Tag Archive for: environmental education

Nature in Mind: the value of biodiversity

“By Leaves We Live”
“This is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and all dependent on
the leaves. By leaves we live. Some people have strange ideas that they live by money.
They think energy is generated by the circulation of coins. Whereas the world is mainly a
vast leaf colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, not a mere mineral mass: and we
live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvests.”
(Sir Patrick Geddes, 1854-1932)

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention for Biological Diversity, signed on May 22 nd, 1992 in Rio de Janeiro,  Italian environmental police force, in collaboration with WEEC Network,  wants to celebrate, with a 2-day International Conference – Nature in mind – the value of biodiversity in the name of a greener and more sustainable future. 

International Day for Biological Diversity is the occasion to reflect on our responsibilities towards the environment and to consider the possibility of creating a new culture of nature.
The scientific comprehension of natural processes and the new awareness about the importance of the compliance of our behaviours with the law are two equally important and strictly integrated elements which aim at the conservation of nature.

Environmental education thus becomes education to environmental “legality”: a set of knowledge that becomes “culture”, environmental culture, that has to represent the fundamental part of the most deeply rooted education of citizenship, necessary to build a better future for the next generations.

The Conference Nature in Mind, which will be held in a mixed form (in person and remotely), will address various topics thanks to the interventions of distinguished Italian and international speakers
following the ideal path of seven Sessions:

  1. Opening Session
  2. One Health – Nature and Well-being
  3. At the Nature School
  4. Education and Nature
  5. School, city, territory
  6. Education, infosphere, mass culture and Nature
  7. Voices from the world

For the registration, have a look here.

 

GEEP Asia Pacific Forum. It’s time to join!

Join the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) from November 30—December 2, 2021, for a three-day forum designed to explore and 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, social justice, biodiversity loss, civic engagement, and ocean literacy;
  • 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.

FORUM HIGHLIGHTS

The 2021 GEEP Asia Pacific Forum will offer inspiring, thought-provoking plenaries and interactive concurrent sessions exploring a wide range of topics, along with great opportunities for networking, growth, and change. Registration also includes on-demand access to all recorded sessions through April 2022. To learn more, explore our Forum schedule and featured speakers.

Register here.

WEEC 11: field sessions and abstract submission deadline

In addition to 12 thematic parallel sessions in Prague Congress Centre, the WEEC offers you 10 practical field sessions in 9 Czech environmental education centres (on-site program). The host centres will serve as case studies for particular topics discussed during the workshop-style sessions.  

  • 4 field sessions will take place in Prague, 6 in the environmental education centres out of Prague, which also offers you a great opportunity to explore the host country. 
  • 5 field sessions include overnight followed by a trip with local environmental educators. 

You will thus have a great opportunity to explore landscapes, landmarks and tastes of Bohemian Paradise, Moravian karst, Krkonoše mountains, Brno and Bohemian – Moravian highland.

Explore our field sessions: 

1. Inquiry-based environmental education

2. Participative approaches in environmental education at schools

3. Schools as environmental campaigners

4. Animal farming in environmental education and animal welfare concerns

5. Folk traditions and traditional crafts in environmental education

6. Learning by Nature

7. Alienation from nature

8. Nature and Community as the Best Classrooms

9. EE in modern ZOO

10. School gardens and school forests 

 

Abstract submission deadline:
30th November 2021
 

 

11th WEEC: Not sure about COVID and travel? Join us in building bridges online

The 11th WEEC, as the first in its history, is applying the hybrid conference format. As a result, participants may choose between online and onsite participation. In light of the changing pandemic situation, participants may register either online or onsite and switch between these modes until the end of December 2021.

What does online participation look like?
As an online participant 
⦁ You can actively participate by submitting your presentation or participating without a presentation
⦁ You can choose whether to introduce your presentation in one of the virtual rooms in real-time and get immediate feedback or just upload it on the virtual platform and discuss it on the discussion forum
⦁ You will have access to the virtual platform with all of the ongoing online presentations and workshops, streamed onsite plenary sessions, and recordings of the parallel sessions (both online and onsite)
⦁ You can discuss selected topics with all of the WEEC participants
⦁ You can access the virtual platform up to one year after the closing of WEEC

The online presentation is reasonable if you want to be a part of WEEC but cannot come to Prague. Let’s join online!

