Now is online the Issue 14 of the journal Environmental Education: Regards – Research – Reflections. It has finally been added to the OpenEdition Journals Portal | Revues.org. This issue is dedicated to art and environmental education.
Now It is available the issue 14-1 here. In the next weeks also the volume 14-2 will be accessible.
The main objective of the closing ACT4LITTER conference (Athens, October 24th) is to showcase the collective response of the Mediterranean to curb the problem of marine litter. The event is orgnised by Mio-Ecsde in collaboration with Regional activity centre for sustainable consumption and production, San’Anna Institute of management, Med Pan and founded by European Union Life+. It brings forward recent scientific advances with regards to marine litter and its impacts in the region and will provide an opportunity to key stakeholder groups active on the science-policy-society interface to share their compelling stories and hands-on experiences.
The conference features initiatives that address the whole management cycle of marine litter, from prevention, monitoring and surveillance to mitigation measures, carried out at European, Mediterranean, national and local level.
Special emphasis is given to litter that is building up in what should be pristine coastal and marine protected areas, where marine biota and endangered species dwell. Working together at all levels is what it takes to deal with this ‘wicked’ problem.
Mediterranean Members of Parliament and key stakeholders discuss the state of play and realistic steps forward (Brussels, November 21st, European Parliament).
Most Mediterranean countries, on both shores, are at a moment when Parliaments are deciding on measures to curb the use of single use plastics and mainly plastic bags. Are the most informed decisions being made? What should the next steps be?
The root causes of marine litter in the Mediterranean are the same as anywhere else in the world: a complex combination of production and consumption patterns, irresponsible behavior of individuals and economic sectors, lack of policy and legislative frameworks, weak solid waste management practices, misconceptions related to possible solutions, fragmented understanding of the problem due to the lack of fit-for-purpose data.
Large amounts of plastic waste leak into the marine environment from sources on land and at sea, generating significant environmental and economic damage. They are estimated to account for over 80% of marine litter. Single-use plastic items are a major component of the plastic leakage and are among the items most commonly found on beaches, representing some 50% of the marine litter found.
Being one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide, Mediterranean decision makers are gradually reacting. Understanding and knowledge of the problem has been substantially enhanced in the past few years, with several studies shedding light on the amounts, distribution, sources and impacts. As a result, bold moves are taking shape on the EU side driven by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and measures and pilot actions are advancing in the non-EU countries under the Regional Plan for Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean of the Barcelona Convention.
The Searica Intergroup together with the informal Circle of Mediterranean Parliamentarians for Sustainable Development (COMPSUD) and the contribution of other key actors is exploring through this meeting realistic options on how to effectively curb plastic pollution in the Mediterranean region.
Program
16:30 – 16:45 Welcome remarks by Ms Gesine MEISSNER, MEP, President of the European Parliament Intergroup Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas (Searica)
16:45 – 17:10 Outlining the marine litter challenge in the Mediterranean.
Mapping certainties and uncertainties: a prerequisite for better decision-making.
Dr. Thomie Vlachogianni, Marine Litter expert, MIO-ECSDE
Keeping litter on land
Prof. Moh Rejdali, Chairman of COMPSUD, Member of the Moroccan Parliament
Promising measures and lessons learned from the implementation of the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean
Mr. Gaetano Leone, UN Environment MAP Coordinator
Putting the plastics challenge at the heart of EuroMed policy and actions
Ms Alessandra Sensi, Head of Sector, Environment and Blue Economy, Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat
17:10 – 18:00 Panel Discussion, incl. Q&A: Doing the right thing and doing it right: where are the difficulties?
Introduced and moderated by Mrs. Estaras Ferragut, MEP, Board Member of the Intergroup – Mediterranean
Prof. Michael Scoullos, MIO-ECSDE Chairman & Team Leader of the EU SWIM-H2020 Support Mechanism
Mr. Michel SPONAR, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate General for the Environment, European Commission
Plastic Producers or Plastic Recyclers/Converters
MP (South)
MP (EU)
18:00 – 18:50 Panel Discussion, incl. Q&A: What are the next steps forward? Introduced and moderated by Mr. Davor Skrlec, MEP
Ms Francoise Bonnet, Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management
Fisheries Association/Aquaculture
Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi, MP, Lebanon
Tourism sector
MP
18:50 – 19:00 Conclusions
A MEP and Prof. Scoullos
The 23rd AGM – Annual General Meeting of MIO- ECSDE– was successfully held in Athens on 23rd October side by side with the closing of ACT4Litter Conference and SWIM-H2020 SM training on Marine Litter.
Before the AGM, a session about NGO’s accountability was attended by the representatives of the many organizations (127) from all the countries of both shores of Mediterranean in MIO network.
