Young Reporters on the Route: Climate Run At The Secondary School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection

By Luka Skok and Mark Filip Mlakar, Young Reporters for the Environment, Slovenia

The Secondary School for Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection from the Celje School Center joined the largest international event called "Running Out of Time - RooT 2022" as part of the Ecoschool program in the autumn with a common goal: to take action for the climate, against climate change, to preserve biotic diversity and natural resources.

Thousands of runners, cyclists and sailors were preparing for the record relay. During the 7.767 kilometer track, through 18 countries, including Slovenia, they will hand over the baton containing the climate message of young people to world leaders at the United Nations conference on climate change.

Invitation to the 1st climate run of the Secondary School for Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection.

The Climate Relay began its journey in Glasgow, Scotland at the end of September and will conclude on 6 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, when the Climate Conference begins.

In order to mark this event at the school, the 1st climate run took place on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. The organizers of the event were: students Mark Filip Mlakar and Luka Skok from class 4. b and mentors Alenka Lah Kalan, Janja Čuvan and Slavica Volčanjšek.

As part of the Climate Run Running Out of Time, several accompanying activities took place at the school:

Making a baton with a climate message

Each class made their own baton with a climate message. Civil engineers made a baton from waste construction material, and environmentalists from various waste materials. The sticks had to be 30 cm in length and 5-7 cm in diameter. After use, the rods could be reused, recycled or thermally exhausted.

The students, together with their classmates, were very original and creative in their work. As a result, as many as 15 batons were created, made from various waste materials, and there were just as many very interesting climate messages.

From among all the relay batons and climate messages, the expert committee (consisting of professors and students) then chose the best relay baton and the best climate message of our school. For this purpose, together with the company BAMF, the school produced very special awards for this occasion.

Each class made their own baton with a climate message.

Opening and awarding the best relay baton

The climate run started with the opening in front of the Celje School Center. After the opening words of student Mark Filip Mlakar from 4. b class about the importance of this international event related to climate change and the preservation of biotic diversity, the award for the best relay baton followed. It was awarded to class 3. e, as they put a lot of effort and creativity into making the stick. The prize - a trophy, was made in the school workshops under the mentorship of Andrej Hrastnik, which was then awarded by the school principal, Mr. Arnold Ledl.

Opening of the climate run in front of the Celje School Center, SŠGVO.

Students from the 3. e class with the principal receiving the award for making the best relay baton.

Climate run and award ceremony

We ran along the Savinja river embankment. The route was about 1,5 km long. Each class appointed 4 representatives who ran the relay race with their baton. The other students and professors followed the runners along the way with loud cheers. With persistence, all the runners, including some professors, successfully completed the course, thus demonstrating their enthusiasm for environmental preservation. The fastest relay was from the 3. b class, and thus they received the prize in the end. In addition to the prize for 1st place in the relay race, the students from 3. b class also received the prize for the most imaginative climate message: »REUSE OR RECYCLE WHAT YOU CAN AND SPARE THE ANIMALS!«.

Highlights from the climate run along the Savinja embankment:

Preparation of a video contribution about the course of the 1st climate run at the Secondary school of Civing Engineering and Environmental Protection at the Celje School Center

Preparing an exhibition in the school corridor

The next day, in the school hallway, we prepared an exhibition about the course of the climate run and the made relay batons.

Exhibition in the school hallway.

At the school, in cooperation with the company BAMF, we made very special awards for this occasion.

Preparation of posters about the course of the 1st climate run at SŠGVO, ŠC Celje.

Viewing the documentary films “Climate Change – The Facts| and “The Climate Planet”

As part of the accompanying activities of the event, on Thursday, October 27. 2022, part of the school day was spent a little differently. We watched two documentaries.

An English film directed by Serena Davies, Climate Change: The Facts was commissioned by the BBC and directed by Sir David Attenborough. The film is an in-depth review of scientific theories about climate change.

Jesper Theilgaard's Danish film The Climate Planet shows how our climate depends on a complex balance.

The screening of the films was organized by the Maribor Ecological and Cultural Society for a Better World in cooperation with the EPEKA ASSOCIATION, SO.P., the Slovenian coordinator of EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal.

By watching these films, we also participated in the EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal project (EU Youth Cinema: ENERGY AND CLIMATE), which is implemented in several European countries. It primarily appeals to young film audiences. With carefully selected films, it aims to contribute to the evaluation and understanding of the Green Deal of the European Union.

Publication in the media

Throughout the course of the celebration of "Running Out of Time" event, we published it on the school's website:

About Luka and Mark

Luka and Mark are both in year 4. b at the Secondary School for Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection from the Celje School Center in Slovenia. Their mentors for this project are Alenka Lah Kalan, Janja Čuvan in Slavica Volčanjšek. Both Luka and Mark attended the YEEC (Youth Environmental Education Congress) in Prague in March 2022.

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) is a programme developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education. In Slovenia, the YRE programme is coordinated by our member, Društvo Doves (FEE Slovenia).