PRESS RELEASE: FEE Global Action Days 2017

Contact: Amalia Speleta, Communications Assistant
E: amalia@fee.global
 

Copenhagen, 26 September 2017 – The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is once again inviting everyone around the world to participate in promoting their work through our Global Action Days: a week-long showcasing of the amazing work carried out by FEE members which will culminate in Global Action Days which will take place during the week of 6-12 November 2017.

On 10 November 2017, FEE Head Office personnel will spend the whole day working with our social media platforms sharing and promoting all of the positive actions you have organised, promoted and participated in throughout the year. In this way we will achieve the recognition on the international stage that these actions are so worthy of. Working to raise awareness of our members and the work you do, the success of this event will depend on you sharing stories, posts and images.

So please be active and share your best!

Anyone is welcome to participate: students, parents, communities and NGOs, both inside and outside the FEE network, are all invited to join in this event.

To participate simply register online, plan your action, document it by taking pictures, making a video, or writing an article, join FEE’s Facebook Global Action Days group, share your action…and inspire the rest of the world!

Registration is mandatory and you can do so here.

Please share this link through your network.

For more information please contact Amalia Speleta on amalia@fee.global.
 

#GLOBALACTIONDAYS
#FEEGAD

Once more FEE is Outstanding

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) will receive the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) award for Outstanding in Environmental Education at the Global Level.

FEE is honoured to receive this award as Outstanding Organisation in Environmental Education and particularly pleased to be recognised by the North American Association for Environmental Education for our commitment towards environmental education and sustainability.

Former President of FEE, Jan Eriksen, and Treasurer, Ian Humphries, will receive the award on behalf of FEE at the NAAEE Conference in October in Puerto Rico.

“FEE is thrilled and honoured to be nominated and to receive the North American Association for Environmental Education award for Outstanding in Environmental Education at the Global Level. Since 1981, our organisation has consisted of devoted and enthusiastic individuals all around the world, who believe that education is an essential component in our strive to reach a sustainable and healthy society that is in sync with our environment. FEE has developed programmes that deliver environmental education and education for sustainable development to a broad audience, from very young children to adults; acknowledging that the effort to change perception and behavior has to be aimed at all ages and to all sectors. FEE has grown into one of the leading global agents for delivering practical, positive action-based programmes. It is now recognised by an important partner in this area. In the name of all FEE members and their teams in 76 countries, thank you for your trust and acknowledgement.”  Daniel Schaffer, CEO

Indian Ocean States Become FEE Members

In 2017, four new countries from the Indian Ocean States (Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, and Zanzibar) joined the network and became FEE members in line with the FEE strategy to increase our involvement with small island nations and developing countries.

FEE’s CEO, Daniel Schaffer, visited the Indian Ocean States earlier this year and met with various organisations which are addressing the issue of environmental education. With funds from the EU and support from the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) there has been great work and commitment by everyone involved in the programmes and there is hope that the programmes will expand in the near future. An example of great success is Mauritius. Reef Conservation, FEE’s member in Mauritius, that has already reached an amazing 25% of schools participating in the Eco-Schools programme in just over two years.

Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Zanzibar are implementing FEE’s Eco-Schools programme in their regions, however FEE is very committed to introducing all five programmes to these countries. During his visit, Daniel Schaffer presented not only the Eco-Schools, but also the Learning About Forests (LEAF) and the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programmes to the Ministry of Education and other organisations in Mauritius. It should be noted that some hotels in Mauritius have already registered on the Green Key programme and some are the first in the country to receive the Green Key award.

FEE realises that a common issue that numerous African and Indian Ocean members are facing is the insecurity concerning finding the necessary funds for FEE membership and for implement the programmes. Thus, FEE is working towards seeking funding for those countries while hoping that this kind of support will allow more countries to apply for FEE membership and will secure the implementation of FEE’s programmes in those regions.

To find out more, please follow our CEO’s blog on his latest visit to the Indian Ocean States here.

FEE Head Office Teambuilding Day

Sustainability and urban development were on the agenda on 30 August when the FEE Head Office visited projects around Copenhagen during their teambuilding summer outing.