The AGM showed once again the strength of MIO in running relevant Projects, Actions and Events related to Sustainable Development, involving different partnership, and in particular, associations of the network. Very important is the role MIO played in diplomacy of civil society in Mediterranean, the accountability and the resilience, also when for several years the funds were reduced.
A new important entry in MIO Board is the representative of associations from Syria. The majority of members of the board were reconfirmed as well as Patrizia Bonelli from Institute for Environment and Education caring the WEEC Secretariat.
Bangkok Thailand city skyline at central business district of Sathorn street. Drone aerial view. Public park Lumpini in the front.
Until December 31st it is possible to register at 10th Weec, the World Environmental Education Congress, by taking advantage of the special early bird fee. Do not miss this opportunity to be part of the world’s largest environmental education network and to meet other professionals in the same sector.
Now you can register for the Congress and propose your abstracts.
Stay in touch and save the date! The next Weec Congress will be in Bangkok (Thailand) exactly in a year: 3-7 Novembre 2019.
Que signifie « espace public » pour les générations futures ? Dans l’école primaire de Saint-Pierre (Montréal, Québec) deux organismes locaux qui s’occupent de macro-écologie appliquée et de revitalisation urbaine ont collaboré pour réaliser une série d’ateliers transdisciplinaires visant une meilleure connaissance et appropriation de l’espace public. L’approche utilisée a mis en valeur le programme de médiation sociale de l’Institut Pacifique, tout en conjuguant les principes de résolution pacifique des conflits avec ceux d’éducation à l’environnement. Les phases d’analyse et de planification ont permis de concentrer l’action du projet sur deux principaux enjeux socio-environnementaux : l’enclavement du quartier et la pollution visuelle et sonore. En outre, en tenant compte de l’analyse démographique du quartier la plus récente, la composante immigrée de la population, les problématiques de sous-scolarisation, des saines habitudes de vie et d’accès aux services ont été prises en considération (Revitalisation Saint-Pierre, 2017 et Centre international de prévention contre la criminalité, 2016).
Le projet a mis les élèves au centre d’un processus de changement visant le respect des autres et de l’environnement, ce qui les a encouragés à sortir de la condition d’isolement vécu. Pour ce faire, les ateliers ont été divisés en deux séries : « Notre espace public » et « L’espace public et nous ». Un processus démocratique a été suivi pour la subdivision des classes en sous-équipes, à la tête desquelles quatre ambassadeurs ont été nommés, pour donner lieu à la constitution du « Comité des Ambassadeurs », symbole de l’expérience vécue. En outre, selon les principes de l’art plastique, les classes ont utilisé des matières recyclables pour créer des maquettes en 3D, expression de leur perception de l’espace public et du quartier. Pendant la dernière phase des ateliers, les classes ont présenté leurs maquettes, qui ont fait l’objet de comparaison avec les ressources publiques existantes dans le quartier Saint-Pierre (Carte des ressources pour les familles de Lachine, 2014). Bien que la participation au projet d’une classe d’accueil et d’une classe ordinaire ait donné lieu à l’observation de différentes dynamiques relationnelles et d’approche pendant la réalisation des ateliers, il est important de souligner le désir univoque de tous les participants d’avoir des espaces verts plus accrus et qui leur sont dédiés et, par conséquent, un contact plus profond avec l’environnement.
Le projet a facilité le développement d’un esprit de participation citoyenne, de solidarité et de collaboration plus fort entre les participants. Ce résultat montre que ce projet peut être la base pour la réalisation d’initiatives tant dans le contexte scolaire qu’au niveau communautaire qui nous rapprocheront davantage à l’idée de « Notre espace public ».
Valentina Baraldi
Elle s’occupe de projets scolaires de médiation socio-environnementale entre le Canada et l’Italie. Experte en Global Citizenship Education et Coopération Internationale, ses plus récentes collaborations sont le projet BourseScol’ERE (COP21, 2015) et avec le Groupe de Recherche Appliquée en Macro-écologie (Montréal, Québec). Elle est conceptrice et réalisatrice du projet « Notre espace public ».
Did you enjoy the World Environmental Education Day? What did you organise? Several associations, universities, parks and institutions sent us information about their events. Let’s go to have a look in this first report, and remember that you can still send us your event even after 14th October!
In Italy the Weec Network Permanent Secretariat organised the public speech of Gunter Pauli, during the Innovation and Science Festival held near Turin.
A group of associations and universities (RESS education research and socual studies, CEAS university center for sustainability, GEP group education and peace, GISCEL group action and study linguistic education) organised the seminar “Immigration and climate change: a question to be investigated”. The seminar has been focused on the knowledge of the little known and discussed issue of environmental migrations to try to clarify the connection between environmental factors and social, economic, political, cultural dynamics and highlight the importance of a training commitment in this regard.
