To increase the number of schools participating in the programme, to give information on main principles of the programme for newcomers and to refresh the minds of the teachers and pupils from the already participating Eco-Schools, local seminars are organised usually in the first semester of the school year, in Turkey. This year, the first two seminars were organised in Ankara (on November 29^th) and in Eskisehir (on December 2^nd), with the participation of teachers and pupils from the Eco-Schools and newcomers, and some local authorities, as well. The main principals of eco-schools programme, as well as the activities planned by FEE Turkey in the educational year 2002/03 were explained during the seminar. Also, information on the Linking Schools project, and the two planned competitions (Eco-Code and Eco-Project) was given to the teachers and the pupils. The seminar in Ankara took place in the conference hall of Bilkent Primary School, with the participation of teachers and around 100 pupils from 9 eco-schools. The headteacher of the Bilkent Primary School was present in the meeting, and also spoke to the crowd, giving emphasis on the benefits of the project to their school, and their efforts to involve the community to help protect the environment. In Eskisehir, the seminar took place in the Conference Hall of the Metropolitan Municipality Cultural Centre, with the participation of teachers and pupils from 12 Eco-Schools, Eco-Schools regional coordinators from Tepebasi Municipality, Vice Director of National Educational Office in Eskisehir, a forestry engineer from the regional forestry directorate in Eskisehir, and also the Mayor of Tepebasi Municipality were present at the meeting. The mayor also presented a speech, and shared his observations on how the behaviours of the community around the eco-schools in Tepebasi region have changed in two years with the implementation of the programme. He also stated that their support on the programme as the municipality would continue and they would be pleased to keep on working with FEE Turkey on environmental education. The seminars were understood to be beneficial to re-emphasise the main targets of the programme, and the importance of community involvement, as well as to inform the teachers and pupils on the efforts of FEE Turkey and new developments within eco-schools. Moreover, the linking schools project, and the competitions were welcomed with a great enthusiasm among Turkish eco-schools, and it is understood from the feedbacks that those projects increased the interest to the programme.

   
If the WSSD in Johannesburg has given an idea of the efforts needed to accomplish sustainable development, it also has emphasised exemplary initiatives in this field. Implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) in schools are on the list of initiatives which need support and encouragement. Some experiments are taking place in Europe and now it's time to make them known and to examine them during. This was one of the objectives of the European seminar which took place on Wednesday, 27^th of November 2002 in Mons, Belgium. The Seminar was organized by COREN (Coordination Environnement) and the Association Universitaire pour l'Environnement. Sérgio Santos, International Coordinator for Eco-Schools, was invited to present a communication, entitled, "The Eco-Schools approach to participative environ-mental management: The Case of a successful, flexible system".
Information on the Seminar, including programme, abstracts of presentations and, soon, links to the whole presentations, can be found on the official site: www.coren.be/sme

   
The Portuguese Eco-Schools Seminar 2002/03 took place in the Biological Park of Gaia, from 25^th to 26^th of November. The event gathered about 200 participants including teachers, representatives from local authorities, from the ministry of education (department of basic education) and from other environmental education entities. As in previous seminars, several environmental education experts were invited to present the different Eco-Schools themes (water, waste, energy, organic agriculture, school grounds, noise and transport). In addition, were also presented a number of Eco-Schools case studies by their coordinating teachers. Furthermore, this year was launched a new theme - biodiversity, and a new competition - "Green Brigade". Additionally, the linking and itinerary system was presented and there are already several schools registering, interested in establishing links with others worldwide. At the Biological Park of Gaia facilities, there was also an exhibition of posters from the 2002 "Eco-Code" competition, reports and other materials produced by the Awarded Eco-Schools in 2001/02. This year' national seminar was once more a training opportunity, which allowed teachers to learn and to exchange experiences between themselves and other entities involved in the implementation of Eco-Schools.
   
   

   
On the 20^th of November 2002, the Portuguese national railway company (CP - Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses) in cooperation with several NGOs (including ABAE - FEE Portugal) organised an environmental education activity entitled: "Environmental Train". By train, from Lisboa to Entroncamento (roundtrip), 55 students (4^th and 7^th grade) involved in the programmes Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment, participated in environmental education activities related to transports. "Help the Environment, don't be late, take a train, and settle the case!" This is part of the Eco-Code produced by the students with the best 6 thematic statements on "railways and the environment". These activities will be continued and integrated into the school subjects throughout the academic year.

