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UK School Walks Away with Top Prize in Pan-European Sustainable Mobility Competition

A UK primary school has scooped the top prize in a pan-European environment competition for their innovative approach to sustainable mobility. On Friday 5 October, Millfield Primary School in Norfolk will be presented with €4,000 at a special awards ceremony for helping to reduce local traffic congestion to and from their primary school. The Environment and Innovation Project, hosted by Toyota Motor Europe and the Eco-Schools International Programme Coordination, invited schools across Europe to identify challenges and propose solutions to improve mobility and the environment in their local communities. 105 schools submitted proposals to the programme. Twenty-five schools, representing up to 25,000 students, received a total of €75,000 in grants to implement their projects, before reporting back on their progress to a European Judging Panel.

The winning project, Stamp Stanley – Walk to Millfield Project, aimed to reduce traffic congestion by creating a long-term incentive for children to walk to and from school. The school installed permanent checkpoint machines along school routes so students could collect a stamp for each “green journey” made. Stamps are then saved up and exchanged at school for a wide range of rewards.

“Toyota Motor Europe, via the Toyota Fund for Europe, has been delighted to partner and sponsor the Environment and Innovation Project,” said Graham Smith, Senior Vice-President of Toyota Motor Europe and Chairman of the Toyota Fund for Europe. “Each school’s project, in some way, has helped to reduce our environmental footprint by tackling local issues in a very concrete and practical way. We congratulate every student whose creativity and perseverance have made a real difference.”

Millfield Primary School was crowned the European Winner from a shortlist of four national winners: Harkortschule Primary School (Germany), Tagliacozzo-Gramsci Primary School (Italy) and Leganés Eco-School Network (Spain). Project ideas included a road safety education programme (Germany), new software to encourage car-pooling and alternative modes of travel (Italy), and a bicycle promotion programme (Spain).

Jan Eriksen, President of FEE said: “We are really impressed by the way children and teachers have collaborated with local business and authorities, and applied creativity and ingenuity to tackle shared community problems. Once again, Eco-Schools from several countries implemented innovative projects that bring positive benefits not only for the school but also for the families and communities!”

The Toyota Fund for Europe and Eco-Schools, an international programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), have been working together since 2005. The Environment and Innovation Project was launched as a pilot programme to promote innovative thinking and environmental education in schools across Europe.

Pupils from Millfield Primary School “Stamp Stanley” as part of a new programme that encourages students to walk to school

Notes to the editors:
1) Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, parts and accessories, and Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly and indirectly employs around 80,000 people in Europe and has invested over €6 billion since 1990. In 2006, Toyota sold 1,124,119 Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe, enjoying its tenth consecutive record year of sales. The company aims to sell 1.22 million units in Europe in 2007, including 44,500 hybrid vehicles. For more information, go to http://www.toyota.eu
2) Eco-Schools, a programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), provides an ideal way to implement Local Agenda 21 in the school and its neighbouring community. The Eco-Schools International Programme was developed as a response to some of the needs identified at the UN Conference on Environment and Development of 1992. Initiated in 1994 with support of the European Commission, the programme offers a flexible approach for schools to implement an environmental management system, the 7 steps, based on the EMAS/ISO 14001 standards. For more information, go to http://www.eco-schools.org.

For more information please contact:

Toyota
Etienne Plas,
T +32 2 745 2022, E-mail: etienne.plas@toyota-europe.com
Maria Mack,
T +32 2 745 2053, E-mail: maria.mack@toyota-europe.com
Anne Gaublomme,
T +32 2 745 2041, E-mail: anne.gaublomme@toyota-europe.com

Eco-Schools International Coordination Programme
T +35 1 21 394 2745, E-mail: coordination@eco-schools.org

www.toyota-media.com

www.eco-schools.org

   
The next National Operators' Meeting will be co-organized by the Eco-Schools Programme International Co-ordination and Lijepa-Nasa (FEE Croatia). It is going to take place on November 23-24 (National Operators are expected to arrive on the 22nd) in Zagreb, Croatia. The National Operator from all the FEE Delegations that are currently implementing the Eco-Schools Programme shall be present in order to discuss matters related to the Programme.
Each Delegation will also participate at the Eco-Schools Delegations Exhibition, where they have the opportunity to showcase the work they develop at the national level.

   
FEE has produced and approved new Branding Guidelines for its logos.

