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11WEEC. The WEEC Network at the service of all environmental educators

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Dear all,

The 11th World Environmental Education Congress (“Building bridges”), scheduled in Prague (Czech Republic) in October 2021, is postponed to 14-18 March 2022.

Many countries are facing a wave of Covid-19 and are seriously affected. We are all aware of the situation humankind is facing. The pandemic frightens and builds a community of destiny besides the climate community of destiny, and at the same time enhance inequalities and poverty. It at the same time underlines both the need for a healthy nature and a safe environment and redesigns social, political, and economic systems. For environmental education, it means to cross more and more the road of peace, social and environmental justice, and human rights.

These two crises -as we know- are indeed interconnected, even though the first one often holds the spotlight to the prejudice of the second. Therefore, we are obliged to postpone the 11th WEEC, but with the omen of a growing interest in the environment and possible positive signals of change in policies, counting on the increasing centrality of our aims and our issues, more and more critical, and an environmental and sustainability education more and more strategic.

The 11th WEEC will be an excellent opportunity for meeting people and supporting their cooperation. While we will organize most of WEEC in the real world, it will be possible to attend online plenary and thematic sessions and to present online papers or workshops. Still, I hope that most of the participants will be able to come to Prague. At the same time, those who cannot arrive will have a meaningful option to attend at a distance.

So, I invite you to prepare from now your participation in the 11th WEEC in 2022, but at the same time to enhance collaboration networking, commitment.

The WEEC Network, its website, newsletter, social media, relationships are at the service of all environmental practitioners, researchers or teachers, in sum, at the benefit of all environmental educators (formal, non-formal and informal).

Warmest regards

Mario Salomone
WEEC Network Secretary-General

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What challenges do research face today? Webinar with Lucie Sauvé

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Lucie Sauvé, professor in the Department of Didactics at the University of Quebec at Montreal, emeritus researcher and co-founder of Centr’ERE, initiates the 2020-2021 series of conferences of Centr-ERE (research center in education and training on environmental education and citizenship).

Has this interminable episode of the pandemic allowed us to sufficiently feel the need for links between ourselves and with the living world, to encourage us to finally transform the way we live here, together? How does the current context invite us to rethink the deployment of research in environmental education?

The presentation will be followed by a discussion period.

Online event: Zoom link here

Facebook event

 

 

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Celebrating the World EE Day 2020, experiences and activities all around the world

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The third edition of the World Environmental Education Day took place from 14 to 26 October 2020.  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.

The aim of EE Day is to focus on the complexity of the challenges in a world where everything is ever more interconnected. Several associations, environmental education centres, schools and institutions sent us information about their events in 2020. We would like to thank all those who wanted to promote environmental education this year, despite the pandemic.

Here we present a selection of interesting case histories.

 

Bénin
Cercle de Recherche pour l’Identification et la Promotion des Alternatives du Développement Durable (CRIPADD)

CRIPADD is convinced that an environmental education program for children is essential to raise environmental awareness. It is with this in mind that they initiated an animation campaign for the benefit of schoolchildren at the public primary school of Hio. It will focus on environmental themes drawn from their environment.

This initiative was set up after the momentous decision to ban mangrove cutting in Avlékété, an area of ​​impressive biodiversity, but overexploited. However, the decision of environmental protection is putting many families in economic difficulty.

 

Bhutan
Royal Education Council

Environmental education is one of the national priorities towards achieving the goals of Gross National Happiness. To this effect, Environmental Science for classes 9 to 12 was introduced as optional subject with the aim of developing youths who are in peace and harmony with the tangible and intangible environment. As a consequence, nature is used sustainably for the wellbeing of people and the nature.


Canada
International Francophonie (Francophonie internationale)
Revue Éducation relative à l’environnement

The Revue Éducation relative à l’environnement, part of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), has set up a Google discussion group (mailing list) concerning the field of Environmental Education. In this group, members can exchange information (announcements of colloquia, seminars or webinars; publications; call for contributions for an event; call for publication; links to a website or webpage, etc.), ask subscribers research questions on the subject of the list, help other subscribers by answering the questions asked, receive information… as long as it is in the field of Environmental Education. The language used by this group is French. This list is moderated and you will have the possibility to unsubscribe at any time.

