Eco-Schools Growing Strong in Russia
Former FEE President, Jan Eriksen, was invited by our member organisation, Keep St Petersburg Tidy, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the FEE Eco-Schools programme in Russia earlier this month.
Former FEE President, Jan Eriksen, was invited by our member organisation, Keep St Petersburg Tidy, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the FEE Eco-Schools programme in Russia earlier this month. During his stay, he conducted a presentation during an Eco-Schools event, which numerous schools and kindergartens attended and participated in the Green Flag awarding ceremony.
Furthermore, he attended a conference chaired by a representative from the St Petersburg Educational Department about Environmental Education, Eco-Schools, and an Austrian financed Environmental Education programme. Following this, Jan Eriksen travelled to Irkutsk where he met the team responsible for the Eco-Schools programme and visited the centre for educational facilities for outdoor activities.
He also headed north of Irkutsk in order to give a presentation about the Eco-Schools programme, as well as to visit a kindergarten, where he was impressed by the institution’s extraordinary recycling scheme which included endless facilities at the playground made out of every material, from plastic containers to tyres. All 27 staff of the kindergarten gathered that Sunday to celebrate the award of their Eco-Schools Green Flag.
The FEE former President also visited Ulan-Ude in the Burijat region where he joined students and teachers from the Cadet School as they celebrated their Eco-Schools Green Flag. Jan also found time to visit an orphanage in Tahoy where he presented them with the Eco-Schools Green Flag at the award ceremony.
Jan Eriksen commented that the Eco-Schools programme in Russia took some time to grow, but the work and the engagement is enormous today.
Board of Directors’ Meeting in Utrecht, Netherlands
The FEE Board of Directors meets four times every year and is in charge of the overall political management of FEE. This time the Board of Directors’ meeting took place on 13 October and was hosted by FEE’s Dutch members at the Green Key and Blue Flag Headquarters in Utrecht, Netherlands.
The FEE Board of Directors meets four times every year and is in charge of the overall political management of FEE. This time the Board of Directors’ meeting took place on 13 October and was hosted by FEE’s Dutch members at the Green Key and Blue Flag Headquarters in Utrecht, Netherlands.
On this occasion, the Board of Directors stayed at a Green Key awarded hotel, NH Center Utrecht, right in the centre of the city. The board used bicycles, a sustainable transport method, to travel to all meetings and events they attended, thereby experiencing the famous Dutch biking culture. Utrecht is one of the most bike-friendly places in one of the most bike-friendly countries in the world. Even the Dutch prime minister was seen arriving at the King’s castle on a bike.
During the meeting, the FEE Financial Standing Orders & Regulations, as well as the Risk Management strategy were approved by the Board of Directors.
On 14 October, the full day was dedicated to a FEE strategy workshop, aiming at initiating a strategic discussion across FEE’s organisations and stakeholders by capturing board members’ perspectives and insights on strategy, long-term goals, and areas requiring strengthening or development. The external facilitator, Noam Gressel Ph.D., came from Israel to guide the Board of Directors through this workshop.
The next FEE Board of Directors’ meeting will take place in January.
PRESS RELEASE: Climate Change and Rebuilding Sustainably
The International Blue Flag Jury meeting took place only a few hours before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico so violently on 19 September 2017, and a few days after Hurricanes Irma and Jose devastated the Caribbean Islands and the USA.
The International Blue Flag Jury meeting took place only a few hours before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico so violently on 19 September 2017, and a few days after Hurricanes Irma and Jose devastated the Caribbean Islands and the USA. From the countries proudly flying the Blue Flag, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, French Department and Territories, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten and US Virgin Islands have seen damages, and in some cases losses, after these terrible weather episodes.