The park Parco fluviale Gesso e Stura organised two events.“ Meteorologies for a day”, a scientific educational laboratory for children. What’s the weather going to do tomorrow? Of course, we can not foresee the future but we can learn to understand and measure the “signals” that the natural environment sends us. By constructing particular instruments we can try to become small meteorologists… even just for one day!
“Butterfly effect”Special World Environmental Education Day. Guided tours with the curator at the exhibition “Butterfly effect: different worlds in one life”. From caterpillar to butterfly, from leaves to flowers: the conquest of the wings. Surprising adaptations, strange and complex symbiosis, unexpected curiosities about these small fragments of the landscape: countless pieces of the great puzzle of nature.
Another park, Parco del Serio, organised the “Autumn party at the botanical garden”. Educational workshops dedicated to the discovery of agri-food products.
The environmental organisation Academia Kronos, association specialized in shipments abroad to study the phenomenon of global warming, organised courses on Environmental Education, Environmental Communication, Naturalistic Cinematography, Alternative Energies, Experts on Climate Change.
EUROPE
In Hungary the Hungarian Institute for Educational Research (Founder and network centre of the Hungarian Eco-school Network for 14 years) managed a 4000-member mailing list. In their biweek news, they urged their member schools (more than 1000 schools) to celebrate the EEDay in or around 14th October. And – as member of the Science for Carpathians academic and transdisciplanary network – they also facilitated a workshop on 16th October on the 5th Forum Carpaticum (fc2018.hu) dealing with the possibilities of formal education.
In Spain the academic institution Resclima, in collaboration with A Eira do Ceesg (Working group on Environmental Education of the Professional Association of Social Educators of Galicia) celebrated the World Environmental Education Day with the organization of a “Photocall for Climate Change Education”, in which it has been highlighted the strategic centrality of Environmental Education in mitigation and adaptation policies to face the climate crisis. It took place on October 17th, at the central module of the Faculty of Educational Sciences (South Campus) of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain).
In Greece the Environmental Education Center of Samos in cooperation with 2nd Kissamos Primary School of Chania visited the Elos Lake in the Prefecture of Chania. 46 pupils and 4 teachers participated in outdoor environmental activities.
In Lithuania the Žemaitijos nacionalinis parkas organised two events. A pre-event: laboratory for kids and teenagers in the local library with different indoor and outdoor activities, such as building a small soil model in glass jars, drawing and writing, debating about environment, environmental edication and finding out together daily practises for a “greener” society.
Main event: celebration of the entire anniversary (October 14th-26th) with online quizzes and other enjoyable games for everyone, every day on a different topic related with environmental issues, such as pollution, wastes, energy sources, food production, climate change, ecc.
AFRICA
In Mali the NGO AADECOM Association of Support to Community Development of Mali, engaged in the development of Mali, contributed to the World EE Day with the following objectives: to promote and support in Mali as well as on the African and even worldwide scale, any initiative aimed at promoting education for sustainable development and international solidarity and contribute to improving the daily life of local populations. Set up awareness-raising, training and support actions for the populations targeted by the two associations. Promote environmental education and local tourism with a focus on youth participation. Promote the green economy through sustainable management of natural resources and an effective fight against global warming. Develop a synergy of action to mobilize resources internally and externally to finance projects to be implemented as part of the implementation of this EDDSI approach.
The African Network for Sustainable Development Education -ANSDE, an environmental organization of the civil society based in Cameroun, that works for the education and information orgnised his work on the streets and markets to sensitize on the use of plastic, showing that plastic waste has colonised our lifes and our marine and its marine animals are in danger because of our manner to live and use plastic waste. «So we have to change our way of living – they explained – if we don’t want to disappear from the earth».
The University of Kinshasa, Department of Environmental Sciences (Democratic Republic of Congo) organized a special event for 2000 students comprising a sanitation sensitization day for youth in the secondary school Mont Amba and also for students of other departments of the university. An accent will be on plastic waste collection since it is valorized by the department in making cobblestone from the mixture Plastic-Sand. The day ended with a conference on “Benefits of Environmental education in the development of developing nations”.
The World EE Day was also an opportunity to give space to dreams and individual projects like that of Hicham Filalizehri, from Morocco that wants to share his dream «to create an environmental library in a rural natural area in Morocco».
AMERICA
Two proposals from Canada.
The Manitoba Museum, Museum or Informal Educational Center (Canada) explained that we use energy in almost every aspect of our lives, and finding sustainable sources of energy is the key to affecting climate change. At the Green Science workshop, visitors could do hands-on experiments and learn all about different forms of alternative energy including… Hydroelectricity! «Come harness the power of moving water to turn on light bulbs with our Water Wheel activity. See how certain types of light bulbs use up more energy than others and learn more about the energy that powers most of Manitoba».