To be a member of this group, send an email at revue.ere@uqam.ca

 

Chile
Fundación Cosmos

Fundación Cosmos manages the Rio Maipo Wetland Nature Sanctuary located on the central coast of Chile. This is one of the most important coastal wetlands in the area, both because it is home to more than 180 species of birds, and because of the environmental services it provides to local communities and the ecosystem in general. However, it is not free from threats and factors that deteriorate it and affect its biodiversity, such as the presence and accumulation of rubbish that reaches it through high tides or the flooding of the Maipo River. To commemorate World Environmental Education Day, they have organised a community rubbish clean-up, which is more important than ever, given the arrival of migratory birds in the wetland. Through the clean-up, the Fudación generates awareness about the origin of the rubbish and the possible destiny of the waste that we all produce, encouraging a change in behaviour with respect to it.

 

France
Association Centre de découverte du son

The Association Centre de découverte du son will organize a nature outing: “Sons Buissonniers”. Walks will be organised in search of musical instruments that nature can offer. Magical moments where a blade of grass turns into a whistle, fruit into percussion. Then pupils will discover how to manipulate and have fun with these sound objects.

 

France
Litt’Obs

Litt’Obs will organise an educational discovery of rays and sharks with a school public as part of the Festival Baie des Sciences in St-Brieuc, on 14th of October.

 

Italy
Department of Education Studies at University of Bologna

An informal group of professor and students engaged on environmental education is organizing a web event (in Italian) addressed to students of the Department of Education Studies at University of Bologna, on the 16 October, 11 am-1 pm.
Title: Educazione ambientale, scuola, Indicazioni Nazionali (Environmental education, school and National Guide-lines), relator Prof. Stefano Piastra.

 

Italy
“MAREARTE” Project, travelling exhibition

The “MareArte” project was born from an idea of the artist Diego Racconi as a collective of small paintings by international artists, received through the postal system. The theme of the works develops on the relationship between Man and the Sea, transforming art into a valid tool of awareness, through which to send a message to the community, stimulating virtuous behaviour and raising awareness of respect for the environment. The large participation of the artists with their personal postcards led to the development of the initiative by organizing a traveling collective exhibition, in which some specific works created by the artist Diego Racconi are also presented for a charity action in support of reality. that deal with the recovery of marine animals. The exhibition is structured and proposed thanks to the collaboration of various institutional bodies involving them for the promotion of the initiative in their own territory and is sent through the postal system from location to location in the various destinations, through a tour and a travel route using the postal system. The initiative focuses on environmental sustainability issues and for this reason the invitation to participate in the initiative is also extended to children, precisely to involve the new generations on ecological environmental issues and sustainability objectives. All the works received will be collected at the end of the exhibition in an artist’s book and will therefore not be returned. The Exibition is now hosted at the Museo Barca Lariana (MBL) – Pianello del Lario, Como, Italy

 

Madagascar
Institute of People and Nature (IPN)

The Institute of People and Nature (IPN) will take part at the celebration of the World Environmental Education Day with a webinar on “Environmental Education in Madagascar from 1985 to 2020: background and trends”. The main objective is to inform the audience about the EE actions taken in Madagascar Island since the start in 1985, their impacts and current trends. The target groups are: Members of IPN group (217 members from Malagasy public and private Universities); and Environmental Education, Conservation and Sustainable Development professionals, University students worldwide interested in EE and environment-related issues in Madagascar. It will take place on 14th October at 12:00 GMT. The webinar will be conducted in French. The speaker is Andrianambinintsoa RAKOTOMALALA (Environmental Educator – Sociolinguist, Faculty of Science, University of Toliara, MADAGASCAR)

 

 

North-Macedonia
School of OOU Vlado Tasevski, Skopje

The school of OOU Vlado Tasevski will organise a Climate Action Project and Climate Change and Environment Activities on: Climate Change and biodiversity loss; the effects of climate change; the solutions; pedagogy and education; sustainable education; and SSGoals.