If you want to know more, please go to:
www.fee-international.org/News/BrandingGuidelines

   
The FEE General Assembly 2007 decided that FEE should create a CO2 Fund to ensure compensation from international FEE travels. Other organizations have shown interest in using the system

If you want to know more please go to: www.fee-international.org/News/CO2Fund

   
The Eco-Schools International Co-ordination is in the process of producing two leaflets concerning the Linking and Itinerary project: the first one is a general description of the project and its aims; the second one includes specific instructions on how to use the search engine.
These leaflets will be available before the summer in a PDF version online so that all the National Operators can print them and distribute them to their network. In a first phase we will have the leaflets available in English, Spanish and Italian. We hope to have the leaflets translated into other languages in a near future.

   
The Environment and Innovation Project, supported by Toyota Motor Europe, is reaching its final stage. This is the end of a two years cycle in which 105 projects were initially submitted and 25 of these were granted funds in order to allow their implementation. The National Juries of the four participating countries (Italy, Spain, UK and Germany) will select the National Winner and, afterwards, a European Jury will select the Final Winner. In total 75 000 € were granted for the implementation of the projects and more than 27000 students and 2000 teachers are involved.

   
The Environment & Innovation Project, which went on for the past two years, aimed at stimulating creativity and innovative thinking amongst students in the Sustainable Mobility field. Students are given the opportunity to put into practice ideas they have conceived. While doing this, it focused on sustainable community development as the projects should address specific environmental problems and find feasible solutions.
The Environment and Innovation Project started in autumn 2005 in the following countries:

· England and Northern Ireland
· Germany
· Spain
· Italy

105 were projects submitted in the four countries, 25 were granted funds for implementation. In total, 75000 * were granted for the implementation of the projects and about 25 000 students and 2000 teachers are involved.
The National Juries from the four countries involved in the Environment and Innovation Project have now chosen their respective country winner projects.

The chosen projects were:

· Germany: “Children city plan Hüls-Nord” by Harkortschule, primary school. This is a traffic education project that aims at empowering the children as pedestrians, both by bringing visibility to the children’s needs in the field of road safety and by educating them to deal with traffic issues. Together with the Municipality, the school has developed a plan for traffic free areas, creating recreational areas.

· Italy: “Il Laurentino dei Piedini” by “Tagliacozzo-Gramsci”, primary school. The
project aimed at reducing the number of students that use the car to come to school.
They have created a software, to be used in the beginning of each academic year when
the students are enrolling, that will allow parents/students to find more sustainable ways
to get to school, such as car-pooling or alternative transports.

· Spain: “Leganés by bike: sustainable mobility for the centres of Leganés” by the
region’s Eco-School Network1 (kindergarten, primary and secondary schools). The main objective of this project is to improve mobility in the areas next to the schools and to define actions that lead to the creation of new practices that will have a medium-long term effect on the town’s mobility. The project emphasized the benefits of using bicycles and in facilitating their use.

· England and Northern Ireland: “Stamp Stanley – Walk-to-Millfield Project” by the Millfield Primary School. The aim of the project was to reduce traffic congestion
associated with the daily coming to school. The project created a long-term and
sustainable incentive for children to walk to school, by installing permanent checkpoint
machines where children stamp a token on every ‘green’ school journey. Tokens are
saved up and exchanged in school for a wide range of rewards.

By September, the Environment and Innovation European Jury will analyse the reports from the 4 finalists and will select the one that will be the Final European Winner of the project.

The European Jury has representatives from the following organizations: UNEP, British Council, European Commission - Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, European Environment Agency, Intelligent Energy Executive Agency (IEEA), Toyota Motor Europe and FEE.

To know more about the project, please visit the Project website:
www.eco-schools.org/innovation/index.htm
or
contact the Eco-Schools International Programme Coordination:

coordination@eco-schools.org

1 EI Verbena, EI Rosa Caramelo, EI Lope de Veja, CEIP Andrés Segóvia, CEIP António Machado, CEIP Miguel Delibes, CEIP Gerardo Diego, CEIP Calderón de la Barca, CEIP Trabenco, CEIP Victor Pradera, IES Júlio Verne, IES Mª Zambrano, IES Siglo XXI, IES Isaac Albéniz.

