Background
Mobility creates opportunities. Europe without borders enables increased mobility. Europe without borders also means sharing environmental problems and sharing solutions for environmental problems. Working with people of other countries that have a different background can create huge opportunities when it comes to find ways to protect the environment and the nature and create sustainable development.
In August 2010 GNF, the Polish environmental NGO Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne "Etna" and the municipality of the Spanish town Villacanas started the project get grEEN. The aim of the project is to enable the exchange of experiences of adults that work in the field of environmental education, to build partnerships, learn best practices and create synergies for the development of new initiatives. Funding is provided by the EU-Lifelong Learning Programme Grundtvig.
Project Implementation
Within two years, employees or associate partners of the participating institutions will attend six meetings that look at environmental education in various forms. Main goal of the environmental education network is to empower and create environmental education structures that in the same time enable an added value for the local population and the region. Each partner will host two meetings. Each meeting will have a special thematic focus and comprise case study visits, presentations from other participants and continuous work on a final common action plan.
The environmental education network will bring together various stakeholders involved in environmental education from the three countries. This variety helps to learn about differences and similarities of environmental problems. Also, the participants will learn best practices from the other regions and will exchange their knowledge, experience and ideas. The detailed environmental education topics covered by the partnership are:field education - infrastructure, interpretation trails, open air museums; publications and media; innovative approach to education - arts, IT technologies; mobilizing adults -volunteering for nature, educational programmes and events, involving parents via kids; working with groups sensitive for exclusion, providing access to nature reserves for handicapped people; specific target groups - farmers, planners, road managers, tourists, consumers.
Objectives
The partnership will bring forward the development and implementation of common environmental education activities and will spread the message to others interested in the topic via internet and direct contacts. All involved partners are deeply involved in the local networks in their countries linking NGOs, local authorities and businesses.
Specific objectives are
- to exchange experience across Europe in the field of environmental education for general public
- to prepare a common work programme for the partnership
- to implement chosen environmental education activities in at least bi-lateral cooperation between countries participating in the partnership
- to share the experience inside partner’s countries
Result of the partnership will be a common action plan and the implementation of at least two concrete projects that are developed during the meetings.