 

Turkey
SUGEP

The Sustainable Development Youth Leaders Education program will develop knowledge, skills and attitudes about sustainability. This program not only increases knowledge and awareness, but also improves skills and enables individuals to make more informed decisions about the environment.

There are a few methodologies that will create a solution-oriented project approach to many issues such as global climate change, gender equality, disruption of ecological balance, separation of biodiversity, ending hunger and poverty, sustainability cities, clean and sustainability energy, life in water. They will find knowledge to improve have academic and personal skills through organizational skills, speaking in front of the community, speaking a speech, preparing a project report.

 

Uruguay
National Network of Environmental Education for Sustainable Human Development of Uruguay (RENEA), Montevideo

From 5 to 7 November, a virtual meeting will set up. Experts from all over the region are invited to present their experiences and reflections on Latin American environmental education. Environmental education for sustainable human development implies an ethical, political and social commitment in a given time and space with the formation of a citizenship committed to participating democratically in decision-making and the execution of actions aimed at a socially equitable development, supportive and balanced between human needs and environmental care. In this very special year, environmental educators have faced new challenges and generated new learnings. It is more than ever a good time to meet, this time virtually, to continue the tradition of reflecting and building environmental education together.

 

USA
California Institute of Environmental Design and Management (CIEDM)

CIEDM will support WEED2020 by participating in the global campaign with following actions:

1. Raise public awareness of WEED2020 by spreading its campaign messages through its social medias, along with those of other environmental awareness events in and around October 14-25, such as Earth Science Week, International Day for Disaster Reduction, and Image a Day without Water;

2. Maintain and enhance through physical works the ecological and environmental services of the homestead pocket forest at Arcadia EcoHome as a registered pollinator site, a certified wildlife habitat, a certified pollinator habitat, and a verified ocean friendly garden.

We invite you to sign our campaign on Change to ask the United Nations, institutions, private and public organizations of five continents, to recognize and celebrate every year, on October 14th, the World Environmental Education Day.

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David Quammen and Melati and Isabel Wijsen are the international winners of Earth Prize 2020

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The Third Edition of Earth Prize international took place in Italy (Lake Maggiore 10-11 October). The Prize confirmed to be a real landmark for people involved in the field of environmental education. Earth Prize international is organized by WEEC Network and City of Luino, with the contribution of Lombardy Region.

The international winners are:

David Quammen, American science, nature, and travel writer. He is nominated for his activity of divulgation about the existing link between human activities and new zoonoses. The book Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic written in 2012, was rediscovered in this delicate historic moment due to Covid-19.

“Pigs, mosquitoes and chimpanzees can be the vectors of the next pandemic – Ebola, SARS, or dormant and still only partially known viruses, and a small spillover can transmit them to humans. Being informed, aware, ready to accept what science teaches us – you can read in the motivation of the award – is the first step to avoid being caught unprepared by the next pandemic, the next Big One, as Quammen calls it, whose name we still do not know”.

David Quammen’s speech is available here

 

Melati e Isabel Wijsen, two young Indonesian environmental activists who are involved in numerous initiatives to reduce plastic consumption in Bali. With the “Bye Bye Plastic Bags” initiative, they have managed to reach Governor Pastika’s attention, achieving the important result of banning polystyrene, plastic bags and straws from the island since 2018.
But they didn’t stop there and gave birth to youthopia a global movement that aims to train up a generation of changemakers and give them the tools to make a difference.
The two sisters are awarded “for their social commitment and for the involvement of young people in environmental initiatives”.

Melati’s interview is available here

A special mention goes to Phil Smith – Spaking 4 the planet and  NAAEE – North American Association for Environmental Education.

Phil Smith is the founder of Speaking for the Planet, an arts-based sustainability competition. It’s an event encouraging sustainability education for high schools. It uses performative arts such as public speaking, drama, and writing, to engage young people in thinking and creating a better world to live in. This initiative receives the Earth Prize nomination for its commitment in raising awareness among the younger generations, giving them the opportunity to share ideas, thoughts, and feelings though visual language.

The North American Association for Environmental Education is committed to promoting excellence in the field in order to accelerate environmental literacy and civic engagement. During the lockdown, this year they offered a rich tool containing initiatives of environmental education: seminars, webinars, online courses, certifications and much more. NAAEE is nominated for its commitment in creating a more sustainable future and in encouraging people to never stop learning.

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Australia, US and Indonesia among the international nominations of Earth Prize 2020

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The third edition of Earth Prize International for environmental education and landscape will be held in Luino-Lake Maggiore (Italy), at the border with Switzerland, on  October 10th and 11th.

Streaming of the live video will be available on Facebook.

To attend the whole prize: https://www.facebook.com/WEECEducazioneSostenibile

To attend the international part (at 7.30 pm Italian time) https://www.facebook.com/Earthprize

The categories into which the 2020 Award is divided are: Earth Prize/Italy, Earth Prize/International, EarthPrize/Landscape, Blue Prize, Asvis Award.

The international nominations include: American writer David Quammen (for the book Spillover), Australian professor Philip Smith (creator of the Speaking4theplanet competition), the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE for their Guide about EE and Covid), and Melati and Isabel Wijsen, Indonesian sisters and founders of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, an NGO driven by youth who says NO to plastic bags.

Earth Prize International is promoted by the WEEC Network (World Environmental Education Congress) and the City of Luino. It is supported by the Lombardy Region with the patronage of many associations involved in environmental protection,

The international prize gives recognition to those who have contributed with their ideas, actions or innovations to the transition toward a more sustainable lifestyle, by sharing best practices, producing literary and popular works, appearing on films and television broadcasts, realizing landscape projects, communication campaigns, studies and research that contribute to environmental education along all ages of life. Earth Prize wants to be a multiplier of positive actions for the environment and the quality of life.

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Ocean Literacy: a toolkit by Unesco

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“The ocean is a source of food, energy, minerals, increasingly of medications; it regulates the Earth’s climate and hosts the greatest diversity of life and ecosystems, and is a provider of economic, social and aesthetic services to humankind – write Vladimir RyabininES/IOC-UNESCO and QianTangADG/ED in the foreward – Knowing and understanding the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean is crucial to living and acting sustainably”.

It is made of two parts. The first part presents the history of ocean literacy, and describes its framework made of 7 essential principles, and connects them to international ocean science programs that contributes to enhancing ocean knowledge and observations. Moreover, marine scientists and educators were interviewed to share their professional experiences on ocean literacy as well as their views on its future. The last chapter of part 1 describes the existing challenges to marine education, as well as the path for the development of successful ocean literacy activities in the context of the 2030 Agenda. One of the most important factors identified is related to the creation of multi-sector partnerships among the education, government, and private sector that have jointly built ocean literacy programs for all formal educational levels from the primary school to the university level as well as for non-formal learners. Worldwide examples of such programs are presented.

The second part, after introducing the methodological approach based on the multi-perspective framework for ESD developed by UNESCO, presents 14 activities that could provide tested examples and support for the implementation of marine education initiatives. The aim is not to provide a one size-fits-all ready to use collection, but rather to offer support and examples of what could be then adapted for different geographical and cultural contexts. The resources are designed to be relevant for all learners of all ages worldwide and to find their application in many learning settings, while in their concrete implementation they will, naturally, have to be adapted to the national or local context

«We hope that this publication will inspire the readers – scientists, educators and learners – to take greater personal responsibility for the ocean, as well as to enable them to act as citizens, working through partnerships and networks, sharing ideas and experiences and developing new approaches and initiatives in support of ocean literacy. The ocean is the great unifier and it is our shared responsibility to preserve it for the current and future generations»

Read more

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CALL: Environmental Education experiences at the time of COVID-19

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As educators and environmental educators of the WEEC Network, having overcome these difficult months of lockdown, we feel more than ever the importance of dedicating a focus to teaching methodologies.

For this reason, we are launching a call addressed to all educators and environmental educators: we are looking for testimonials and stories on how the way of working and doing environmental education has changed and what strategies and tools have worked in this period.

Send us your testimony by August 31!

The objective is to activate a comparison on the good practices that emerged, on the methodologies adopted and on the feedback obtained. The testimonies and experiences collected will be shared in the next events of the WEEC Network 2020.

In environmental education, the relationship with nature and outdoor activities are fundamental. How to respond to the paradox that in recent months it has been necessary to do environmental education through a screen at home? Was the opportunity also taken for education in a new and truly interactive use of new technologies? And how can the relationship with nature “at a distance” be maintained?

FILL THE SURVEY: Call EA and covid-19

 

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AMWAJ Forum 2020. Energy and water: challanges of the Mediterranean

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AMWAJ (A Mediterranean Water And Journalism) is a platform that is focused on tackling water scarcity and energy challenges while identifying young talent that help provide innovative game-changing solutions. AMWAJ is also a regional incubator and facilitator for sustainable development that encourages an exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Through partnerships with leading organizations across the Mediterranean region, it is positioned to act as a network of networks in the water and energy sector. It creates links between researchers, media experts, industry and institutions, believing in interdisciplinary collaboration, institutional cooperation and intercultural communication. These are the bases of a future Euro-Mediterranean community.

AMWAJ provides enabling conditions for media and researchers to connect, empowering a new generation of reporters, experts and decision-makers with the knowledge and skills to communicate accurately and effectively the value of water and energy in society and to constructively policy-making through articles, photo essays, videos, exhibitions, reports, events, training, and other multimedia material. It bridges the gap between science, policy-making and society and contributes to the development of new discourses in the domain of the environment to accelerate sustainable development around the Mediterranean region.

It organizes a bi-annual conference bringing together research, media and policy that brings together a movement of hundreds of young professional journalists, researchers and entrepreneurs from the shared geographic space of the 43 countries that comprise the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

AMWAJ forum started under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan of Jordan and PepsiCo MENA in 2016 and travsersed the Mediterranean in 2018 to Barcelona with the Government of Catalonia, the European Investment Bank and other partners.

The next edition of AMWAJ Forum ( co-organized by the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation LCEC in partnering with the World Energy Week) will be in Sin el-Fil, Beirut, from 7 – 9 October 2020.

The 2020 edition will catalyse knowledge exchange, promote technical discussions and strengthen partnerships and networks amongst the Mediterranean water, energy and sustainability communities. It will serve as a platform for media, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and civil society from around the Mediterranean to collaborate and exchange around these key regional topics. The forum’s ultimate objective is to communicate the value of water and energy in society accurately and effectively, while constructively influencing policy-making in these fields. All sessions will be moderated by Mediterranean journalists or representatives from communication offices.

 

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Speaking 4 the Planet, join the competition

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Speaking for the Planet is an international Arts-based competition for high school students. These events have World Environment Day themes and the Sustainability Development Goals as their focus. The competition categories are speaking, drama,art, video-making and writing.

Kids 4 the Planet is the primary school equivalent.

This competition is by invitation and it is unfunded. Until now it involved schools from England, Slovenia, Hungary, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, Vietnam, US, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Kenya, Laos, Palau, Netherlands, Sweden.

Speaking 4 the Planet encourages participants to think differently. If we are to achieve sustainable communities, we will need people to be able to think creatively – often away from the mainstream – and express and support novel ideas in public arenas. We will need people who can persuade decision-makers and community members to choose sustainability options and directions. Speaking 4 the Planet provides opportunities for students to offer quirky solutions and build skills in communication, advocacy and change.

Let’s participate in the competition 2020 by Friday 25 September! The focus is the World Environment Day theme and the Sustainability Development Goals. Events are registered on the UN’s website. Events take much of a school day. They are normally held in schools or council chambers. The program includes welcome addresses from the hosts and sponsors, a video with information on the specific topic of the event.

A student and teacher Resource Pack is provided to help students prepare for the competition. The package includes the judging criteria, which are linked to curriculum requirements for speaking and drama.

Categories

Speech 3-4 minute speech. Participants send a video of themselves delivering the speech. A written copy of the speech will also need to be sent (in Word). In English.
Art Participants send 3 photos of the artwork they produce.
Meme In English.
Writing Participants are asked to write a (only!) 30 word piece on the topic. In English.

Topic

Bridging the needs of People and Planet: If we don’t get the human stuff right, we can’t get the environmental stuff right. This topic is deliberately linked to the theme of the 2021 World Environmental Education Congress, Building Bridges.

If you are interested in these initiatives, please write to the director, Phil Smith, to have more information (phil@speaking4theplanet.org.au).

 

See the 2019 edition

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Happy World Oceans Day!

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credit: NOAA, Office of Ocean exploration and research

Join the official UN Ocean Day virtual event 2020, today here

The United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day every year on 8 June. Many countries have celebrated this special day since 1992, following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, as of 2009, 8 June would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day”.

Every 8 June, we have an opportunity to raise global awareness of the benefits humankind derives from the ocean and our individual and collective duty to use its resources sustainably. Future generations will also depend on the ocean for their livelihoods!

Aquariums, science centers and research institutions, NGOs, communities and governments all around the world mobilize millions of people around events big and small. Let’s celebrate all that the ocean gives us every day: from the oxygen we breathe to the inspiration that moves our poets.

 

More than 170 events are planned. Plan your event here

https://vimeo.com/398659233

And for thw World Oceans Day 2020 several associations signed the following Open letter:

If we have learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic it is that we are all inextricably connected with each other and the natural world. Without greater balance and cooperation we cannot survive as a species.
Human wellbeing is at the heart of what we do.  Our work, to protect the ocean is driven by the reality that humankind needs a healthy planet that can sustain life, for the sake of our homes, health, livelihoods and food.
Many have taken the rupture to our lives caused by Covid-19 to think about this and about how we can rebuild better, learning from the pandemic to achieve a greater balance and to protect the fundamentals which make life on Earth possible.
Doing so is a necessity. 
We do not have the luxury of choosing between paths which damage the natural world and those which do not.  If we continue to harm nature at the rate we have been, our world will not be able to sustain human wellbeing – from jobs to food security and health.
We have been given a stark warning. Once we emerge and start to rebuild, we need to do so in a way that protects the fundamentals that all human beings rely upon, foremost among these being a planet capable of sustaining human life. 
Governments will be put under pressure to drop environmental protections to make it easier for industry to operate; to privilege short term economics and job increases over other considerations. These will be presented as a choice – choose humans over nature – but it is not a real choice. For the good of humankind, we must achieve balance with the natural world, a coexistence which ultimately enables us to thrive.
If we do not achieve that balance, take action to do better now, the rupture in our lives will get bigger, we will face other, escalating global disasters.
We ask governments to protect human wellbeing and to make decisions which keep a functioning blue planet beneath our feet.

Aida
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
David Suzuki Foundation
Ecology Action Centre
Global Fishing Watch
Global Ocean Trust
Greenovation Hub
High Seas Alliance
International Programme on the State of the Ocean
Marine CoLABoration
Marine Conservation Institute
Marine Conservation Society
New Economics Foundation
Oceans North
Our Fish
Seas at Risk
Turkish Marine Research Foundation
Thames Estuary Partnership
One Ocean
Shark Project International
Wild Trust
Zoological Society of London

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tel.+39 0114366522
secretariat@weecnetwork.org

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