   
Bringing together governments, parliamentarians, local authorities, and civil society organisations from the 44 member States of the Council of Europe, the Europe-wide Congress on Global Education focused on sharing national strategies for increased commitment to global education. It has been a significant signpost on the road to achieving global education for all Europeans. The Congress brought together over 220 delegates from over 50 countries, including 40 of the member states of the Council of Europe, as well as from Africa, Asia and Latin America, together with representatives from COE observer states Japan and the USA. The Congress included space for the debate and discussion of an outcomes document "A European Strategy Framework for Increased and Improved Global Education to the Year 2015". During the Congress this document, known as the Maastricht Global Education Declaration was negotiated by Governments, debated and owned by Civil Society organisations; while Parliamentarians and Local and Regional Authorities also were engaged in formulating the document. Under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Mats Aberg (Sweden), a Drafting Committee re-worked the document, which was acclaimed in final plenary. The Congress was organized by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and its Partners, and supported by a number of Institutions and Organisations, including the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Find out details about the Congress by visiting the official website: www.globaleducationeurope.org
   
Access directly the "European Strategy Framework for Improving and Increasing Global Education in Europe to the Year 2015" - the "Maastricht Global Education Declaration", by following this link.
The Congress was organised by the Council of Europe's North-South Centre. Find out more about its activities from the site: www.nscentre.org

   
On November 9^th and 10^th in a beautiful place called Rascafria, surrounded by hills covered with Autumn colours, 15 Eco-Schools and almost 100 people have spent two days sharing experiences and learning from each other. It was a great opportunity, on Saturday evening, to see how some children explained to the others how they make soap from used oil, how other children make recycled paper, how some teenagers separate rubbish to recycle and how others compost organic waste, and, even, how more young pupils share their way for saving water and energy in their Eco-Schools. Pupils from 9 to 21 years old told us how they work day-by-day talking to their teachers and classmates about the Eco-Code compromises. Despite sometimes being hard to do, all of them showed great enthusiasm and they are happy as Eco-Committees members. On Saturday night, we all played and sang together and had a lot of fun with some shows that several Eco-Schools had prepared. On Sunday morning, teachers could talk for long about their ideas and solutions to some problems in eco-schools while pupils went for a walk through the forests learning about old traditions in the valley. In the afternoon, we could watch the Scottish Green Schools video and children wrote special letters to other Eco-Schools pupils in the world. So really soon you could receive one! From this page, we also send you and eco-hug!

   
The fourth edition of the annual national seminar organized by the Carpathian-Danubian Centre for Geoecology, Romanian associated member of FEE, on environmental education and sustainable development, took place in Bucharest on November 8, within the Geography Faculty, University of Bucharest, bringing together over 100 people. The agenda was a very generous one. At first the Romanian Ministries of Education and Research, of Waters and Environmental Protection and of Industry and Resources (National Commission for Recycling Materials) reconfirmed their support for the environmental education programs coordinated by CCDG in Romania (Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment).
In addition, the awarding ceremony of the second edition of the National Contest for Collecting Waste (called "Managing Waste, We Save the Planet and Ourselves") took place, supported financially by the Terra Magazin Revue and logistically by the National Commission for Recycling Materials. Participation of schools in this contest involved participation in the Eco-Schools Programme, collecting paper waste and used tin cans and buying Terra Magazin revue (the main sponsor), between January 1^st and June 30^th 2002. The results were quite impressive: though only 33 schools participated, they collected 243,3 tones of paper waste (in average 9.29 kilos/pupil in the six months of contest) and 815 kilograms of used tin cans! Based on the Romanian saying that "it's important to participate and not only to win" all the participants were rewarded: the fee for participating in the Eco-Schools Programme for the 2002/2003 scholar year will be covered by the sponsor, besides important prizes for the winners.
We also had the awarding ceremony with the Green Flag of the last two schools of the 10 awarded in Romania: Schools no. 18 and "Grigore Antipa" High School both located in Brasov, a very beautiful town in the centre of the country. A very important event was the launch of the national Eco-Schools web page: eco-scoala.ngo.ro. It is going to be a very important tool in further developing the programme, but still we have to work on it. As we benefited of technical support this web page has a very dynamic part: on the main page, there are news of schools, NGO's, communities related to environmental education and action. Everybody has access to introducing news, as the system was designed to be a user friendly one. Unfortunately, we have not managed to translate it into English yet. Presenting the Itinerary and Linking Project, we noticed a strong interest of schools, but we still could not launch it yet. Probably in the next weeks, the Romanian schools will be in the schools' database. The seminar was also an excellent way of communicating with each other, discussing problems, bringing new ideas and realizing once again we are all now in a very strong family: the Eco-Schools Family.

   
From the 6^th-9^th of November a large tourism exposition was held in the city of Varna, Bulgaria. All of the nature parks in Bulgaria attended the exposition including Golden Sands Nature Park, which are the regional coordinators of the Eco-Schools programme in Varna. Eco-Schools had a booth to advertise the programme and display materials produced by different schools. Ten schools from Varna applied this year for the Green Flag and of these, six were awarded in a ceremony on the second day of the programme. On the third day of the expo, there was a meeting for teachers, school directors and others involved with Eco-Schools. Finally, many Eco-Schools in the region were visited by the programme coordinators and other interested people.    
   