Hydrogen gas! It’s been called the energy of the future – and it’s so easy to make, you can even do it at home! Feel the energy from just a small amount of hydrogen gas created right in front of your eyes, and make a “hydrogen generator” that you can take home with you!
Solar Power! Who says gathering energy can’t be fun? Grab a magnifying glass and focus some light energy on to solar panels on top of toy cars, planes, boats and…. grasshoppers!? Read about some myths and misconceptions regarding solar energy and find out about Earth’s energy budget
The environmental organisation Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society/Mossom Creek Hatchery proposed the Salmon Sunday (October 21st). Deep in the forest on the north shore of Port Moody, the Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre is open to the public between 11 am and 1:30 pm. Visitors can check out the nature education centre displays, explore short trails along the creek and through the forest and can chat with dedicated volunteers who are committed to sharing nature with the community. A variety of very popular school field trip programs are available and Salmon Sunday is a great time for teachers to find out more about what is on offer.
AUSTRALIA
The environmental associazion AAEE Queensland Chapter invited members across Queensland to celebrate World Environmental Education Day by joining with their communities to take a Nature Walk and enjoy casual conversations in their local environment. This is aimed as a low-key way to reconnect with EE colleagues and the community in a relaxed, family-friendly social activity.
ASIA
In Iran the Farzanegan highschool went to park and by playing theatres about global warming and it’s effects, try about public advocacy trough out art. «Also we have drawing and painting on the as long as 50 m paints in the park about climate change and global warming, the 14th October».
In Vietnam on 21 October 2018, Gaia Nature Conservation organised a fieldtrip for approximately 400 students aged from 12-14 years old to experience the nature and to learn about wildlife.
Other report are coming and publishing soon.
From 10 to 25 October schools, parks, environmental education centers, public institutions, associations, museums are invited to join the World Environmental Education Day. How? Organising special events to highlight the importance of environmental educational actions all over the world.[contact-form-7 id=”2209″ title=”Environmental Education Day 2022″]
Do you want to subscribe to the Charter of Principles of the World Environmental Education Congress? Go to this page
The WEEC Network is in the final shortlist of 12 entries for the 2018 Incredible Impacts Programme organised by BestCities Global Alliance and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
The Incredible Impacts Programme celebrates the ‘beyond tourism’ value of international association meetings to create a powerful platform to advocate their positive societal impact. A panel of independent judges from the association world will determine three meetings that have shown the greatest impact, and award grants of USD 7,500 on behalf of BestCities and ICCA.
Shortlisted associations represent a broad range of sectors including leadership; scientific innovation; humanitarianism; environmental issues; music; disease; disability, and child neglect.
Paul Vallee, Managing Director of BestCities said: “The Incredible Impacts Programme is a showcase of global excellence of lasting legacies within the meetings and events industry. We have been overwhelmed by the work submitted, which demonstrates the breadth of impact being delivered by associations. A core goal of BestCities is to nurture and develop the purpose of events beyond traditional planning, focusing on vital areas including legacy development, sustainability and accessibility. It is hugely encouraging to see these values being replicated by associations the world over, who are making lasting contributions to the destinations they visit.”
Dennis Speet, ICCA Interim CEO, added: “This is the second edition of the Incredible Impacts Programme and the quality of legacy projects we have received is truly astounding. The variety of industries represented in the submissions demonstrates the wide-ranging and deeply positive impact that the work of international associations has when it comes to finding solutions to societal challenges. We hope that this year’s superb entries inspire other associations and meeting planners to consider how they can create a legacy with their meetings and leave a long-lasting impact on their host destinations.”
The final judging will now take place with the winners to be announced after 10 September 2018.
With the WEEC Network the final shortlist includes: Soroptimist International. The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. European Association for Palliative Care. International Council on Social Welfare. Down Syndrome International. African Women in Leadership Organisation. International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation. International Actuarial Association. The International Society for Music Education. Society for Ecological Restoration. Union for International Cancer Control.
Are you ready for the World EE Day? From 14 to 26 October schools, parks, environmental education centers, public institutions, associations, museums are invited to join the World Environmental Education Day organising special events to highlight the importance of environemtal educational actions all over the world.
The World EE Day wants to focus on the complexity of the challenges in a world where everything is ever more interconnected.
If you need a more environmental friendly world, more livable and more equitable join the EE Day. If you are planning an event between14 to 26 October (or around those days) ask us the official logo of the World EE Day (using this mail: secretariat@weecnetwork.staging.19.coop). We will share your events on our channels to create a real and useful network.
Please remember to read the appeal and support the campaign on change.org
Corso Moncalieri, 18
10131 Torino – Italy
tel.+39 0114366522
secretariat@weecnetwork.org
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