Our first stop was the Maritime Allotments, where they are experimenting with the production of oysters, mussels and seaweed in the clean water of Copenhagen’s harbour. This community-based aquaculture project aims at strengthening the link between production and consumption through producing local and sustainable seafood.

During our second visit - to Tagtomat (translated into English as Roof Tomato) we became familiar with an urban gardening initiative that started in May 2011. It began on the roof of their backyard’s garbage shelter and has now spread all over Denmark and Scandinavia. We visited many more of these green spots in the city and learnt about the challenges of creating such an innovative project.

It was a great opportunity to meet some of the people working on these inspiring projects in Copenhagen and we are immensely grateful to them for hosting us and showing us around.

A special thanks is extended to Bodil Sofie Espersen from Maritime Allotments and Anne Tange from Tagtomat.

Mentor Visit to Tanzania

On his recent trip to Tanzania, Nikos Petrou, FEE’s Board Member, visited some Eco-Schools projects.

In Mkindo, a village in the Mvomero District of the Morogoro Region in the central-eastern part of Tanzania, students from the Eco-Schools Committee participated in a meeting with members of the village council, representatives of the Parents Association and their teachers, as well as education officials from the Mvomero District. The meeting was held to discuss the challenges the school faces, and to plan the future steps and activities of the Eco-Schools programme. The students in this school, some 800, have elected their representatives democratically. Through Eco-Schools, the children have a voice in matters affecting the school, but also the village and their whole community.

Nikos Petrou also visited Hebeti, where a banana plantation was created in February 2017 with financial support from the Danish Outdoor Council. Even though the 780 trees were planted just six months ago, they have produced crops which are almost ready for harvest. Some of the bananas will be used for school lunches, and the surplus will be sold, generating a substantial annual income that will be used to improve the school buildings and acquire necessary materials. The Eco-Schools Committee will decide on how the money will be spent. Many of the Eco-Schools in Tanzania are implementing these types of micro-projects, which will provide much needed financial support for the schools. Despite the short period of implementation (less than a year for most of them) these simple but effective sustainable development initiatives have attracted the interest of local villagers, and already several have started similar activities.

Furthermore, Nikos Petrou noted that less than a year ago, this lush schoolyard in Lusanga was just bare, dusty earth. One of the first activities of the Eco-Schools Committee was to plant grass and flowers in the yard and playground.  They used coloured plastic bottles to delineate the paths in an imaginative form of reuse. The children, guided by teacher Anasali Mamkwe, have also created a nursery, with some 10,000 seedlings, mostly fruit trees, but also Teak for which there is much demand. Many fruit trees have been planted in the school grounds to provide food for the children, but the bulk of the seedlings will be sold to generate income for improving the school. This micro-project has already attracted imitators in the village.

30th Anniversary Donation from the Wrigley Company Foundation

30th Anniversary Donation

In recognition of the 30th Anniversary of the Wrigley Company Foundation, FEE was privileged to be awarded a generous donation of $300,000 USD. In collaboration it was agreed to spend the grant on three strategic objectives of FEE.

Firstly, it will be used to develop the inaugural Global Forest Fund which is a unique non-profit tool on the carbon offsetting market. The fund not only accounts for harmful carbon emissions through tree planting activities, it does so in conjunction with environmental rejuvenation and awareness initiatives which improve the environmental literacy of communities worldwide.

Secondly, the grant will serve to expand FEE’s geographical reach. It will help establish the first Emerging Eco-Schools Fund which aims to provide countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with better opportunities to join and implement the Eco-Schools programme, both through financial support as well as collaborative activities within the global FEE network. 

Thirdly, the grant will serve as an important investment in FEE’s capacity to communicate. It will allow FEE to develop its abilities to transmit the work of the organisation throughout the world and to bring a myriad of success stories into the light.

Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education, notes:
"We are very thankful for this award from the Wrigley Company Foundation and for their recognition of the importance of these areas. The grant will help increase our impact significantly in the future."