On October 31, 2002, countries bordering the Black Sea celebrated the International Day of the Black Sea. In the coastal port city of Bourgas, Bulgaria, students from Mikhail Lakatnick Primary School participated in a variety of activities that emphasized the importance of this body of water. Students submitted pictures, poems, and essays for a contest organized by a local NGO. They also attended a programme and award ceremony and brought home many prizes. Students from the fourth grade eco-class took scientific measurements of the sea. They then participated in a citywide student discussion organized by the municipality on the problems facing the Black Sea and what they can do to help.

   
Bringing together governments, parliamentarians, local authorities, and civil society organisations from the 44 member States of the Council of Europe, the Europe-wide Congress on Global Education will focus on sharing national strategies for increased commitment to global education. It will be a significant signpost on the road to achieving global education for all Europeans.  It will also be an important step towards achieving the Millennium Goals - agreed targets for tackling global poverty and exclusion - through greater critical public engagement. But more and better global education - development, human rights, environmental, intercultural learning - is required. The Congress, entitled “Achieving the Millennium Goals: Learning for Sustainability.  Increased commitment to global education for increased critical public support”, is organised by the North South Centre of the Council of Europe, and supported by a number of governments and organisations, including the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Taking place in the follow up to the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Congress provides an opportunity for turning commitments made in Monterrey and Johannesburg into specific global education actions, policies and strategies for increased and improved global education for sustainable development at national level. The Congress will bring together the best policy, thinking and practice in Global Education for Sustainable Development throughout Europe, East and West, in order to share support strategies, build on present work throughout the European states, and significantly progress planning for the implementation of the Johannesburg conclusions in the field of global education for sustainable development in the countries of Western, Central and Eastern Europe.
   
For more information on:
- the Congress and its agenda, associated Partners and Supporters and follow-up information and resources, visit the official website at www.globaleducationeurope.org
- the North South Centre of the Council of Europe: www.nscentre.org
- FEE: www.fee-international.org
   
Note: In 1999, the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, together with NCDO - Dutch National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development, awarded Eco-Schools, a programme of FEE, with the prestigious "WorldAware Award for Global Education"

   
The 29^th October saw the launching of the Eco-Schools pilot project in the small Mediterranean island of Malta. With the support of the Ministries of Environment (through the Maltese Environment & Planning Authority, MEPA) and Education, MAEE – Maltese Association of Environmental Educators, will be FEE’s newest Member organisation. The launch event was held at the Primary School at St Julians, Malta, with pupils, Headmasters and teachers from the pilot schools, and press. Responsible authorities for the Ministries of Environment and Education, as well as FEE and MAEE representatives participated.
The following Press Release was issued:
“Six schools pilot international Eco-Schools programme
Six local schools are to participate in a pilot initiative aimed at empowering pupils, teachers and parents to take practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of their schools. If successful, theis pilot initiative will enable Maltese schools to join some 7.000 other schools in 26 countries in a programme known as Eco-Schools. Government primary schools in St Julians, Saghra, Fgura, and Siggiewi, St. Joseph’s Primary Schools, Blata l-Bajda and St Edwards College will take part during this scholastic year. Each school is to set up a committee including teachers, students, parents and support staff which will review the school’s environmental impact, prepare an action plan and devise an eco-code outlining what the school wishes to achieve through the programme. Developed in 1994, the Eco-Schools programme seeks to raise environmental awareness and to promote sustainable development at a local level in the classroom, at home and in the wider community. The programme is an example of the implementation of the United Nations’ Local Agenda 21. The initiative to pilot Eco-Schools in Malta was taken by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and was launched today by Education Minister Louis Galea and Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment George Pullicino. Also present was Mr Sérgio Santos, International Coordinator for the Eco-Schools programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education. During the scholastic year Parliamentary Secretary George Pullicino will be visiting schools to explain Local Agenda 21 and children’s´ role in improving the environment.”
The project is being steered by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and the Education Division (Ministry for Education). Dr Paul Pace is project Coordinator.
Press release by Malta Environment & Planning Authority (www.mepa.org.mt), 29 October 2002
   
Jean Paul Schembri, a pupil of Dun Guzepp Primary School at St Julians, which hosted the event, read out this address on behalf of his school:
“Dear guests and friends,
On behalf of the school administration, staff and fellow students I would like to welcome you to our school and to thank you for giving us this wonderful opportunity to participate in the Eco-Schools pilot project. We are sure that our school, like all others taking part, will not only benefit from this experience but also contribute towards its success. Speaking on behalf of all students, I would like to thank you also for giving us the opportunity to be represented here today for this important occasion of the launching of this project. We, the students, want to show that we too care about the well-being of our planet, our tiny home in the infinite universe which has so far been so good to us. We too are afraid that one day this tiny home may become unfit to live in. We are therefore looking forward to be able to join the other thousands of schools and hundreds of thousands of other students across the world in this project. We can make a difference. We can give our share. Starting in our schools, we can make our life more safe, more healthy, more meaningful, but above all, more in harmony with our environment. We hear how politicians and other important people work hard to give our generation a better future. Perhaps it is now time for us young people to do something for ourselves and for our own future. Show us the way and we will take up the challenge.”