   
The Eco-Schools Programme 2006 National Operators Meeting took place in Faro on the 4 th and 5 th November. It was organized by the Eco-Schools Programme International Coordination in partnership with Faro's Municipality and FEE Portugal .
The International Eco-Schools Coordination organized the National Operators Meeting with FEE Portugal and Faro's Municipality. Other Coordination partners are: the UNEP, the British Council and Toyota .
The National Operators Meeting was sponsored by Águas de Gaia,EM , Águas do Algarve , ALGAR, AMAL, EDP, Flagmore, Hotel Eva, Loulé Concelho, Millennium BCP and Salvador Caetano.
During the National Operators Meeting there was also time for a Workshop on “Energy Education through Eco-Schools” co-organized by the Eco-Schools Programme International Co-ordination and ManagEnergy.

   
"Environment and Innovation " is an exciting new project to encourage Eco-Schools to come up with innovative and creative solutions to environmental problems while focussing on sustainable community development. The core theme of the project for 2005-2007 is sustainable mobility . Schools propose concrete project plans, which will be judged by National Juries. These will have nearly 20,000 Euros to distribute to those schools that they would like to see implement their innovative ideas. These "project implementation grants" will help the selected schools put their ideas into action and work with the local community to tackle their issues.

Set up under the partnership with Toyota Motor Europe , through the Toyota Fund for Europe, this initiative starts with a pilot project in the following countries: England and Northern Ireland , Germany , Spain and Italy . It is hoped that on the basis of good results the project can in future be extended to other countries. After selected schools have invested their grants in their projects, a European Jury, including UNEP, will select the schools having shown not only the most interesting project concepts but also final results in putting the projects to action. These will be awarded some very special prizes, including invitation to participate in exciting international events organised by UNEP.

The objectives of this project are:
* To involve schools in discussing, planning and implementing innovative responses to challenges in the areas of sustainable mobility (theme for the project in 2005-2007);
* To promote working synergies and activities between schools and local authorities , as well as other community stakeholders;
* To contribute to environmental education with a stimulating initiative involving pragmatic thought;
* To motivate and support schools in making real, pragmatic impacts to their local communities.
* To further promote positive change by sharing and disseminating good practise and ideas around the world. Details of the best school projects will be available online for other Eco-Schools around the world to see and they will also be published in a book by the end of the project cycle.

To find out more about the project, rules and application form for participating, timings and information about National Juries, visit the specially prepared website:
www.eco-schools.org/innovation

   
As you may be aware, Eco-Schools is called Green-Schools in Ireland and schools participating in the programme are introduced to environmental themes on a phased basis. Schools are encouraged to focus on one theme in depth, rather than trying to address a wide range of environmental topics in less detail. Only when schools have been awarded the Green Flag are they permitted to introduce a new theme to their respective programmes.
To date, schools initially address Litter and Waste issues and are awarded their first Green Flag on this basis. Next, they introduce Energy and subsequently Water to their programmes, and now for the first time schools in Ireland will be able to move on to address Travel issues associated with their school.
Green-Schools Travel aims to reduce the number of car trips made by parents, staff and students, to and from school. By doing this, schools will reduce their impact on the environment, improve safety on the school journey; improve the health of the student body; broaden education while linking to the Irish curricula; combat social exclusion and contribute to sustainable development.
Over the past fifteen years the number of Irish children being driven to school has more than doubled (42% in 2002) and over the same period the number of Irish children walking and cycling to school has dropped dramatically (25% and 2% respectively).
The consequences of such high car dependency for school travel in Ireland are widespread. Traffic congestion is most obvious. However there is also negative health, safety, environmental and social impacts to consider.
One in five Irish children is overweight due to poor diets and a lack of regular exercise. Emissions from road traffic are the primary threat to the quality of air in Ireland. Passengers in slow moving traffic, especially children, are exposed to pollution levels two to three times higher than pedestrians. Increased traffic and traffic congestion has contributed to more road related accidents. Growth in car use to and from school has led to social exclusion and reduced community relations among parents and children.
However, most pupils in Ireland live within walking and cycling distance of their school. Therefore there are significant opportunities to redress the trend of car use on the school run and we are aiming to do this through Green-Schools Travel.
Modal shift from car use on the school run will be achieved through promotion and adoption of various soft measures, including; walking, cycling, carpooling, multi-modal and public transport initiatives. Schools will be able to achieve their goals by developing, implementing and maintaining School Travel Action Plans through the seven steps of Green-Schools.
The Travel theme will initially run on a two year pilot basis in the Greater Dublin Area. It will involve a total of thirty selected schools across this geographical area. This pilot study is supported by the Dublin Transportation Office which is responsible for coordinating and implementing an integrated transport strategy for the Dublin region. On the successful completion of the pilot Travel programme, it is envisaged that the scheme will extend to the national network of participating Green-Schools in Ireland.
   
