, contact Lucie Čechovská, e-mail: cechovska.luci@gmail.com. We may cooperate with you to prepare a proposal for financial support and make congress available for more participants from your region.

We appreciate your cooperation!

11WEEC Register with confidence!

/in /by

Not sure you will be able to go abroad? The 11th WEEC may be the first opportunity to meet face to face with our community after two COVID years. As we believe, these are the face-to-face meetings that build future partnerships and give us energy for our work.
However, while the situation in the Czech Republic has returned to normal, many parts of the world still struggle with the pandemic. We understand the uncertainty and hesitating: may I afford to register onsite? Could online participation be the safer choice?

Participation in the WEEC 2022
In light of this, we allow an opportunity to flexibly change the form of registration from onsite to online (and vice versa) by the end of December 2021.
What does it mean?
If you are not sure about coming to Prague, you may still register for the onsite participation and submit one of the onsite forms of presentation now.
In December 2021, you may change your registration from the onsite to online (or from onsite to online) form. This change could be done only one time and in the mentioned period. After this, you will automatically receive the surplus (for the change from onsite to online) or be asked to pay the difference in the registration fee (for the change from online to onsite).
All the prices will be calculated from the amount valid at the time of your first registration.

Format of your presentation
In addition, you can change the format of your presentation (oral presentation / Pecha Kucha / Poster) from the online to the onsite form (and vice versa) by the end of November 2021.
After this date, this change will not be possible. However, you can still change the format of your participation by the date mentioned above (as a result, you can decide in January to arrive in Prague, but you will have your presentation online).

We hope this opportunity helps you in your decision. In case of any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. We are looking forward to meeting you – either in Prague or at our virtual platform.

Water for life: a cross-cutting theme at 11WEEC

/in /by
Photo by @naja_bertolt_jensen Unsplash

Photo by @naja_bertolt_jensen Unsplash

Water quality and quantity are very crucial for sustaining life in many parts of the world. In arid and semi-arid zones, communities are suffering from water scarcity due to population growth, climate change and lack of technological development. Therefore, education for water conservation and reuse in an urban setting is very crucial for sustaining life in dry regions.

The cross-cutting theme “water for life” addresses issues of water reclamation using extensive technologies, which are suitable for low technology and suitable for direct application in an urban setting. The utilized technologies will also be suitable for the collection of stormwater. The workshop “water for life” will establish a group of educators and researchers interested in using the topic “water” to enhance the awareness and research in environmental education and will follow the group established in WEEC 2019 in Bangkok. The subtheme consists of two parts, the round table session (90 min) and the follow-up workshop (60 min). As an output of the workshop, a subgroup of water for life will be formed.

The Round table session focuses on sharing the experience with the following topics (not limited to):

– extensive technologies for wastewater and greywater treatment suitable for none-potable water reuse
– environmental education through water conservation and reuse
– water quality and natural water treatment processes
– case studies of water treatment and utilization for environmental education water cycle and the impact of human activities
– utilization of treated wastewater and stormwater for green city projects

Individual presenters are assigned to numbered tables in rooms where interested participants may gather for discussion with the presenter about his/her paper or project.

Short presentations (up to 15 min) are expected. These discussions will be held in English. All of the submissions will be reviewed.

More about this session and abstract submissions.

Balkan: from a War Massacre Site to a Sustainable School

/in /by

The elementary school Vladimir Nazor, in Croatia, is now “The Blue Economy Happy School “.

It took three years between the formulation of the idea and the reality. Students, parents and the school leadership wanted to overcome once and for all the traumas inflicted by the Balkan War by transforming their dilapi dated building into an example from which the world can learn.

Their project proposal received in 2018 the Sustainability Prize of the Emirate-based Foundation honoring Sheikh Zayed, the Founder of the United Arab Emirates. The $100,000 award money kickstarted a revolutionary transformation that mobilized a total of €700,000 thanks to additional support from the Zadar County and the European Union.

Now a 30 kW solar power plant supplies electricity for LED lighting and solar backpacks can be used by students on field trips. An ultrafast, super-secure and energy saving internet operates on light (LiFi), the first in Croatia and one of the first in Europe. An electric vehicle powered by the solar provides for all transport needs for the school, especially the kitchen. When the school is closed for weekends and holidays then all power is distributed to the local community.

Leonarda Skara

Students are now proud of their school, an infrastructure that was first built in 1876. They wish to create a portfolio of new businesses, securing a future for their community that already harbors the largest organic olive orchard in Croatia. They do not wait to take initiative after graduation and created a student cooperative “Maslina” selling olive oil from the school gardens. Now they are ready to convert the 30 kg of clippings per tree into 15 kg of mushrooms generating more income and job opportunities.  “We want to have a future right here at home” commented Leonarda Skara who went to Abu Dhabi to collect the Prize and who is leading the students in their enthused transformation of the war torn region.