   
The 2002 Eco-Schools International Conference and Meeting of National Programme Managers was held in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. Programme Coordinators from 24 countries, from as far away as Iceland to Turkey and from Norway to South Africa, participated, as well as the European Coordinators for two other school-based programmes of FEE – Young Reporters for the Environment and Learning About Forests. The opening ceremony included addresses from Prof Graham Ashworth, President of FEE, Dr Strike Mkandla, Head of Technical Cooperation with the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation of UNEP, Mr Philip Rycroft, Head of Schools Group of the Scottish Executive, and Mr Sérgio Santos, International Coordinator for Eco-Schools. The event was hosted and sponsored by the Scottish Executive and the UK Eco-Schools Programme (Environmental Campaigns), in collaboration with Keep Scotland Beautiful.
On Thursday, some delegates visited two Scottish Eco-Schools: Portobello, and Currie Community High Schools. On Friday, the programme included presentations from the Scottish Executive, Local Authorities and teachers on Eco-Schools in Scotland: “a successful case of multi-level institutional support”, final demonstration of two significant online projects before their official launch (Linking & Itinerary; and Environmental Performance Indicators), workshops on global citizenship education as appropriate through the Eco-Schools programme, and discussion about International projects and initiatives. There was also an Eco-Schools “fair”, with stalls where national programme Coordinators were able to demonstrate the materials and resources made available to schools in their respective countries. The Scottish Eco-Schools video was shown to the audience. The formal meeting of Eco-Schools Programme Managers was held on Saturday.
The event was very successful, and the Coordination expresses thanks to the hosts and sponsors which made the event possible, constructive and interesting. In addition to the work programme, delegates were also treated to a reception with the teachers from the visited schools, and a trip to a local brewery to participate in a “ceilidh”, a session of high-energy Scottish country dancing!

   
The Eco-Bazaar is a Slovenian environmental education school project, which took place for the first time in Ljubljana in October 1999, at the international fair on “Nature and Heath”. This year, the event took place from 11 to 15 October, and 35 schools were involved with more than 1.500 students and their teachers. The main rule was, that students, who came to Ljubljana from other cities and villages, should arrive by train and not by bus. Each participant school of this project exhibition had its own stand according to the chosen theme:
- The students prepared, planed and made their texts, posters and other contributions to exhibit on their stands.
- Teachers lead and advise the students who made exhibition;
- The coordinator of each Slovenian Eco-School participated on the analysis of education and training of youth for the sustainable development.
The programme of the Eco-Bazaar project was as followed:
1) Presentation of eco-workshops;
2) Presentation of students’ research project on the themes of biodiversity, eco-tourism, environmental education and ethics, mountains and man (people), protection of our environment.
3) There were performances, fashion shows and eco-exhibitions.
4) Eco-quiz (with themes from the “Agenda 21 for Slovenia“)
5) Eco-beauty contest with emphasis on the knowledge of environment and healthy living such as: sport, nutrition, and free time...
6) Teachers’ meeting on the theme: eco-interdisciplinary education of teachers within the education system in Slovenia.
7) Presentation of students’ works on ecology themes such as: paintings, sculptures, posters, production, clothes made of natural materials
8) Presentation of healthy vacation options for youth and their families in natural environments.
9) Presentation of the project “getting over the fear of different animals”.
10) Promotion of Eco-Schools to other Slovenian schools, in order to encourage them to join the programme of FEEE-Slovenia.
Under the efficient results of the Eco-Bazaar Project on the last three years, it will become a component of the Slovenian Eco-Schools’ activities. The Eco-Bazaar project will continue in next years, with improvements. In 2003 will be held on the same place and on the same fair, and we would like if other countries could join us, such as Italy, Croatia and Austria because they are our nearest neighbours.

   
Thirteen to fifteen-year-olds are now given the opportunity to decide for themselves, which of the many chemicals they meet in their everyday lives are "cool" or crappy. What is in my deodorant, T-shirt or lipstick? And what does it matter to me? These are some of the questions that the Danish Ministry of the Environment challenge students and teachers to find answers to in a new set of interactive teaching materials for physics, chemistry and social studies. Chemical Days takes 13-15 year-olds on a chemical tour of a teenager’s room. During the tour they are asked to consider the choices they make each day, when they use their mobile phone, read a magazine, do their hair, or put on a pair of trousers.
"The teaching material pinpoints the ongoing debate about hazardous substances we come into contact with in our everyday life. And it is extremely important to involve the youth in this debate, since they are already out there as consumers. They must be able to take a personal stand and in order to do this they must be able to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary chemicals. It is not my place to give them specific answers, but what I would like is that the students find - through assignments and discussion - their own standpoint and opinions", says Danish Minister for the Environment, Hans Christian Schmidt. Chemical Days has been developed in close cooperation with teachers of 13 to 15-year-olds.
Fifteen-year-old students in a Danish school have tested the material together with their teachers. After the test the class teacher said: "Chemical Days is a good introduction to a subject that is otherwise difficult and uninteresting for students. I saw that the students were very enthusiastic and involved because the Chemical Days material is based on their own interests and concerns."
The teaching materials are available in both Danish and English versions and are therefore suitable for inter-disciplinary teaching, involving, for example, physics, chemistry, social studies and English. Chemical Days is free and ready to use in schools from 27 September - either directly onscreen or as a printout. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has developed the teaching materials and will present the website at the Danish Science Festival 2002 on 27 September.
Chemical days is available on: www.chemicaldays.com
   