For more information: Mr Anthony Purcell (gstransport1@antaisce.org), Green-Schools Transport, An Taisce (Ireland)

   
The winter months can be a wonderful time of year. People of all faiths get together with their families to celebrate important dates in their religious calendar, exchange presents and enjoy good food. Our towns and cities look lovely with their colourful lights and our trees and lochs have a special kind of beauty when the snow and frost come!
This time of year is also, however, a time for people to think about what they've achieved over the past year and to make plans for the next. If you're stuck for ideas for a New Year's resolution, why not think about ways in which you can be more eco-friendly? There's no time like the present (no pun intended!), so why not start by having an ecofriendly Christmas and New Year?
We hope these ideas provide some inspiration to get you started and please do let us know of any other wasteminimisation ideas you come up with.
   
Just say no!
We all know the three 'Rs' to help us reduce the amount of waste we generate -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - but we'd like to introduce a fourth 'R' which is particularly appropriate at this time of year! The fourth 'R' is Refuse!
– Refuse to buy gifts and food items that are over-packaged. Packaging creates huge amounts of waste but manufacturers will soon get the idea if we refuse to buy products because of the amount of packaging they come in!
– Refuse carrier bags when you can. Don't take a carrier bag every time you're offered one. Put a couple of spare bags in your pockets before you go shopping. Better still; why not invest in a carrier bag made from natural materials such as cotton?
– Refuse to buy food that has travelled thousands of miles. Much of our food is flown into the country from around the world. Can you imagine how many aeroplanes are needed to do this? That's a lot of air pollution! Why not see if you can get food that's produced locally? It's fresher, usually cheaper, better for the environment and you'll be supporting local producers and businesses.
   
Eco-friendly Christmas ideas...
– Cards...
Send e-cards!
Make your own cards from junk materials.
Recycle your cards. If you are sending new cards, make sure they’re made from recycled paper.
– Christmas trees...
Buy a ‘living’ Christmas tree in a pot! You can reuse it every year until it gets too big then plant it in your garden or school grounds. Try to source a tree that’s been grown locally.
Make your own ‘tree’ out of junk materials! Why not have a competition to see whose is best?
– Decorations and wrapping...
Save up scraps of coloured paper and card (from paper pads, cereal boxes) throughout the year to make your own decorations. Draw different shapes on the card (eg stars, trees, snowmen).
Buy re-useable gift bags.
You can make your own wrapping paper from junk materials or coloured paper scraps.
Save the wrapping paper your gifts come in and use it again next year.
– Responsible Shopping...
Buy recycled goods wherever possible.
Buy products with natural ingredients. Cosmetics can be full of artificial chemicals that build up in the body and can affect the hormonal system.
If you buy electrical goods as presents, look for items that run off mains electricity rather than batteries. Toys that wind up or use recharge-able batteries are also a good idea.
– Look after yourself and others...
Remember to donate any unwanted gifts to a charity.
Give a goat... a well... or a toilet! The money you donate will go towards helping communities in the developing world.
Adopt an animal such as a turtle or dolphin or even a tree.
Give Your Time - why not offer to do the washing up every night, take someone’s dog for a walk once a week or work in their garden instead of giving a present?
A Cool Yule to one and all!
   
For more information: Ms Kirsten Leask (kirsten.leask@ksbscotland.org.uk), Eco-Schools information officer, Keep Scotland Beautiful (Scotland)

   
The Executive Board of the Foundation for Environmental Education, the non governmental, not for profit organization responsible for programmes such as Eco-Schools, Blue Flag and Young Reporters for the Environment, has met in Portugal from 14 to 17 of October.
Organised by the Eco-Schools International Coordination, which is based at the ABAE/FEE Portugal office, this was the last meeting of the Board in 2005.
It included a very kind reception by the Director of the British Council in Lisbon, and the formal meeting of the Board, at the Jacques Delors European Information Centre, in the Cultural Centre of Belém by invitation of its Director. On Sunday 16 October, there was the "Sintra Summit", where the Board was discussing many strategic issues relative to the Internationalization process of FEE. This "Summit" was held in the Seteais palace, which is now elegantly restored to a Hotel, set in the Sintra National Park, a UNESCO heritage site. Only 40 km from Lisbon, but close to mountains, forest and ocean, it was an ideal site to find inspiration for the hard work.
FEE also runs the "Learning about Forests" and "Green Key" programmes. The Executive Board usually meets four times per year, and its members are elected every two years. Find out more about FEE, including the composition of the Executive Board, at www.fee-international.org
The Eco-Schools International Coordination is grateful to the Director of the British Council in Portugal, Rosemary Hilhorst, OBE, and the Director of the Jacques Delors European Information Centre, Margarida Cardoso, for contributing to the hosting of the FEE Executive Board meeting in Portugal.