Any questions about the online WEEC?
Contact Jan at cincera@mail.muni.cz

Abstract submissions close: 30th November 

Due to the covid’s situation, this time WEEC gives you the chance to choose between online and onsite participation

From North to South of Globe: events and activities around the world for the EE Day

The fourth edition of the WorldEnvironmental Education Day took place from 14 to 26 October 2021.  The Weec Network invited all the stakeholders of the environmental education to join the World Environmental Education Day organising special events to highlight the importance of environmental educational actions all over the world.

Here are some of the Earth Day celebrations

In Portugal took place “Emc2”, an educational project that involved  100 students aged between 8-11 years old, with their teachers. They participated at 4 outdoor visits to coastal habitats, in order to know the endemic white crowberry plant. These visits occurred in mainland Portuguese coastal area of Torres Vedras and had the support of ‘Torres Vedras Environmental Educational Centre’ 

In the meanwhile, in Latvia, students from Madliena secondary school worked on project “Change your life-think more broadly”. It is civic participation project where students learn democracy and active partnership creating ideas, developing plans, looking for support. Project activities started in September and the students realized their ideas for better environment and for more beautiful and comfortable school surroundings. Work on project ideas devilment and realization make students more self-confident and responsible about place, where they live and study. It allows them to understand that their local work for better environment is a part of global issues. The improved surroundings of the school are used for school outdoor activities and became a good place for walks for everybody in Madliena. The support of local authorities and students` parents was important and helped the students to carry out their first so great project. 

In Brussels  COREN ran educational programs in environmental management in schools in Wallonia and Brussels. It

 organized activities on different themes: waste prevention and management, eco-consumption, rational use of energy, ecological footprint, food waste, citizen mobility . 

 

 

 

In Morocco,  the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training is organizing a webinar entitled “Innovative approaches for the environment. ‘environmental education and sustainable development’ in collaboration with the WEEC network through the international expert Mr. David Zandvliet.

As well in Italy, on the EE Day, Istituto per l’ambiente e l’educazione Scholé Futuro – Weec network organized the Earth Festival first edition.

Three days, from 15 to 17 October, in Lombardy on the Lake Maggiore river, full of events, conferences and activities thought to people awareness raising  to climat

e change and environmental education. The Festival is Earth Prize’s heritage, that ‘s took place for three years.  

Joining  “All4Climate-Italy2021’’ initiatives, Weec Network prepared Staffetta per il clima, Race for climate: 26 events disseminated in 14 italian regions  training moments, round tables, conferences, contests, exhibitions, debates and meetings for the presentation of pilot projects / good practices / case studies on climate change education. The last  one took place on the 14th October, in occasion of the EE Day. 

 

The managing body of the CEAS Dorgali Cala Gonone promoted an online dissemination event with the release of presentations relating to the importance of environmental education centres and training activities for territorial, local and regional development and for the protection of biodiversity. 

Le Mille e Una Notte prepared nature workshops for children and teenagers with a sustainability theme to get to know the reality of the Tiber River up close, from 10 am to sunset. Activities are part of a European project I Rivers in full size (FGN), whose goal is to collaboratively develop a set of teaching materials based on an illustrated representation of the great European rivers and their catchment areas.  

The Park of the Royal Castle of Moncalieri organised a virtual visit for kindergarten pupils to learn about history of this place and the vegetation present in the large park (including many centuries-old trees). The event highlighted the importance of parks and gardens for people, to have a space for relax or free time, to socialize each other and know the area they live.

Travel safe and sustainable to Prague: The Czech Republic has been awarded the international “Safe Travels Stamp”

Few months remain until the 11th World Environmental Education Congress (14-18th March 2022) in Prague. We believe this will be a time when  after two difficult years we will be able to meet again in person.