For more information see www.mst.dk/chemi/01090000.htm

   
The Portuguese Eco-Schools Annual Awarding Ceremony was held on 26^th of September 2002 in Maia, near the northern city of Oporto. 176 schools received the green flag award, and certificates for the school and for the coordinator teacher of the programme. 21 of these schools were awarded for the fifth/sixth time, and received a special merit certificate for their continuous efforts to improve the environ-mental quality of their school and local community. Several Munici-palities were also distinguished with a certificate for their support and close work with the schools helping them to implement the programme. Representatives from the Munici-pality, as well as the President of ABAE/FEE Portugal and the Eco-Schools International Coordinator, were present for the event.

   
After a tough year of preparation works carried out by VAK finally results were seen during the “National Forum of Environmental Education” on the 13th of September where the Eco-Schools programme was also officially launched in Latvia. The event gathered not only about 100 delegates from environmental and educational structures, schools, municipalities and NGO’s, but also distinguished guests, such as the Minister for Environment FEE was represented by the vicepresident Jan Erikssen and the international coordinators of Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment. The forum was opened by the Minister of Environment and Regional Development. Participants also received greetings from the President of state and the Head of the UN Delegation in Latvia. The event was a big step towards the future development of FEE programmes in Latvia. VAK already received interest from various schools to take part in the pilot project in the Renda Municipality. Following the opening of the Eco-Schools Programme, we have already received 5 more applications from new schools, and expect many more to be coming!

   
The Eco-Schools National Programme Managers Meeting 2002 will take place in the beautiful and historic city of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 11 and 12 of October. The event will be hosted and sponsored jointly by UK Eco-Schools and the Scottish Executive (National Administration).
The event will begin with an opening ceremony and workshops/discussion round-tables, focussing in particular on the development of Global Education through Eco-Schools. There will also be a “fayre” (exhibit), where Eco-Schools materials and projects from the different countries can be displayed as an incubation-point of ideas for development in other countries and regions.  Programme Managers from all over Europe, as well as South Africa, are expected to participate in this event, which, in addition to the formal work agenda, provides an opportunity to liaise and meet informally as well, exchanging ideas and creating new possibilities.

   
The FEE GA 2002 was hosted in the historic city of Istanbul by FEE Turkey, with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Tourism.  The annual event is an important process in the development of FEE as an umbrella organisation effective in implementing programmes for the environment and sustainable development.Of the organisations which became new FEE Members in 2002, Keep St Petersburg Tidy (Russia) and Centro de Estudios, Análisis y Documentación del Uruguay - CEADU (Uruguay) have expressed interest in piloting the Eco-Schools programme as a priority.
   
For more information on FEE, and the General Assembly, visit the website www.fee-international.org

   
The Workshop, entitled “Eco-Schools Partnerships in Africa:  Plan of Action for the African Region”, which was funded by UNEP and organised by UNEP and FEE/Eco-Schools Coordination together with SADC, WESSA and KOEE, brought together participants from 14 countries to elaborate a Plan of Action and set of guidelines for the introduction of Eco-Schools in Africa through a wider FEE network.  For 4 full days (June 11-14), delegates from governmental institutions, non-governmental organisations, regional and international organisations worked together to identify the background issues, potential benefits, and challenges to the implementation of Eco-Schools in Africa.  More specifically, delegates discussed the existing frameworks, policies and initiatives in place in the different countries of Eastern and Southern Africa; institutional, financial and other barriers, enabling processes and events, and issues relevant to capacitation for local, national and regional coordination of Eco-Schools and elements of an active participation in an international network.
The delegates were from Ministries, Institutes and NGOs from Botswana, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and China, as well as from UNEP, FEE, SADC-REEP.
Draft guidelines were produced and are being worked on by the national delegates and institutions involved in the organisation of the Seminar.
Eco-Schools can be seen as an effective, practical and participatory way of implementing policies towards environment, sustainable development, community development and global education, among others, at national and regional levels, and indeed, also at school level.   This message will be relayed at key events.  One such event is the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in August/September, by Heads of State and Ministerial representatives, non-governmental organisations, and child and youth delegates.
Follow-on developments on the introduction of FEE and Eco-Schools programme in African countries through the collaborative partnership with UNEP will be communicated in due course.
   
Note:  The World Summit on Sustainable Development, also known as the “Rio+10”, or “Johannesburg Summit”, will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4.  It is a major international event with relevance to the environment and sustainable development.  For background information, discussion forum, and updates and highlights during the event, there are many websites available.  See, for instance:
   
- www.johannesburgsummit.org
- www.unep.org
- www.earthsummit2002.org

   
On June 5^th the Slovenian Eco-Schools celebrated their 6^th Anniversary. It was a magnificent day for the students and the teachers. The First Lady (wife of the President of the Republic of Slovenia) awarded 79 schools with the green flag.

   
Three schools in Iceland were awarded the Green Flag this Spring. All these schools have a long tradition in environmental work, management and education. A year ago they agreed to be 3 of 12 pioneer schools implementing the Green Flag in Iceland in collaboration with Landvernd, the National Association for the Protection of the Icelandic Environment.
Many people attended the Green Flag celebrations, pupils, teachers and other school staff, parents, local politicians and officials, the chairman of Landvernd and members of the Green Flag steering group. All the celebrations were cheerful with songs and speeches and good weather.
Siv Friðleifsdóttir, the minister of the environment, handed the first flag over to the headmaster of Selásskóli on the 27^th of May and members of the environmental committee of the school flagged the green flag. Selásskóli is on the outskirts of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, with 430 pupils. Fossvogsskóli received the second Green Flag from the FEE Vice President Mr. Jan Eriksen from Denmark. Fossvogsskóli has 320 pupils and celebrated its 30^th anniversary the same time. The school has been active in environmental education for at least 20 years. The third flag went to Andakílsskóli. It is a small school with less than 40 pupils in an agricultural area on the western part of Iceland. The school is on the campus of an agricultural college and this small school has done amazing work in the field of environmental education e.g. sent pupils to childrens environmental conferences both in England two duration ago and to Victoria B.C. this Summer.
Many pictures from the Green Flag celebrations at these schools are on the web: http://www.landvernd.is/skoli/

   
The Irish Green-Schools Annual Award Ceremony was held on 21^st of May 2002. Trevor Sergeant, leader of The Green Party, presented the Green Flag award to over sixty schools from around the country, at Trinity College Dublin. The day proved to be a great success as over 250 pupils and teachers from the four corners of Ireland braved the elements to attend. Also in attendance were the various local authority Environment Officers who work closely with the schools helping them to implement the programme on the ground. Forty-two schools received the award for the first time and an additional twenty schools were awarded the Green Flag for the second time. Of the sixty-two schools that received the award, ten were from County Kerry and nine from County Galway. The award is given to schools for their outstanding achievements in improving the environmental quality of the school and local community.  Over a quarter (1120) of all Irish schools are registered for the programme and 150 of these have been awarded the Green Flag to date.
This is the fifth year Green-Schools is operating in Ireland with sponsorship from Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland Ltd. and its success has become synonymous in other European countries. Testament to this was a recent visit from a Slovenian Eco-Schools delegation of fifty School principals and representatives from the Slovenian Department of Education. The purpose of their trip was to learn how Green-Schools operates in Ireland and to visit some of our Green Schools and affiliations. The trip included visits to Our Lady of Victories B.N.S., Ballymun, Dublin and St. Mary’s S.S., Arklow, Wicklow. Also on the agenda was a visit to one of our primary teacher training colleges, Marino Inst. of Education, where they were treated to a lecture on the ‘Green School – Green Classroom’ concept by Paddy Madden and Mary Burke. From here we headed to Airfield Trust, Dundrum, Dublin. Airfield is used as a centre for learning and recreation and offers a unique environmental and farm studies education programme for primary and secondary schools. Our visitors were very interested to learn of An Taisce’s Green-Schools partnership with the local authorities, and indeed they had the opportunity to meet some of the Environmental Officers involved in the programme at a reception held at An Taisce’s headquarters in Dublin. I hope our visitors went home impressed and inspired and have started Eco-School programmes of their own. 

   
The National Green Flag Awards Ceremony, organized on June 12^th 2002 in the sports hall of Ankara Beytepe Primary School passed off in a great cheer with the participation of awarded eco-schools’ teachers and pupils, and representatives from the governorship, municipality of Eskisehir funding Eco-Schools in that city, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, and Prime Ministry. This year, 20 Eco-Schools coming from 6 different cities of Turkey were awarded with Green Flag, mainly with the theme “litter and waste”. 4 of those Eco-Schools renewed their flags with the theme “energy”. Therefore, the number of awarded Eco-Schools in Turkey has now reached to 31 among our 99 registered! During the ceremony, the coordinator teacher of an awarded school in Ankara, a pupil from an awarded Eco-School, Türçev General Director and the Director of the Projects Division of Ministry of Education presented their speeches, giving emphasis on the importance of Eco-School experience on the social behaviours of the pupils towards a sustainable environment. Also, pupils from Ankara Eco-Schools joined the ceremony with their dance, drama, and gymnastic shows and the ceremony ended when all awarded schools appeared on the stage waving their flags and sang the 10^th Year March (a very popular march during national events in our country) together in cheer! After the ceremony, guests were invited to visit the exhibition of Eco-Schools, in which objects prepared using waste materials and projects on ecological life and renewable energy resources were demonstrated. Waiting for the 100^th Eco-School nowadays, as the Turkish Foundation, we hope to live such cheer with a growing mass of environment-friendly pupils and schools in the future too...