PRESS RELEASE: Litter Less Campaign Phase III

The Litter Less Campaign: Six years and still going strong

Contact: Gosia Luszczek, International YRE Director
Foundation for Environmental Education
E: gosia@fee.global

September 2017 marks the beginning of Phase III (year 7) of the Litter Less Campaign, a joint initiative of the Wrigley Company Foundation and the Foundation for Environmental Education. The Campaign aims to engage and educate children and young people on the issue of litter and encourage them to make positive choices.

Two phases have been completed over the past six years, and the continued collaboration confirms the importance of the work and the on-going necessity of dealing with issues of litter and encouraging thoughtful behaviour from early on.

The main objectives of the Campaign are to:

• raise awareness of the effect of litter and waste on the local environment
• increase knowledge and practical skills in preventing and managing litter and waste
• improve students’ behaviour and the schools’ waste management treatment
• report on litter issues
• encourage collaboration between schools for spreading good practices
• tackle the issue of litter with active involvement from the local community

The partnership between the Wrigley Company Foundation and FEE already has a history of over six years of very effective collaboration. Phase II of the Litter Less Campaign began in 2014 and since then has been running in 35 countries in schools which engage in two of the FEE programmes - Eco-Schools (ES) and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE). Over the full period of implementation of the Campaign, since 2011, 1,962,285 students in 3,184 schools from all over the world have been engaged. Such reach suggests that there is undoubtedly an impact on participants’ perceptions, behaviour and opinion leadership. In 2015-2016, a total of 1,356 Community Action Days were held and 240 schools introduced recycling systems.

For a short video about the achievements of the Litter Less Campaign Phase I and II, click here.

The Litter Less Campaign is our organisation’s largest project that embeds a positive and fruitful partnership between the Wrigley Company Foundation as the enabler, and FEE, its members, National Operators and participating schools as the implementers. This strong relationship allows for transparency and flexibility, which is ultimately what ensures the delivery of a fantastic Campaign.

Anne Vela-Wagner, Wrigley Company Foundation Executive Director, notes:
“The Wrigley Company Foundation is proud of the positive transformation that has occurred in schools and communities around the world through the Litter Less campaign. Teaching students to be leaders and work to change littering behaviour and improve their communities is the strength of the program”.

The new Phase III will engage schools from 15 countries from both the YRE and Eco-Schools programmes. At the end of the project, we plan to have over half a million of students involved in practical activities related to litter prevention. Our target is to change students’ behaviour and increase understanding and action around litter prevention by an additional 10% of the students we serve.

Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education, adds:
“The Litter Less Campaign is a textbook example of how positive collaboration between the corporate world and a respected NGO can realise a shared vision. We highly appreciate the long-term partnership with the Wrigley Company Foundation and we are extremely grateful for the possibility of moving the Litter Less Campaign into Phase III. Their strong commitment and support cannot be taken for granted.”

Participating through the Young Reporters for the Environment Programme:

• Australia
• China 
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Malta 
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Spain
• Wales

Participating through the Eco-Schools Programme:

• Australia
• China
• England
• India 
• Ireland 
• Kenya
• Mexico 
• Northern Ireland
• Russia
• Scotland
• Spain 
• Wales

About the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)

With members in 76 countries around the world, FEE’s programmes represent the cutting edge in Education for Sustainable Development and Environmental Education. It is the vision of the Foundation for Environmental Education that its programmes empower people everywhere to live sustainably and in an environmentally conscious manner.

About the Wrigley Company Foundation

The Wrigley Company Foundation has awarded more than $70 million USD since its establishment in 1987. With a focus on oral health, the environment, particularly education for litter prevention, and improving Wrigley’s site and sourcing communities, it works to build brighter futures around the world.

About Wrigley

Wrigley is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, and lollipops. Wrigley's world-famous brands – including Extra®, Orbit®, Doublemint®, and 5™ chewing gums, as well as confectionery brands Skittles®, Starburst®, Altoids® and Life Savers® – create simple pleasures for consumers every day. With operations across 50 countries and distribution in more than 180 countries, Wrigley's brands bring smiles to faces around the globe. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, employs approximately 15,000 associates globally, and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.
 
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 85,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.