In Krakow on Thursday, September 22, the Schools For Sustainable Development Conference was held. 124 Polish Schools were awarded Green Flags – the high standard set internationally for schools that carefully limit and monitor their impact on the environment. This is no mean feat, they have achieved this not only by introducing systematic changes to their environment and changes in education, but also a change in consciousness. The schools that were awarded Green Flags now stand in the top 15,000 environmentally friendly schools in the world.
The 10th National Conference of Schools for Sustainable Development was a true celebration of ecology. 124 international Green Flag certificates were awarded along with 93 Local Environmental Activity Centre National Certificates. The conference which consisted of over 250 guests, got underway with the Social Affairs Advisor to the President - Mr. Henryk Wujec reading a letter from the Polish President Bronisław Komorowski.
Along with a model school from Poland (a middle school from Okonek), a mixture of foreign guests showcased their experience in implementing environmental systems and how Green Flag’s were gained abroad.
John Smrčka from TEREZA presented an Eco-Schools operation in the Czech Republic, whilst Sarah Pickering, a representative of Foundation for Environmental Education (comprising all 50 countries applying for certification) spoke about the most interesting operations of the Eco-schools globally.
Workshops were conducted by the President of the Environmental Partnership Foundation, Rafał Serafin. During which, participants had the chance to work out the demands on resources and evaluate current values already in place. In order to implement sustainable development practice and identify what they are missing. The summary of these ideas are to be sent to the President Bronisław Komorowski in order for them to be presented at the Conference in Brazil – Rio + 20.
After the conference it was time for the eagerly awaited certification awards ceremony. Beside the certificates, each school also received prizes that will surely spice up their ecological studies this school year. Once again, congratulations to all awarded schools, we hope for more successes in the years to come!
A gallery with pictures from the conference can be found on Picasa Gallery as well as on our Facebook profile.
X Schools for Sustainable Development Conference is implemented under the project "With the energy of Schools for Sustainable Development to the Green Flag Club" funded by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