   
European Commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallström visited Cyprus on 27-28 June as part of her tour of the candidate countries for accession. Commissioner Wallström hold official talks with Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Costas Themistocleous and with Chief Negotiator for the accession of Cyprus George Vassiliou.
During her stay Commissioner Wallström also paied a courtesy visit to President Clerides and met with the House of Representatives Committee on the Environment as well as with Cyprus' representatives to the European Convention on the Future of Europe. Mrs Wallström also hold a round-table discussion with local environmental NGOs and delivered the keynote speech during a seminar on Friday 28 June at 09:00 hours at the Forum Intercontinental Hotel in Nicosia on Industrial Development and Environmental Protection organised by the European Institute of Cyprus and the Federation of Industrialists and Employers.
On Thursday 27 June at 17:00hrs Commissioner Wallström, Minister Themistocleous and Chief Negotiator Vassiliou hold a joint press conference at the Forum Intercontinental Hotel which was preceded by a short ceremony during which the Commissioner awarded commemorative plaques to selected schools which have excelled in the Eco-Schools Project run by the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association CYMEPA.

   
First Minister Jack McConnell today made a firm personal commitment to make sure that the voices of Scotland’s young people are heard at this summer’s World Summit on Sustainable Development. The First Minister met with primary school pupils from Shetland who won a WWF competition on green energy and received £15,000 to construct their own wind turbine. He asked Stephanie Wiseman (aged 12), who will represent the WWF in Johannesburg as an ‘Earth Champion’, for the views she is collecting from Scotland’s young people on environmental issues.
Confirming that he will attend the Summit, Mr McConnell said: "Young people are acutely aware that the decisions adults make today on sustainable development can leave an environmental legacy that could impact on the rest of their lives. I am determined that the voices of Scotland’s young people are heard at the World Summit."
Jack McConnell outlined four areas of action to put young people at the heart of Scotland’s involvement in the World Summit:
- The First Minister will help Stephanie in her preparations for the World Summit;
- The First Minister will ask Stephanie to be a core member of Scotland’s civic delegation;
- The First Minister will meet with Stephanie in South Africa and pay a visit with her to a school running the Eco Schools programme;
- The First Minister will help Stephanie report back to Scotland’s young people on the World Summit.
The First Minister added: "Too often lip service has been paid to views of young people. I take the views of young people very seriously, particularly on an issue like the environment. Many young people are often extremely well informed about green issues and care deeply about the future of our world. We adults could all learn something from the kind of commitment shown by the pupils here today from Shetland. Young people have the most to gain if adults take good decisions, but the most to lose if we get them wrong. That is exactly what sustainable development means - the development of our communities in a way which meets the needs of the next generation. That is why their views matter to me."
Linda Cracknell, WWF Education Officer said: "The WWF Our World project has given Lunnasting school the chance to learn about sustainable development by putting up their own wind turbine in Shetland. The project is also giving future generations a direct say in the World Summit by sending Stephanie to Johannesburg in September. We hope that politicians will hear young people’s powerful voices and we welcome Jack McConnell's support for the initiative. WWF wishes both Stephanie and the First Minister well in their trip to South Africa.
Stephanie Wiseman, one of four ‘Earth Champions’ from the UK, said: "Recently I asked for the concerns of the children from schools in Scotland so I could take them to Johannesburg. Most of the children were worried about the fact that people in Scotland need to recycle more. There should be a law to recycle and a small fine for dropping litter. They are also concerned that there will be no rainforests left soon which means animals will become extinct. Every time a tree is cut down at least over two should be planted. Another concern is about pollution of the seas and rivers causing harm to marine life and that not everyone can have clean water to drink. More renewable ways for getting energy would also help the world a lot, especially in Scotland."
   
News Release: «NewsReleaseNo»   Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk
   
Notes to News Editors:
1. The WWF have run the ‘Our World’ schools challenge in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Education and Skills, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive.
2. The Eco Schools programme is an innovative, pupil driven programme for environmental management and education for sustainable development within schools. It has been made a performance indicator for the National Priorities in Education. Lunnasting Primary School in Shetland was the first Scottish school to be awarded a Green Flag as part of Scotland’s Eco Schools programme.
3. The Scottish Executive will be host a major conference of Eco Schools co-ordinators from around the world this autumn to discuss how the programme can further be developed.

   
A high-level policy Workshop on Local Agenda 21 and the Eco-Schools Programme will take place in Howick, South Africa, 11-14 June. The aim of the Workshop is to establish Partnerships to extend the programme and make links between school initiatives in environmental education in Europe and Southern and Eastern Africa.
“Partnership for capacity building in environmental management for sustainable development is a key requirement in the follow up to the implementation of Agenda 21 and the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN). UNEP is honoured to invest in the future today by developing this kind of partnership. It is one among the UNEP activities being implemented in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) framework by emphasizing the need to actively engage the UN family, governments, NGO's and other development partners in enhancing young people's involvement in environmental management.” Donald Kaniaru, Division Director, Environmental Policy Implementation - UNEP.
Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in cooperation with Share-Net, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Environmental Education Programme, and the Kenya Organisation of Environmental Education (KOEE), the Workshop will bring together senior government officers in charge of environmental education, and representatives of non-governmental organisations and universities from 12 countries (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and also China, Portugal, and Germany) to identify existing capacities and initiatives, and draft guidelines for the implementation of the Eco-Schools programme.
“The Eco-Schools programme offers immense opportunities for linking communities with their schools. This linkage enables schools and communities to work together in solving and preventing environmental problems and thus implement Agenda 21 at the local level. As a direct benefit, schools have set up income generating micro-projects such as waste recycling and composting for school and family kitchen gardens as a way to alleviate poverty, and improve nutrition as they keep their environment clean. Together such local action will eventually translate into global action”, added Mr. Kaniaru.
The Eco-Schools programme aims at achieving sustainable environmental management at the local level through schools. Developed by FEE in 1994 with European Commission support, the programme promotes the importance of education and youth in working towards sustainable development as identified in Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Active pupil participation and community involvement are hallmarks of Eco-Schools. Presently there are over 7000 schools in 24 European countries taking part in the network, but the workshop will examine similar initiatives and programmes in Kenya, China and southern Africa and expand on UNEP’s environmental education programmes in the African region within the framework of the New Partnership for African Development, NEPAD.
“I am delighted that the Eco-Schools programme, already so effective in Europe, may, with adaptation, be replicated in Southern and Eastern Africa, where FEE and UNEP are keen to establish Partnerships as the first step in expanding the programme as a model global approach to Environmental Education.” Prof. Graham Ashworth, President – FEE”.
The Workshop, to be officially opened by the Minister for Environment and Tourism of the Republic of South Africa, is one of the first joint actions by UNEP and FEE in a Partnership to develop Eco-Schools as a model global environmental education programme to help achieve sustainable development. Using its regional reach, UNEP will identify partners for the implementation of the Eco-Schools programme, starting with Africa, then Asia and the Pacific and later in Latin America and the Caribbean. This networking will enable South-to-South cooperation and capacity building, as well as North-to-South/ South-to-North cooperative learning.
   

Notes to Editors/ Journalists:
NEPAD: New Partnerships for African Development is a programmatic framework in which the African Heads of State pledge based on a common vision and a firm and shared conviction that they have a pressing duty to eradicate poverty and place their countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development, and at the same time to participate actively in the world economy and body politic. NEPAD recognizes that the range of issues necessary to nurture the region's environmental base and sustainable use of natural resources is vast and complex, and a systematic combination of initiatives is necessary in order to develop a coherent environmental programme. NEPAD recommends the development and adoption of an environment initiative- a coherent action plan and strategies- to address the region's environmental challenges while at the same time combating poverty and promoting socio-economic development. This Environmental Action Plan for the 21^st century is a response to address such challenges. It is prepared through a consultative and participatory process under the leadership of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN). The plan is about Africa's common and shared sustainable development problems and concerns. It is a body of collective responsibilities and actions that African countries adopt and will implement to maintain the integrity of the environment and ensure the sustainable use of their natural resources through partnerships with the international community. It provides an appropriate framework for the establishment of a strong partnership for the protection of the environment between Africa and its partners based on the commitments contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration (Document can be found at www.un.org)

   
“Green Week 2002 provides a perfect platform for raising the awareness of EU environmental policies and activities. It highlights the leadership role that the EU plays in finding the solutions to the problems and challenges that face our environment. By highlighting priority policy areas, mobilising resources and strengthening dialogue and co-operation with key stakeholder groups across the EU, Green Week illustrates the "added value" of concerted Community-wide action. The general theme of Green Week 2002 is Our future, Our Choice - Changing our ways. The programme puts the spotlight on four central themes: children’s environment and health; sustainable consumption and production; the World Summit on Sustainable Development: Making globalisation work for sustainable development; and Natura 2000 - From vision to reality.”

   
For more information, contact: European Commission - Directorate General for Environment
europa.eu.int/comm/environment/greenweek/index.htm

   
36 schools and kindergartens celebrated their green flags in the Finnish awarding ceremony on May 30^th. The ceremony started with a speech from guest of honour, Mr Pentti Arajärvi, husband of the President. Two schools made a short presentation of their Eco-Schools projects. ”Aunt Green” demonstrated her tree-exercise – and audience followed her. Finally the flags were given by Mr Arajävi and “Aunt Green”. The 36 new flags make the total amount of green flags in Finland to 79. Green flags fly now all around Finland. There are a total of 120 schools and kindergartens participating in Finland. The awarding ceremony took place in the largest school participating in the programme: this school has 1300 pupils. They have proven wrong the idea that Eco-Schools is suitable only for smaller schools!