“We would like to express our most sincere solidarity and hope for quick recovery to all affected countries of the recent natural disasters occurring in the Caribbean and Mexico region” commented Lourdes Diaz Colón, Chairwoman of the International Blue Flag Jury. “The International Jury would like to make sure that all the sites affected by these catastrophic phenomenona will return to their former condition. Thus, we wish to express our willingness to provide technical guidance and support when remodeling these sites in the future to guarantee that the Blue Flag criteria are met. We especially reach out to the Blue Flag applicants impacted, and also to other sites that have the will to be part of the International Blue Flag network,”.
Unfortunately, these episodes will become more recurrent and stronger due to climate change. The International Jury, not only as an awarding authority for the Blue Flag, but also as a community of international organisations and experts in the fields of environmental education, safety, services, management and tourism, wishes to highlight the importance of resilient and sustainable ways of thinking, working, and rebuilding after these major climate occurrences.
During the International Jury’s meeting, 131 sites have been awarded for the 2017-2018 Blue Flag season in the Southern Hemisphere, 91 beaches, 20 marinas and 22 boats within nine countries running the Blue Flag programme in this part of the world. Globally, the Blue Flag is proudly flying over 3,667 beaches, 681 marinas and 72 boats in 2017.
The Blue Flag International Jury also approved the feasibility study for South Korea, officially enabling them to start working on the Blue Flag programme.
The full list of awarded sites will be published on 1 November on the international Blue Flag website. Users can visit the Blue Flag website and enjoy its new maps and search systems, in order to find the perfect site depending on their needs.
The next meeting of the International Blue Flag Jury will take place on 11 April 2018 to award beaches, marinas, and boats from the Northern Hemisphere.
The International Blue Flag Jury is composed of representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International Lifesaving Federation (ILS), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) and FEE, plus an Environmental Education expert. You can find out more about them on Blue Flag’s website.
The Blue Flag greatly appreciates the support of its sponsor and worldwide flag producer, Semaphore, as well as the support of AccessRec who provides access for the disabled on beaches.
PR Contact: Amalia Speleta, Communications Assistant, E: amalia@fee.global
PRESS RELEASE: YRE International Competition 2017
The Young Reporters for the Environment International Competition is open to all students aged 11-21 from the 35 countries participating in the YRE programme.
Contact: Gosia Luszczek, International YRE Director | E: gosia@fee.global
Yukiko Tsuburaya, International YRE Assistant | E: yukiko@fee.global
Copenhagen, 2 October 2017 - The Young Reporters for the Environment International Competition is open to all students aged 11-21 from the 35 countries participating in the YRE programme. Do you feel passionate about the environment? Do you want to express your opinion? Then, do not hesitate, participate in the International YRE Competition by writing an article, submitting a photo, or making a video. The winning entries will be published internationally on the Huffington Post Kids and on the YRE International websites!
The YRE International Competition is for winners of the YRE National Competition in countries running the YRE programme. Students who are participating in the YRE programme in each country have a right to participate in the competition. Students have to compete and be selected as a national winner before being sent onwards to the International Competition.
The YRE International Competition consists of three different categories.
- International Competition – open to all countries and all themes, except for the litter theme for countries participating in the Litter Less Campaign. Countries that are not participating in the Campaign, can still submit entries related to the litter problem.
- Litter Less Campaign – theme litter, open to countries that are involved in the Litter Less Campaign: Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Israel, Wales, Spain, Northern Ireland, Malta and Ireland.
* Please note that the submissions under the theme of Litter from Litter Less Campaign countries will be evaluated separately, and the winners will receive recognition with a certificate.
- International Collaboration – open to all countries with three recommended themes from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: 11-Sustainable Cities, 12-Responsible Consumption & Production, 13-Climate Action. The submission must be in the form of a written Article and be a collaborative work between two countries. It is open to the age category 15-18 years.
17 Sustainable Development Goals through the YRE Competition
YRE is aiming to integrate the SDGs into the YRE International Competition in the near future. Therefore, in every country SDGs will be introduced though the National Competition.
More information: http://www.yre.global/yre-competition