   
FEE, the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe, through the International Eco-Schools Programme, has established a partnership with Toyota Motor Europe, which includes support to a specific new project initiative - "Environment and Innovation: a project to promote innovation in schools´ environmental problem-solving". This support comes from the Toyota Fund for Europe, established in 2002 to contribute to initiatives in the fields of road safety, environment and engineering education.
   
About Toyota Motor Europe
Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the leading automobile manufacturers worldwide, including in Europe where it has 8 manufacturing plants and about 56,000 employees. Known also for the reliability and customer satisfaction of its vehicles, Toyota is a world leader in the research and development of advanced automobile technology, and has created innovative award-winning engines using environmental technologies, as is the case with the Hybrid engine used in the Prius car, which has less environmental impact than conventional cars. This drive for cleaner-running car underpins its campaign, "Aim: Zero Emissions". Toyota is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
For Toyota Motor Europe´s Enviornment Brochure 2005, or European Environment Report 2003 and Update 2004, go to: www.toyota-europe.com/innovation/environment
   
About the Partnership with FEE / Eco-Schools
The grant from the Toyota Fund for Europe will be used mainly to develop the initiative, "Environment and Innovation: a project to promote innovation in schools´ environmental problem-solving". The theme for 2005-2006 is: "Sustainable Mobility - your school, your community". The aim is to involve schools in working in partnership with other agents, such as with municipalities, to implement concrete, specific improvements in the field of Mobility around their school.
The project, which is being developed and will be launched in the coming weeks, includes the awarding of "implementation grants" to schools, if necessary, to help them carry out their projects. The "Environment and Innovation" project will be first piloted in a select few countries. More detailed information on the project will be communicated in next month´s newsletter, and on the website: www.eco-schools.org/innovation

   
The new Eco-Schools Linking and Itinerary System is now online and ready for action! A search engine will help schools find a match and start "linking". All Eco-Schools are invited to register and contribute, taking this chance to share their strengths, learn from the achievements of others and connect with other schools.
   
The Linking and Itinerary system offers the possibility to meet a community of schools from all over the world, where teachers and students show their work and share it with others online. It aims at providing an "Itinerary" where schools can visit each other virtually, and understand their characteristics within their regional contexts, motivating young people to learn about each other and their culture.
Through a search engine, the "Linking" can also be used to identify Eco-Schools with similar interests, within their own community or in another continent, to exchange ideas, work together on projects, establish “twin schools”, or just make new friends and pen-pals.
Although the search engine can be used by anyone, there are many benefits for registered schools: they become part of the Eco-Schools Linking database, the only ones which can actually create their own school file; they can find a partner school on the search engine; they can establish contact with the partner(s) found. In a word, they become part of the Linking community!
   
Why should a school get involved and register?
Getting involved can bring many benefits for schools:
- allow students and teachers to reach countries from all over the World and explore what otherwise would not be possible
- exchange project and education ideas with other schools, enriching your teaching experiences, comparing and applying different approaches
- present your school environmental educational example to the local community and many others at international level
- enhance the knowledge of foreign languages and cultural awareness
- increase the awareness of a particular issue by cooperating with another school on a full scale basis...
   
How can an Eco-School register on the Linking system?
The first step to participate in the linking system is the pre-registration at www.eco-schools.net Click on 'school pre-registration' and fill in the contact information fields. Your school information will then be validated by the Eco-Schools National Coordinator, who will contact you providing a username and password to login into the system. Once you receive this data, you can log in and complete your school registration form. Some information will be asked for, including school details, experience in the Eco-Schools Programme, Linking preferences, and your region 'Itinerary'. You can also upload pictures of your school.
   
Where and how can schools find partners for Linking?
Using the search engine, you can refine the search by including specific parameters, like country, language, age of students, focus themes, school projects, etc. The system will propose a list of schools matching your preferences. Once schools are found on the system, they can contact each other; and when they are sure they share the same interests they may decide to get in touch. The usefulness and fun of this project depends on each school´s imagination, motivation and interest.
   