Through other European cities, Prague is one of the safest city and the Czech Republic has been awarded the international “Safe Travels Stamp” by the World Tourism & Travel Council (WTTC) and now holds the status of a safe destination.

Concerning connections, Prague is becoming easier avilable with direct flights from many european city and by 2022 new air root will be added by air companies like Wizzair, Blue Air SkyUp Airlines,Ural Airlines, airBaltic, Czech Airlines or Aeroflot. KLM, Air France and Lufthansa. There are also long-haul flights to Doha, Qatar, and Dubai, which will now be serviced by three carriers, namely Emirates, flydubai and Smartwings.

Currently, it is possible to fly to 115 destinationsfrom Václav Havel Airport Prague operated by over 45 airlines. But, as flights are increaing, the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, Prague Airport, the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic will strengthen the control of the currently valid conditions for entry into the country.

In line with the new procedures, passengers will be jointly inspected upon arrival by employees of Prague Airport, members of the Foreign Police of the Czech Republic and the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic. According to the valid protective measures in place, upon arrival in the Czech Republic, it is checked whether, passengers have completed a Public Health Passenger Locator Form (http://www.prijezdovyformular.cz), are in the possession of a certificate of completed vaccination or a proof of the illness recovery in the last 180 days. Passengers can also submit a COVID-19 negative test result according to the rules in effect. However, the assessment of the situation will always depend on the specific case of the respective passenger and the destination from which they are arriving.

Passengers can find an overview of the currently valid conditions for entry into the Czech Republic on the Czech Ministry of Interior’s website. Specific rules are based on the list of countries according to the degree of risk, which is regularly updated on the website of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic

Not only safety but also beauty is one of Prague’s keystones, indeed the City ranked seventh best city in the renowed British magazine Time Out thanks to the fact that most of the interviewed praised the city’s beauty despite the lockdowns (82 %) and walkable distances with no need to use car (89 %). The Czech capital has been also ranked second when it came to opportunities to relax. This all makes Prague one of the world’s most liveable cities. Besides, the magazine highlighted the green areas of Prague, especially Prague 6 district, whose parks can be used all year round for summer picnics or winter sledging. 

For any doubts or more information, please contact us on media@weecnetwork.org

GEEP Asia Pacific Forum. Save the date!

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

A call for workshops: 17th Congress on Environmental Education (ERE) 2021

The Quebec Association for the Promotion of Environmental Education (AQPERE)  announces the 17th conference on environmental education (ERE). The event will take place online on November 19, 2021.

The organizing committee invites the actors and actresses of the ERE to submit proposals for workshops falling under the theme of the colloquium “A healthy world! Issues for environmental education”.

Submit your workshop by 31 May 2021

Appel de propositions d’ateliers – Colloque AQPERE 2021

For information: communications@aqpere.qc.ca

Building bridges for all: Jan Cincera and Mario Salomone present the 11 WEEC 2022

We are glad to invite you to the 11th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Prague, Czech Republic.

The 11th WEEC is about building bridges: between different approaches to environmental education and education for sustainable development, across international boundaries, between formal, nonformal, informal, and community education, and between researchers and practitioners around the world.

Here, Jan Cincera from Masaryk University and Mario Salomone, WEEC Secretary General present the next Congress!

The 11th WEEC is organized by Masaryk University (Czech Republic), AIM Group International, and WEEC Network, in cooperation with Charles University, Ministry of the Environment (Czech Republic) and by more than 20 Czech organizations and more than 60 researchers, practitioners, or institutions worldwide.

We remind you that abstract submission close 31 August 2021.

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A journey through the Water: Online Diving in Lake Como

Today a special event for World Water Day 2021!
Poland, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Armenia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Italy. These are the countries that today will join the meeting “A Journey through the Water: Online Diving in Lake Como“.
Children from primary schools of these countries are participating in this wonderful event that presents Como Lake to the World thanks to the project Etwinning.
Here you can find the information to join the meeting: