FEE Joins COP26 in Glasgow, UK!

Event: Climate Action – Harnessing the Power of Networks!

The theme of COP 26, ‘Together for Our Planet’ provides an important platform to showcase the impacts being created by the network of FEE and explain how each programme is driving the agenda of Climate Action. FEE has prioritised Climate Change, along with Biodiversity Loss and Pollution, as key areas of urgent action for its 10-year strategy – GAIA 20:30.

Through panel presentations, the event will showcase stories of positive actions from around the world. It will bring together voices of different stakeholders such as youth leaders from Eco-Schools, managers of Green Key awarded establishments, municipalities with Blue Flag accredited sites, and Young Reporters for the Environment. It will connect the global impact FEE is creating through stories of change supported by local examples from stakeholders from the UK.

Keynote – Ms Lesley Jones, President FEE
Session Moderator – Mr Daniel Schaffer, CEO FEE

COP26 is hosting a YRE Exhibition!

COP26 will host a YRE exhibition with the work of young people between the age of 11-25 awarded at the YRE international competition held each year. The YRE programme is implemented in 44 countries around the world, and gives young people a platform to take an educated stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about and to articulate these issues through the media of writing, photography or video. By engaging YRE students with real-life issues and solutions, they go through an important learning process and develop leadership and journalistic skills to influence others in their network. This exhibition shows how YRE students use their voices to help create positive change for the environment.   

Here you can see an overview of the 10 photographers and their pictures that are part of the exhibition: 

FEE Joins Celebrations of This Year’s World Tourism Day on ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’

On this World Tourism Day, which is dedicated to tourism’s potential to foster and promote inclusive growth, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is celebrating the achievements of its two tourism-related programmes, Blue Flag and Green Key, and their contribution to increasing inclusivity in the tourism sector.

Daniel Schaffer, CEO of FEE

Official message from the Foundation for Environmental Education’s CEO, Daniel Schaffer

As the world’s largest environmental education organisation, with members of all shapes and sizes in every corner of the world, inclusiveness is not only a core value for FEE but also a precondition for the sustainable development of our programmes. By involving multi-stakeholder approaches in our processes and including the voices of different interest groups, our programmes can ensure the long-term success of sustainable tourism development within local communities.

However, we believe that this does not only apply to our programmes, but to the tourism sector in general. Only if we strive for inclusive decision-making processes and empower all members of society can the positive economic and social benefits of tourism really be available to the whole community.

An example of inclusiveness through FEE’s Blue Flag programme is its work with accessibility organisations to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy both the economic and recreational benefits of tourism. For example, the Paradisus brand, manager of two Blue Flag awarded beaches in the Dominican Republic, implemented an inclusion programme that gives work opportunities to people with hearing, visual or motor disabilities, while the programme in South Africa initiated the “Beach Stewards” project for the development and skills-training of unemployed youth for future employment in the eco-tourism sector. Furthermore, the Blue Flag programme promotes accessibility on beaches to make sure that everyone can enjoy them safely.

Photo credit: WESSA

In light of the latest global events, we have once again realised how important the tourism industry is and how many livelihoods directly and indirectly depend on it. Sadly, we have also once again come to witness that the impact of these kinds of events is worst for the most vulnerable members of society. A thriving, strong community must practice an inclusive approach that takes all its members into account and allows them to have a stake in decision-making.  

Similar to how the pandemic affected the most vulnerable groups, so do the critical issues of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, which are at the heart of FEE’s GAIA 20:30 strategy to drive positive change over the next decade. At FEE it is our mission to empower people of all ages, genders, abilities, and classes to be part of the solution and build a future that benefits everyone.

A recent example of how FEE empowers people through education is our project on Education for Sustainable Development in the tourism sector. Within the scope of this project, hospitality professionals in Cambodia received training on sustainable practices to build their capacity to create a positive impact on the local community through their businesses. It was carried out through the Green Key programme in collaboration with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Changing mindsets about inclusivity and tackling the challenges presented in FEE's GAIA 20:30 strategy, through either top-down processes or through grassroot initiatives, requires educational tools and resources for many different audiences.  FEE recognises that education is an essential element for driving positive change and will continue to embed education in all its programmes and initiatives.

FEE Launches GAIA 20:30 Strategy to Address the Climate Crisis and Drive Positive Action on Critical Environmental Issues

At the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) General Assembly on 17 June 2021, representatives from the global network of FEE member organisations officially ratified the GAIA 20:30 strategy. GAIA 20:30 is FEE’s pledge to address the three most urgent environmental threats to our planet over the coming decade – climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. The ratification of GAIA 20:30 also coincides with FEE’s 40th Anniversary and illustrates the organisation’s commitment to adapt to the environmental challenges that will face future generations.

This photo from a Young Reporters for the Environment student in Montenegro was chosen as Photo of the Year in the 2021 YRE International Competition. It highlights the need for climate action as outlined in the GAIA 20:30 strategy.

“There is a pressing need to prioritise the Foundation for Environmental Education’s finite resources to focus on the three key environmental issues facing our planet today: Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Environmental Pollution - which are intrinsically linked with one another and to the future of our planet. With 40 years of impactful experience in the fields of Education for Sustainable Development and sustainable management, and the established wide-reaching global network of member organisations managing and disseminating our programmes around the world, it is clear to us that the Foundation for Environmental Education has an important role to play in addressing these most critical environmental challenges of our time.”

— Lesley Jones, President of FEE

A photo from the 2017 YRE International Competition by a student in Slovakia illustrates how FEE and GAIA 20:30 empower young people to take action on pollution issues in their communities.  

The development of what would become GAIA 20:30 began in September 2019, when the FEE Board of Directors made the decision, following the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, to develop a new strategic plan for the coming decade focused on these three key environmental themes.

Following a thorough process that engaged top-level experts and representatives from FEE’s members and partners around the world, the strategy was refined down to three specific goals and 12 sub-goals crafted to maximise FEE’s positive impact on climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The three primary strategic goals that will define FEE’s work over the next ten years and beyond are: Empower Climate Action, Protect Global Biodiversity and Reduce Environmental Pollution.

GAIA 20:30 is defined by three overarching goals and 12 sub-goals

Once the strategic goals were determined, the FEE Head Office and Board of Directors poured extensive work into creating a detailed strategic plan, action plans and targets for driving real and lasting progress towards the goals in the years to come. The result is GAIA 20:30 – FEE’s commitment to take action to ensure a healthy, equitable and sustainable world for this and future generations.

FEE has a unique position as a global leader in environmental education and sustainable tourism to effect positive change through multiple stakeholders and methodologies. The three school-based programmes, Eco-Schools, Learning about Forests (LEAF) and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), engage over 20 million young people in environmental education and positive action each year, and the highly respected and recognised Blue Flag and Green Key tourism eco-award programmes reach millions more around the world.

GAIA 20:30 includes actions to connect young people with nature and teach them about the importance of biodiversity, with the aim of shaping a new generation of environmental leaders.

By harnessing the power of its global network, FEE will implement GAIA 20:30 through actions that have lasting environmental, societal and economic benefits. The actions driven by GAIA 20:30 will see FEE empower its audiences through education, enable advocacy for positive change at all levels, execute projects that promote the strategic goals, pursue and strengthen collaborative institutional and corporate partnerships, support members affected by environmental challenges and demonstrate operational accountability through a rigorous internal sustainability policy.

GAIA 20:30 has already begun to inform the focus and direction of FEE’s work around the world, such as through the LEAF Biodiversity Campaign, and will continue to be implemented, monitored and evaluated over the next decade. To learn more about GAIA 20:30 and view the full strategic plan, visit www.fee.global/gaia2030.

About the Foundation for Environmental Education

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world’s largest environmental education organisation - active in over 100 countries around the world. Through our five ground-breaking programmes and one carbon compensation initiative, we empower people through global environmental education to take meaningful and purposeful action to help create a more sustainable planet. FEE is an umbrella organisation overseeing a global network of one or more NGO member organisations in each member country. Our educational programmes, Eco-Schools, Learning about Forests and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), use a solution-based approach to empower young people to create a more environmentally conscious world. Our Green Key and Blue Flag initiatives are known across the world for their promotion of sustainable business practices and the protection of our valuable natural resources.

PRESS RELEASE - Winners of the International YRE Competition 2021

The finalists of the 2021 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) International Competition have now been assessed by the International Jury, and the awarded entries have been selected. Over 454,000 students participated in the YRE programme this year, and they produced over 19,000 pieces of environmental journalism for national YRE competitions. The number and quality of entries reflects the continued motivation and dedication of YRE students around the world despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entries awarded this year showcase YRE students’ great journalistic talent and a deep understanding of the complex environmental issues affecting their local communities. The International Jury has based their assessment on the students’ topic selection, their reflections on how the topic connects to the Sustainable Development Goals and their overall journalistic skills. The awarded entries represent some of the top youth environmental journalism in the world today.  

This year’s YRE entries continue to demonstrate the challenges and hopeful solutions youth from around the world are addressing in their communities. The pandemic’s impact was apparent, and the urgency needed to address the climate crisis was resonant, as captured in the photo of the year. It is never an easy task to select winners from the thoughtful entries received. All of the YRE students deserve to be recognized for their passion and dedication and encouraged to continue to raise awareness and take action.   

- Anne-Vela-Wagner,
Executive Director of Mars Wrigley Foundation
and YRE Jury Member.

The YRE International Competition would not be possible without the hard work of our YRE National Operators, whose inspiring efforts have enabled thousands of teachers and students to participate in this year’s competition. It is humbling to see this level of engagement, which empowers more students every year to take an active role in the future of their communities.

The end of the world, Djordje Pejović, Secondary vocational school "Spasoje Raspopović", Podgorica (MONTENEGRO) - 1st place, single photo reportage

This year’s International YRE Jury

This year’s International Jury meeting took place virtually from the 31st of August to the 2nd of September. The jury has assessed each shortlisted entry thoroughly, and awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, as well as Honourable mentions, based on their technical quality, level of investigation, originality, and dissemination. The International Jury represents expertise across a wide spectrum of fields, and consists of professionals in environmental journalism, corporate social responsibility and Education for Sustainable Development.

"Learning about the impacts of climate change is the first step to take action. The Young Reporters for the Environment competition is an inspiring way of raising awareness about our most pressing environmental challenges and engaging young reporters in the search for solutions. Through investigative reporting, creative campaigns and multimedia storytelling, the winners of this year's YRE competition prove that nothing is stopping young people from demanding a clean and sustainable future for all."

– Ignacio de los Reyes,
digital communications strategist,
 lead of Voices of Youth, UNICEF's platform for young content creators.
and YRE Jury member

List of Jury Members 2021:

• Bernard Combes - UNESCO

• Anne Vela-Wagner – Mars Wrigley Foundation

• Christopher Slaney - Freelance Journalist

• Siiri Mäkelä - UNEP, Kenya

• P.J. Marcellino - Portuguese-Canadian filmmaker, and a former YRE. Head of Development, Anatomy of Restlessness Films. Founder, Baobab Film Collective

• Sasha Karajovic, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Executive
  Board member with responsibility for YRE, Montenegro

• Nick Nuttall - the International Strategic Communications Director of EARTHDAY.ORG and a Director at the climate social platform We Don’t Have Time

• Adriána Henĉeková - journalist student

• Mark Terry - Executive director of the Youth Climate Report, a partner program of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• Ignacio de los Reyes - digital communications expert managing Voices of Youth, UNICEF's digital platform

Find detailed information about each Jury Member here.
 

About the International YRE Competition

All entries competing in the YRE International Competition have been awarded 1st place in their respective countries’ National YRE competitions earlier this year. The entries are divided into three age groups (11-14, 15-18 and 19-25) as well as three media categories (articles, photos and videos). There is also a special category for International Collaboration. YRE students in countries participating in the Litter Less Campaign have the opportunity to submit entries concerned with litter and waste issues, which have been assessed separately. All entries have been uploaded on the YRE Competition’s Exposure page. You can also find all shortlisted videos in the UN's Youth Climate Report map. The winners of the competition will receive diplomas and will be published on different international medias, forums, environmental conferences and sessions.

The International YRE Competition winners for 2021 are:

Article, 11-14 years

1st Place
Title: Shimmering Dust
Country: Latvia

2nd Place
Title: The dark and murky messaging of the major watch brands
Country: Switzerland

3rd Place
Title: What the pandemic packed for us
Country: Slovakia

Honourable Mention
Title: Love protects Sinjajevina
Country: Montenegro

Article, 15-18 years

1st Place
Title: Avian inhabitants of the housing estates
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (shared)
Title: Construction waste and dangerous waste – here on our backyard
Country: Israel

Title: Turning off the lights at night
Country: Switzerland

Article, 19-25 years

1st Place
Title: The north textile industry, the ideal network for inventing sustainable and responsible fashion
Country: France

2nd Place
Title: Villages at the foot of Luštek landfill inspire the whole Slovakia
Country: Slovakia

Honourable mentions
Title: “Moulay ali natural bathes” ... a natural healing water source that is not rationally used to support the community development of “awlad Stoute”
Country: Morocco

Title: Montijo: An Option For The Future Or An Announced Crime?
Country: Portugal

Single Photo Reportage, 11-25 years

1st Place
Title: The end of the world
Country: Montenegro

Honourable Mentions
Title: Hope
Country: Malta

Single Photo Campaign, 11-25 years

1st Place
Title: Our World is Slipping Down the Drain
Country: Canada

2nd Place
Title: Disposable Masks’ Double flight
Country: Portugal

Honourable Mention
Title: Sweet destruction
Country: Iceland

Photo Reportage of 3-5 Photos, 11-25 years

1st Place
Title: The waste collecting woman who is no waste.
Country: Ghana

2nd Place
Title: The Scythe for Life
Country: Slovakia

Video, 11-14 years

1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Old Companions
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: How to consume more responsibly?
Country: France

3rd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: A valley behind Bars
Country: Israel

Honourable Mention (as Reportage Video)
Title: Create & Respect
Country: Portugal

Video, 15-18 years

1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Warehouse vs. Wetland
Country: Canada

2nd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Toys Upcycling: A New Life for Toys
Country: Republic of Korea

3rd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Returnable bottle campaign
Country: Turkey

Video, 19-25 years

1st Place shared
(as Reportage Video)
Title: Green in blue jeans
Country: France

(as Campaign Video)
Title: Fast fashion dining
Country: Scotland

Honourable Mention (as Campaign Video)
Title: Where does your snack come from
Country: Slovenia

International Collaboration

1st Place (article 15-18 years)
Title: Unnoticed Danger: The Fashion Industry
Countries: Portugal and Turkey

2nd Place (article 15-18 years)
Title: How Can Traditional Watering Systems Help The Environment?
Countries: Portugal and Montenegro

3rd place (article 11-14 years)
Title: Honey bees are important members of a sustainable life
Countries: Turkey and Slovenia

Honourable mention (video 15-18 years)
Title: Different countries, same problem – Finding a solution for the pollution!
Countries: Portugal and Turkey

Litter Less Campaign Category:

Article, 11-14 years

1st Place
Title: Cat food packaging: exposed
Country: New Zealand

Article, 15-18 years

1st Place
Title: Is sustainability a joke?
Country: Malta

Article, 19-25 years

-

Single Photo Reportage, 11-25 years

1st Place
Title: Trapped
Country: New Zealand

Single Campaign Photo, 11-25 years

1st place
Title: The bottle fish
Country: Malta

Photo story (3-5 photos), 11-25 years

-

Video, 11-14 years

1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: YRE Rural Litter Report
Country: Ireland

Video, 15-18 years

1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Open-hearted to the oceans
Country: France

Video, 19-25 years

-

Congratulations to all winners!!!

About Foundation for Environmental Education

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world's largest environmental education organisation, with members in 77 countries around the world. Through its five ground-breaking programmes, FEE empowers people to take meaningful and purposeful action to help create a more sustainable world. FEE is recognised as a world leader in the fields of Education for Sustainable Development, environmental education and sustainable tourism.

Partners and sponsors of the YRE programme

Eco-Schools Across Four Countries Will Engage with Green STEM and the SDGs through Alcoa W5 Project

Contact: Kristina Madsen, International Coordinator of Education -  kristina@fee.global

Copenhagen, Denmark (2 June 2021) – The Alcoa W5 project supported by the Alcoa Foundation and delivered through the Eco-Schools programme has officially started its fourth year of implementation. Over the next 14 months, thousands of students in 33 schools across four countries will participate in hands-on actions around the themes of waste, water, energy (watts), climate change (warming) and biodiversity (wildlife). 

The Alcoa W5 project will increase teachers’ knowledge of Green STEM – looking at the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines through an environmental lens – and its implementation in their indoor and outdoor classrooms. Green STEM provides students with opportunities to work with real-world sustainability issues where their learning outcomes help solve concrete problems in their school and local community through collaboration and critical thinking.

This year, schools in the project will also be working closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - 17 interlinked and ambitious global goals that are intended to ensure a sustainable world by 2030. Teachers and students will be connecting their learning and activities with the SDGs to help accelerate the achievement of the goals.

On a national level, National Wildlife Federation in the USA, FEE Norway in Norway, Keep Australia Beautiful in Australia and EcoSchools Canada in Canada will provide teacher training, develop resources, and support Alcoa volunteer opportunities. Canada is a new country in the project.

Lindsay Bunce, Executive Director of EcoSchools Canada, says, "EcoSchools Canada is thrilled to be a partner on the Alcoa W5 Project. In Canada, we will be working with nine schools in the province of Quebec to deepen environmental literacy and community action. By exploring issues that are pertinent to each community, focused on warming, water, watts, wildlife, and waste, schools will be inspired to launch meaningful projects and awareness-building campaigns. These include planting pollinator gardens, reducing single-use plastic waste, and planting trees. Over the next 14 months, EcoSchools is excited to support each unique school to take meaningful action for their community and the planet."

Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education, says “Schools around the world have had a very challenging past year due to COVID-19. They have had to adapt and re-think their way of teaching and learning. The importance of Green STEM has been highlighted again during the pandemic. This creates opportunity for a project like this and the continued support from the Alcoa Foundation is vital in such challenging times. To support the programme, we will also focus on training of teachers through FEE Academy, an online teaching and learning platform.”

Rosa Garcia Pineiro, President of the Alcoa Foundation, says “Alcoa Foundation is proud to continue to support green STEM education and environmental literacy efforts in collaboration with our Alcoa W5 partners. We appreciate the opportunity to explore issues unique to each community and equip the next generation of leaders with better knowledge and tools to support our communities to be more resilient. We are also pleased the program will be aligned with the global Sustainable Development Goals in this year’s implementation, providing an opportunity to show communities´ support to a better planet. We thank our partners for their continued dedication and creativity as they implement this program in the midst of the global pandemic.”

Learn more about the Alcoa W5 project at https://www.ecoschools.global/alcoaw5

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About the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and Eco-Schools

With members in 79 countries, FEE is the world’s largest environmental education organisation. Through five ground breaking programmes FEE helps communities realise the benefits of sustainable living. FEE is recognised by UNESCO as a world leader within the fields of Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development.

Eco-Schools is the largest sustainable schools programme, providing a framework for Quality Education through experiential learning, sustainability leadership and the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. It reaches 19 million students and 1.3 teachers in over 56.000 schools in 70 countries globally. The programme aims to provide every child with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future by integrating priority sustainable development issues and learning.

Website: http://www.ecoschools.global

About the Alcoa Foundation

The Alcoa Foundation invests where Alcoa Corporation has a presence, providing grants that contribute to environmental excellence around the world, particularly in the areas of biodiversity conservation and climate change research. Learn more at alcoafoundation.com and follow @AlcoaFoundation on Twitter.

Website: http://www.alcoafoundation.com

Twitter: @AlcoaFoundation

Global Action Days 2021 #MyActionsMatter

Let's celebrate Earth Day by starting a 21-day journey of compassionate actions!

Over the last four decades, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has focused on the development of five cutting edge programmes that are recognised globally as key enablers in the field of Education for Sustainable Development. FEE continues to strive to create positive impact worldwide. Aligning with the Agenda 2030, FEE has identified three overarching goals that address three burning environmental problems that face us today – climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. These are also the themes of the 2021 Global Action Days campaign.

Join the #MyActionsMatter Campaign

The Global Action Days 2021 Campaign, in partnership with Now.Here., will engage youth through the Treasure Earth app in small positive actions (Handprints) that each one of us can take to become more compassionate towards Earth. The campaign will mobilise the power of our network and demonstrate how small individual action can have a great impact on our own and our Earth’s wellbeing.

The campaign is designed as a 21-days journey of ‘Compassionate Actions’. These actions will inspire participants to live and act differently by crystallising intentions into concrete actions and new patterns of positive behaviour.

Week 1 – Protect Global Biodiversity
Week 2 – Reduce Environmental Pollution
Week 3 – Empower Climate Action

Learn more about the campaign on the Eco-Schools website.

Announcing Earth Action Hub: A 3-Day Virtual Climate Event!

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO INSPIRE CHANGE

IT’S OFFICIAL!

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is excited to be announcing the launch of Earth Action Hub, a dynamic 3-day virtual event dedicated to engaging everyone from youth to elders in learning about and promoting sustainable solutions to climate change!

Hosted by FEE, Earth Action Hub is the creation of the international, youth-led Organizing Committee made up of seven dedicated members: Barry McLaughlin (Ireland), Jessica Laxton (England), Joanna Tao (New Zealand), Kristina Madsen (Denmark), Paola Bay (Italy), Reeza Hanselmann (USA/Germany) and Samia Gomes (Brazil), all with the shared vision of building an online collaborative community that will serve as inspiration and support for continued environmental action across the globe.

“Our mission is to offer international youth-led virtual events and showcase resources that will give people the knowledge, skills, support, and hope needed to make changes in their daily lives that collectively will have a profound positive impact on the environment.”

SAVE THE DATES: 21-23 May 2021

The first annual Earth Action Hub event will be kicking off on Friday, May 21st at 14:00 UTC, starting with an Opening Ceremony filled with individuals from around the world and diving straight into a variety of talks, conversations and workshops. We’ve got over 24 hours of fun, dynamic and educational activities and sessions planned so Earth Action Hub is sure to be a success! And everyone’s invited!

Since our goal is to highlight a diverse range of voices, stories and experiences around solutions to climate change, we’re fortunate to have a number of incredible partners and speakers supporting Earth Action Hub all around the world. You can learn more about our partners on the Earth Action Hub website - we’re adding new ones every day!

Help us support the creation and maintenance of the online Earth Action Hub website with a donation!

Follow us @EarthActionHub on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and share our posts using #earthactionhub!

Check out our website and sign up to our newsletter to join the Earth Action Hub community and stay updated on news both leading up to and after our inaugural event!

Interested in partnering with us or running a session at the event? Send an email to reeza@fee.global.                  

Global Forest Fund project in Kenya will plant 10.000 trees, engage 1.500 students in environmental education and green enterprise

The Foundation for Environmental Education is pleased to announce that the Global Forest Fund will finance a three-year project in Nairobi and Kiambu counties in Kenya, to be implemented by Foundation for Environmental Education member organisation Kenya Organisation for Environmental Education (KOEE). The “Tree Planting as a Pathway to Green Growth and Sustainability” project will run from November 2020 – November 2023 and involve over 1.500 students and 50 teachers from Nairobi Academy and Githiga Boys High School.

Students from Migwani Secondary School in Kitui County, Kenya participate in a previous KOEE tree-planting project

The project in Kenya was awarded funding by the Global Forest Fund Expert Panel, which is composed of several leading figures in the fields of environmental education and Education for Sustainable Development.

Sirpa Kärkkäinen, Liaisons Manager at the Finnish Forest Association and member of the 2020 Expert Panel, says, “All the proposals showed a tremendous amount of thought and innovation… In the end, following much debate by the Expert Panel an unanimous decision was reached. The proposal from Kenya demonstrated the most impact across all the measurable fields of the application. The Expert Panel felt that  Kenya’s attention to community and biodiversity aspects was very impressive and the scale of the planting ambitions was within reason. Furthermore, the project’s plans to work closely with experts in the field of forestry and bring in-kind sponsorship to the project were also compelling reasons to allocate the funding to Kenya´s proposal.”

Biodiversity, Education and Green Enterprise

According to Alvin Sika, Programmes Officer at KOEE, the project “aims to increase awareness among students on the importance of trees, promote tree planting in schools and communities and enhance eco-friendly enterprise skills among young people for sustainable forest resource management.”

Tree planting is a central component of all Global Forest Fund projects, and the project in Kenya will see students and communities plant 10.000 trees from a variety of ecologically and socially important species. The species were chosen for their suitability to the ecological zone and fast maturation rates that maximise atmospheric carbon intake. They also serve as windbreaks, have numerous agroforestry benefits and play an important role in soil conservation. Students will also plant mango trees that provide valuable nutritious fruit to their schools and communities and provide an extra source of income through sale at local markets.

A tree nursery established by KOEE at Watema Primary School in Makueni County, Kenya

The project in Kenya will also involve environmental education and capacity building for students, teachers, parents and others in the communities. Participants will learn about the important role of trees in mitigating the impacts of climate change, from carbon sequestration to promoting sustainable livelihoods. Classroom training will be supplemented by outdoor field trips to learn more about local forest ecosystems, and the schools will arrange student art competitions around the products, services and benefits provided by trees.

The participating schools and communities will also be trained in nursery management and long-term tree care, ensuring that the 10.000 new trees will continue to thrive in the future. The project will bring in forestry experts from the Kenya Forest Service to provide training on the more technical aspects of agroforestry and integrated forest resource management. By the end of the project, participants will be equipped with the motivation and practical skills to protect the health and sustainability of their schools, communities and planet for years to come.

As Mr. Sika concludes, “The enhanced partnership between schools and communities will give a much-needed boost to collaborative efforts on sustainable forestry and green enterprises. The biggest benefit for all the stakeholders will be reduced amounts of carbon in the atmosphere.”

A KOEE teacher-training workshop in Nairobi, Kenya

About the Global Forest Fund

The Global Forest Fund is a unique carbon compensation initiative developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education that allows businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint by providing valuable resources and environmental education to communities around the world. Our web platform allows travellers to calculate their carbon emissions across a range of transport options, and compensate for those emissions by investing in projects that have a real and lasting positive impact on the environment. Global Forest Fund projects are designed to capture carbon, restore nature, protect biodiversity, promote sustainable communities and educate the next generation of environmental leaders.