What can Eco-Schools do in a linking project?
Before registering in this project, it is a good idea to first discuss and identify (within the Eco-Committee) the aims and objectives of linking with other schools. It is up to each school to consider good ideas for making their link with other schools useful and exciting. The Linking and Itinerary system provides a mechanism for putting schools in contact with each other, based on information they provide about themselves and their interests; but the success of the Linking is up to the schools themselves. Below are only a few examples of what schools can do:
- work with other schools in your community to solve a problem
- find out what environmental challenges other schools are facing, and how they are solving them
- find out information about environment issues in other regions of the world; what is being done, and how can you help
- work together on specific projects, perhaps on a international basis
- establish teacher/students exchanges
- simply make friends with young people and teachers in your own country or in other parts of the world, etc!
   
For more information visit www.eco-schools.net and/or contact your Eco-Schools National Coordinator, or the International Coordination (linking@eco-schools.org)

   
As is the case each year, the Eco-Schools International Coordination compiles interesting facts and information from each of the 37 countries so far participating in, or preparing to pilot, the programme.
Confirming the success of the programme as an instrument for education and action, for people of different ages, in the widest range of national and regional contexts, we are very pleased to see and share the following information with you…
By the end of the 2004/2005 school year, there were about 14 300 schools registered and participating in the programme, of which about 4 200 have received the Green Flag certification. Over 1 600 Local Authorities from around Europe and the world had signed up with Eco-Schools National Coordinators to support the schools in their jurisdictions with their work in education for sustainable development. On the basis of estimates by Eco-Schools National Coordinators, there were over 254 000 teachers involved in the participating schools, and 4.5 million students! Teacher seminars and training sessions run in all the different countries benefited more than 16 000 participants, mostly teachers and representatives of municipalities and local education authorities.

   
The dry and delicate landscapes that we call deserts are among the world’s most spectacular, harsh and beautiful. They support a specialized diversity of life, including some of humankind’s most ancient cultures. On all continents, with the exception of uninhabited Antarctica, communities that live in or around deserts represent a direct link to knowledge, history and traditions that are increasingly imperilled by the dual pressures of globalization and environmental decline.
   
Deserts, and the cultures that have learned to live in harmony with them, are an important part of humanity’s heritage. Desertification, on the other hand, is the manifestation of a multitude of destructive factors - almost all caused or made worse by human activity - that together represent one of the greatest challenges to environmental sustainability, human security and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals.
   
There is a fine line between dryland and desert- one which once crossed is hard to return from. It is vastly more cost-effective to prevent dryland degradation than to reverse it. It is therefore essential to focus on policies and technologies that will protect the world’s arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas. These areas, where rainfall is low and evaporation is high, may be fragile, but if managed well they are also fertile and capable of supporting the habitats, crops and livestock that sustain nearly one-third of humanity.
   
The fact that more than half the world’s productive land is dryland emphasizes the critical importance of wise management at the global, national and local level. Impoverished land and impoverished people are two sides of the same coin. To raise public awareness about desertification, and to help to preserve dryland and desert communities, and the biological diversity on which they depend, the UN General Assembly declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
   
In support of the International Year, UNEP chose the theme ‘Don’t Desert Drylands’ for World Environment Day 2006. The degradation of drylands is a global problem, but it is perhaps most acute in Africa, the least developed region of the world and the most vulnerable to environmental change. The host city for World Environment Day 2006 is Algiers, capital of Algeria. With its geography, history and culture inextricably bound with the world’s greatest and best-known desert, the Sahara, and with its Environment Minister, Chérif Rahmani, the UN’s honorary spokesman for the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, the country is ideally situated to highlight every facet of this complex issue.
   
Each year, on 5 June, World Environment Day provides an opportunity for communities and governments around the world to reflect on the essential role that the environment plays in our daily lives and our plans for the future. As the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment has highlighted, more than 60 per cent of the world’s ecosystems are in decline or even degraded to an extent that we can no longer rely on their services. These include the world’s drylands, as well as forests, fisheries and even the air that we breathe. It is plain that, despite increasing knowledge and a growing list of political agreements and commitments, humankind continues to squander our natural capital.
   
For example, it is estimated that desertification and drought account for a $42 billion annual loss in food productivity worldwide. On top of this figure is the uncountable cost in human suffering and lives lost due to hunger and the need to abandon once productive land. These statistics are not only disturbing, they are preventable. This too, is the message of World Environment Day. As well as highlighting problems, each year the Day draws attention to the many available remedies.
   
