ECE/BELGRADE.CONF/2007/INF/9 SIXTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE “ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE” BELGRADE, SERBIA 10-12 October 2007 GOOD PRACTICES IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNECE REGION submitted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization through the Ad Hoc Working Group of Senior Officials BACKGROUND DOCUMENT UNITED NATIONS United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) Good Practices in the UNECE region Education for Sustainable Development in Action Good Practices N°2 - 2007 UNESCO Education Sector Good Practices in Education for Sustainable Development in the UNECE region U N E S C O / U N E C E Education for Sustainable Development in Action Good Practices N°2 August 2007 The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. Section for DESD Coordination (ED/UNP/DESD) UNESCO, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France email: [email protected] web: www.unesco.org/education/desd Education for Sustainable Development in Action Good Practices N° 2 - 2007 Cover design: Helmut Langer Printed in UNESCO’s workshop Foreword In recent years, education has gained higher prominence as a vital cross-cutting factor in the promotion of sustainable development. Whether or not “sustainable development” is accepted as a scientific concept, decision-makers and ordinary citizens would benefit greatly from learning more about it and from understanding its various facets and inter-connections. The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), whose international coordination has been entrusted to UNESCO by the United Nations General Assembly, illustrates the importance accorded to education in efforts to achieve sustainable development. Under the leadership of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), a Regional Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been prepared to facilitate the introduction and promotion of ESD. The Regional Strategy was developed through a participatory process involving Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the academic community and other stakeholders. It was adopted at the UNECE High-level Meeting held in Vilnius, on 18 March 2005 to launch the Decade in the UNECE region. ESD is a complex and evolving subject, and how it is applied and implemented is a challenge for developed and developing countries alike. The Decade aims to see ESD implemented in thousands of local situations on the ground, involving its integration into a multitude of different learning situations. These initiatives can be catalysts for action and contribute to the goals and objectives of the Decade. In such ways, organizations, local communities and individuals can be actors within the global movement for sustainable development. “Learning from each other” is the main theme of this collection of Good Practices in Education for Sustainable Development in the UNECE region. These good practices and shared experiences, which were provided by a range of different stakeholders, are concrete examples of successful implementation of ESD in different fields and sectors, from the political to the school level, and including formal, non-formal and informal learning situations. Environment and Education Ministers from across the UNECE region have accepted the invitation of the Government of Serbia to meet in Belgrade in October 2007, where they will set the agenda for their policies and cooperation for the coming years. On the first day of the Sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe”, a special Joint Session of Environment and Education Ministers will take place. This will be the first time in the history of this process that Ministers from two sectors will come together for a joint decision, thereby giving an encouraging signal for other sectors to cooperate and make sustainable development a reality. We believe that this joint UNECE-UNESCO collection of good practices will assist countries in their efforts to implement education for sustainable development and set an example for other regions. Kaj Bärlund Mark Richmond Director, Director, Environment, Housing and Division for the Coordination Land Management Division, of United Nations Priorities in Education UNECE Education Sector UNESCO Table of Contents COUNTRIES ALBANIA 7 ARMENIA 10 AUSTRIA 16 AZERBAIJAN 20 BELARUS 21 BELGIUM 27 CANADA 29 CROATIA 32 CYPRUS 34 CZECH REPUBLIC 37 DENMARK 44 ESTONIA 45 FINLAND 50 FRANCE 53 GEORGIA 55 GERMANY 57 GREECE 60 HUNGARY 63 ITALY 70 KAZAKHSTAN 78 KYRGYZSTAN 82 LATVIA 88 LITHUANIA 92 MALTA 95 MOLDOVA 97 NETHERLANDS 99 NORWAY 104 POLAND 106 RUSSIAN FEDERATION 118 SERBIA 127 SLOVAKIA 135 SPAIN 139 SWEDEN 141 SWITZERLAND 143 THE FYR OF MACEDONIA 145 UNITED KINGDOM 148 UZBEKISTAN 152 7 INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS UN 159 IGOs and NGOs 164 REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRES 174 BUSINESS TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPE 184 ALBANIA ALBANIA “The Green Pack” – Raising Environmental Consiousness through Environmental Education and Information Programme CONTACT Regional Environmental Center, Albania Rruga Ismail Qemali, nr 27, P.O.Box 127, Tirana, Albania Telephone: +355 4 232 928 Fax: +355 4 232 928 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://albania.rec.org/ Mihallaq Qirjo, REC Country Office Director FOCUS Education/Learning Rural Development Cultural Diversity Health Promotion Sustainable Consumption Research / Development Sustainable Urbanization Sustainable Tourism Regional / international Economy Citizenship cooperation Environment Peace, Human Rights & Air, outdoor and indoor Water Security problems, over consumption, Climate Change Policy, Regulation, ozone, acid rain, citizen’s Biodiversity Governance rights, energy, noise, waste, Disaster Reduction transport, nature resource use etc DESCRIPTION Type The Green Pack is a multi-media environmental education curricula kit, primarily intended for European primary school teachers and their pupils, although it can also be used at other levels of education. It focuses on particular aspects of environmental protection and sustainable development and includes a variety of educational materials such as a teacher’s handbook with lesson plans and fact sheets for students, a video- cassette with animated clips and educational films, an interactive CD-ROM with extensive information on various environmental topics and a dilemma game. Thus, the users of the pack will be able to follow lesson plans, complemented with video presentations and additional information from the CD-ROM and its links to similar Web sites. Working Albanian / English language(s) Target group(s) The target group of this programme were like primary group: Teachers and pupils (ages 11-16), and Educators on environmental protection and Environmental NGOs Community Starting year & 3,5 years (from 1 Nov. 2003 through 30 Dec. 2006) duration Budget & funding Royal Netherlands Embassy sources Partner REC Albania, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education and Science organisations Stakeholders The development of the Green Pack was made possible by the cooperation and good will of many individuals and organizations who contributed to its content. A number of teachers and educators from Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland worked on the preparation of the lesson scenarios. Environmentalists and experts from different parts of Europe contributed to the CD-ROM’s content. An impressive collection of video clips and educational and documentary films were included in the video cassette thanks to the generosity and support of Albanian NGOs, the Environmental Video Center Borrowed Nature Association of Bulgaria, the Television Trust for Environment (TVE-International), Eko Idea Association in Wroclaw, The Resource Center, an outreach component of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health (UMDNJ-SPH), and the WWF Television and Film Center. The illustration and imagery of the Green Pack were made possible thanks to the talents 7 ALBANIA of a number of artists, designers and photographers from Hungary, Albania and other European countries. The Green Pack was made possible due to the close cooperation with the Institute of Curricula and Standards in Albania, academic experts of University of Tirana, environmental experts from different institutions, Environmental NGOs that are active in the country, teachers, inspectors of Education Directory of different regions of Albania and the assistance of many representatives from local government. Green Pack illustration OBJECTIVES Prepare a multi-media educational resource pack for use at schools (Green Pack); Host launch events for the educational pack (three events announcing the initiative, and four launch events announcing the actual use of the pack); Organize training of teachers/educators, and the distribution of the resource pack to schools (with assistance from state/local governments); Indicators of success