The success story of the Vladimir Nazor Elementary and Middle School in Škabrnja will serve as an inspiration for all village schools around the world demonstrating that a new future is possible even when the dramas of the past are hard to accept nor forget. A video documenting this transformation will be translated into five UN languages and will be distributed through a video and text to the global network of Zayed Sustainability Prize schools.

”The Ministry of Science and Education is happy that the students and employees of the Vladimir Nazor Elementary School, from the small Zadar municipality of Škabrnja, demonstrated their resolve to embrace the future”, said Vesna Šerepac, Director of Education at the Ministry of Science and Education. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prof. Gunter Pauli, known as “The Steve Jobs of Sustainability” representing The Zayed Sustainabilty Prize where he serves as a member of the committee; the Prefect of Zadar County Božidar Longin; Prof Ivan Šimuni Head of Education for Zadar county; and Darko Parić CARNET Public Administration co operation advisor.

Earth Foundation: looking for university students mentors for the Earth Prize

/in /by

The Earth Foundation is looking for university students interested in involving as mentors for the young people applying the Earth Prize. Becoming an Earth Prize Mentor is a unique opportunity for university students to share and expand their knowledge on environmental sustainability and entrepreneurship, by advising participants in The Earth Prize, a $200,000 global youth environmental sustainability competition for students between the ages of 13 and 19.

Mentors will contribute to the development of students’ innovative project proposals by offering them guidance on their ideas and answering their questions. Mentors who will have demonstrated the highest levels of engagement will be given the chance to work individually with one of the ten The Earth Prize Finalists.

Each year, the most engaged mentor, as voted by the The Earth Prize participants, will be recognized with the Mentor of the Year award and a $12,500 prize.

All mentors will become part of The Earth Prize Alumni Association, a community of inspiring individuals and organizations offering mentorship, networking, internships, and professional placement opportunities.
Mentors  will have access to a unique network of entrepreneurs thanks to The Earth Foundation’s incubator partnerships and they will be able to connect with inspiring new start-ups leading the way towards environmental sustainability.
Mentoring for the The Earth Prize offers an excellent opportunity to develop and showcase transferable skills such as project management, problem-solving, and consulting. Each mentor will receive a certificate upon completion.
All mentors will have access to The Earth Prize learning platform featuring bespoke online materials on environmental issues, interviews with activists and social entrepreneurs, and real-world practical skill training on how to effect change.

Joining The Earth Prize as a mentor allow to actively contribute to projects striving to make a positive impact on the environment and to serve as a role model for younger students, inspiring them to become future changemakers.

Application will close June 30th.  Fill the form here to become a mentor.

 

 

 

UNESCO: environmental education must be a core curriculum component by 2025

/in /by

The Unesco World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, followed online by over 10,000 viewers, was organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany and the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner.

Over 80 ministers and vice ministers and 2,800 education and environment stakeholders committed to taking concrete steps to transform learning for the survival of our planet at the end of a three-day virtual World Conference held from 17 to 19 May.

UNESCO has called for Education for Sustainable Development to be a core component of all education systems at all levels by 2025. The Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development outlines a range of policies to transform learning encompassing teaching, learning, professional training and civic engagement. It also highlights the need to implement Education for Sustainable Development with focus on cognitive skills, social and emotional learning, collaboration skills, problem solving, resilience-building.

«We need training for sustainable development not to be a privilege but accessible to all people. The success of the Education for Sustainable Development programme for 2030 will bring us closer to all the SDGs» said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her welcoming address, describing Germany’s broad network of partners working on sustainability at all levels of education and training.

Laurent Fabius, who presided COP21 where the Paris Agreement was sealed, stated the «fight against climate change begins at school.» He recalled commitments in the Paris Agreement to education, and called for increased efforts to improve teacher training on ESD and increase financing. «2021 is the year in which we will overcome the pandemic and embark on a sustainable development model for the future that must include ESD. If we miss this occasion, we will lose decades. This is a race against the clock.”»

The voices of young people were given a platform throughout the Conference, as those leading the call for change so that they can #LearnForOurPlanet.

The adoption of the Berlin Declaration will create momentum for the implementation of ESD for 2030 Roadmap – the framework for this decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Every UNESCO Member State will be asked to create a network of actors who together can implement the ambitious vision for education.

From Berlin, 2021 will provide key opportunities for governments to apply this commitment, including the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

International Secretariat

Via del Carmine, 15
10122 Torino – Italy
tel.+39 0114366522
secretariat@weecnetwork.org

LEGAL NOTICE

Privacy Policy
Cookies Policy
Facebook

Discover all the activities on our Facebook Page

Instagram

Follow our Instagram Profile!

Linkedin

Join our Linkedin world

Youtube

Join The Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest news and trends in the digital world! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive exclusive content, practical tips, and updates directly in your inbox.