Throughout its existence, UNEP has emphasized the importance of preventing and reversing land degradation. It played an integral role in establishing the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and is working alongside partners such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility, to implement it. UNEP has also gathered a comprehensive collection of success stories in the struggle against desertification in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, which together demonstrate that appropriate, replicable technological and policy solutions exist to address the challenges of the drylands.
   
The degradation of drylands is a growing problem that needs imaginative, collaborative and multi-sectoral action. It is both a result of and a contributor to climate change; it is both the cause and the consequence of poverty. If left unchecked it threatens the future food security of humanity’s steadily growing population and the stability of communities and countries in all regions. Therefore, on this World Environment Day, UNEP’s message to the world is ‘Don’t Desert Drylands!’.
   
For more information visit the website: www.unep.org/wed/2006/

   
This exciting new online competition for school children across Europe has been launched by the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy and Transport under the ManagEnergy initiative. The competition challenges young artists to create images of sustainable energy use in their local environment. It includes:
         * A drawing and painting competition for children under 11
         * A photo competition for children aged 12-16
The overall aim is to educate children in the Member States and the EEA countries on sustainable energy solutions and encourage them to become future sustainable citizens.
   
Competition Rules
* Children from all schools within the Member States and EEA countries are eligible for the competition. Under 11s will be competing on behalf of their class. 12-16s will compete as individuals.
* Drawings and pictures can be created in any medium (e.g. pencils, paint, pastels, etc). They should show environmentally friendly ways to use energy e.g. by saving energy, using renewable energy and/or using sustainable means of transport.
* All entries are to be submitted as digital images (a scan or digital photo must be made of each picture).
* Images must be submitted as GIFs or JPEGs (saved at minimum compression and maximum quality) at at least 1000 x 700 pixels.
* Digital images from participating schools can be submitted via an online entry form at: www.managenergy.net/competition.html
* Name, Gender, Age, Country and School must be indicated on the form.
* All entries must be received by 30 June 2006.
   
Winners and Prizes
The winners in each age group will be announced after the summer vacation 2006.
The winning school class in the drawing and painting competition for under 11s will receive 5 ‘Solar Educational Kits’ as well as one ‘Ronaldo the Reindeer’ T-shirt for each student in their class.
The winner of the photo competition for children aged 12-16 will receive an advanced digital camera as well as a number of ‘Ronaldo the Reindeer’ T-shirts to give to friends and classmates.
T-shirts will also be awarded to the 10 runners-up in each age group.
By participating in this competition, all entrants consent to having their artwork displayed on the ManagEnergy website and/or used in publications produced by the European Commission.
The winners will be selected by the ManagEnergy Reflection Group and the judges decision can not be overruled.
   
For more information visit the website:
www.managenergy.net/competition/competition_en.html
(available in Danish, English, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish)

   
Introduction from the Eco-Schools Coordination:
With Sustainable Energy and Transport issues being very important to Eco-Schools, the Coordination has been building key partnerships to provide information, initiatives and other resources to schools on these themes. The “Kids Corner” online resource is part of the European Commission´s “ManagEnergy” initiative, specially aimed at providing information on energy and related issues to school communities in many different countries, in many different languages.
The Eco-Schools International Coordinator was invited to be a Member of the Advisory Group for the “Kids Corner” initiative to contribute to make it a relevant and interesting for Eco-Schools. Recently, a key-note presentation was made on Energy Education and Eco-Schools, at the 1st Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Brussels, Belgium, organised by the EC Directorate-General for Energy. You can find out all about the conference, including see the presentations and documentation, from the following link: www.managenergy.tv/me_portal/mst/1116/index.html
We think this resource brings positive energy to Eco-Schools' project-work – have a try!

The ManagEnergy KidsCorner is now available online at: www.managenergy.net/kidscorner/ or via the direct link www.learn-energy.net
It features energy and transport pages aimed at 7-11 year olds, 11-15 year olds and their teachers.
This new service was pre-launched on 28 November 2005 in English and French for consultation with local actors and educators/teachers. Contributions and suggestions will be implemented over the coming months in order to publish an updated version at the ManagEnergy Conference in February.
The new website will eventually be available in all 20 official EU languages, and will include a portal with hundreds of links to online energy education resources in all Member States. It will include energy-related educational materials in all twenty native languages. However, we need your help to make sure we include as many links as possible to pages in your language and in your country.
To submit links, simply complete the online form at: www.managenergy.net/kidscorner/addasite.html
These will be added to the database, covering renewable energy, energy efficiency and transport. As an indication of possible areas of interest, this already includes links to sites providing information on experiments, hands-on activities (games, animations, quizzes), lesson plans, books, CD-ROMs and videos, as well as teaching material and lesson plans. It also covers places of interest such as museums, visitor centres, mobile exhibitions, photo galleries, information centres and on-line forums.
We would be delighted to add or link to any information for children that you may already have available in your language. To acknowledge your support we are happy to include the logo of your organisation and/or the publishing organisation together with the link to the website. Again, information can be submitted by e-mail as an attachment to KidsCorner@managenergy.net
These new ManagEnergy schools web pages will be heavily promoted to municipalities, teaching organisations and publications across Europe, as well as through the ManagEnergy website (which now receives over 20,000 visitors per week).
So, this is a great opportunity to promote your educational activities - and help us create Europe's leading database on energy education on the web. We look forward to hearing from you.
   
For more information visit the website: www.learn-energy.net

   
The Volvo Adventure is a challenge for young people in Eco-Schools. Can your school provide the next winner of the awards? Can your group show the adults the way forward with their projects and actions?
Take this year's winners of eco-active people in South Africa: Ladysmith Enviro Club, who carried out a project entitled "Electrical Efficiency from Our Town". The team's five members worked to increase the use of low-energy bulbs and thus reduced energy consumption and emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The eco-focused 16-year-olds had replaced more than 4000 bulbs with low-energy variants in households, schools and bed & breakfasts in the town of Ladysmith. According to the group's own calculations, the low-energy bulbs have reduced energy consumption by about 1,584,000 kWh. The group also planted trees to increase carbon dioxide absorption and thus reduce the global greenhouse effect. In addition, the project promoted partnerships with other pro-environmental organisations, companies and schools with the aim of marketing an ecologically sustainable lifestyle.
   
Now we are looking for the 2006 winners - could it be your group? All you have to do is register and enter your project now by visiting www.volvoadventure.org and the adventure can begin. The Award is run by Volvo Cars and Volvo AB in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to support existing environmental action taken by young people and to help young people start new projects. The web site offers lists of practical projects from previous years, along with project planning resources and introductions to environmental issues for teachers, youth groups, community groups and young people.
By registering, you have the opportunity to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the final in Sweden, a chance to take part in our forums to explore current environmental issues and the chance of a financial reward that could make it possible to run, improve or enhance their project. For young people it could be an adventure that offers a chance to make new friends all over the world, attract international attention and recognition for their project. All of the projects are presented to UNEP as examples of action taken to improve the environment.
   
Who can enter?
Anyone working on a practical environmental project aged between 10 and 16 years of age can enter for the Award. They need to be working in groups of two to five people and actively involved in devising and managing the project.
Why not enter your own project? The aim is that you should be able to run it as a school or community project and present your ideas on the Internet.
   
Start on the website
What do you need to do to get started? Go to the Volvo Adventure website - www.volvoadventure.org. There you will find everything you need to register your project. You will then receive a start-up package with instructions on how to proceed. We look forward to seeing your network's projects! Good luck.
   
For more information visit www.volvoadventure.org

   
The Greenheart Project team is pleased to announce the "Green Power" Poster, Postcard and Flash Design Contest for 2005-2006. This contest gives students of all ages from around the world the opportunity to take part in a project making positive changes on a global scale and helping this new project to grow. We want you to show the world your vision for a sustainable future, sharing with us the ideals of a healthy world at peace, giving opportunity to all.
Send us your original designs for posters, postcards and flash webpages based on the theme of "Green Power". Some key concepts to keep in mind are our focus on: zero-emissions sea transport, fair trade, poverty alleviation, skills sharing, and technology transfer. The deadline for entries is January 31, 2006 and winners will be notified by March 31.
   
The Greenheart Project
Create a self-funding enterprise that uses environmentally clean and sustainable sail and solar power to provide free delivery of development aid and relief supplies to needy countries around the world. Promote fair trade, renewable energy and international cooperation. Develop a tool to help impoverished coastal communities improve their standards of living, while preserving their traditions and protecting the environment. The entire Greenheart Project will be based at sea on board a unique solar and wind powered sailing ship. This vessel, completely independent of fossil fuels, will sail continuously around the world visiting both developed and developing countries on a multiple mission of Aid, Promotion, Trade and Education.
   
For more information visit www.greenheartproject.org