Environmental education and awareness (EEA) in the City of Prague

(the text below is based on the chapter Environmental education and awareness (EEA) in the City of Prague published in yearbook Prague Environment 2004)

 

Environmental education and awareness (EEA) (herein after as the EEA) is a system, which leads to the acquiring of knowledge, skills and habits, forming hierarchy of values and life style necessary for environmental protection towards sustainable development at local as well as global scale. It accentuates the direct contact to nature and practice, completely understood issues, utilisation of the most modern findings for their solution, and locality-specific features. The EEA is focused on the whole population, which is further subdivided depending on specific objectives and means into main target groups as follows: personnel of public administration, children and the youth, private enterprises, and the general (lay-by) public. Special stress is put on the EEA in children and the youth because the whole life attitudes and habits are formed at the early age.

 

Fundamental documents at national and international levels

The EEA implementation is anchored within the valid legislation (namely the Act No. 123/1998 Code on the right for environmental information as amended by the following regulations, the Act No. 114/1992 Code on nature conservation and landscape protection, the Act No. 17/1992 Code on the environment, the Act No. 561/2004 Code on the pre-school, elementary, secondary, higher professional, and other education (the education act). In general, the EEA is also based on international documents (Directive 2003/4/EC of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and cancelling the Directive 90/313 EEC, Aarhus Convention, and Agenda 21).

The fundamental conceptual documents at the national level in the EEA field are the State EEA Programme of the Czech Republic (SP EEA CR, the document approved by the Decision of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 1048 of 23 October 2000) and the following Action Plan SP EEA CR for 2004 to 2006 (approved by the Decision of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 991 of 8 October 2003). The strategic objective of he SP EEA CR is the application of sustainability principles in practise of the whole education structure of the society. Following to the aforementioned conceptual documents the preparations of regional systems and concepts of the EEA have been carried out in respective regions.

 

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Implemented through the Prague City Hall and organizations established by the City of Prague

The City of Prague is active in this area following to the aforementioned national conceptual documents, effective legislation, and international documents. The EEA issues also form a part of the Programme Declaration of the Council of the City of Prague for 2002 to 2006. In 2002 the Council of the City of Prague (hereinafter as “the Council”) approved, in its Decision No. 1741 of 22 November 2002 “Objectives and major tasks of the EEA on the territory of the City of Prague” following to the State Programme of the EEA of the Czech Republic.

In 2004 the Regional Concept of the EEA in the City of Prague (RC EEA) was developed within a project implemented by the team of the Centre for Community Planning of Central Bohemia (CpKP střední Čechy) and Regional Environmental Centre of the CR (REC ČR). The main outcome of the project – “Regional Concept of Environmental Education and Awareness on the Territory of the City of Prague” – was submitted to the Environmental Committee of the Assembly of the City of Prague, which discussed the Concept produced and recommended it to be approved by the Council. The Concept should become the basic strategic document in this field till 2015.
Note:
The document was approved by the Decision of the Council of the City of Prague No. 0121 of 1st February 2005. In regards to the mentioned declaration, the EVVO Action Plan for the City of Prague is being prepared for years 2005 – 2007.

A number of partial activities in the EEA have been implemented for a long time by respective departments or sections of the Prague City Hall. The EEA issues fall into the responsibility of, especially, Department of the City Greenery (City grants for environmental matters – one of the themes is also the EEA, preparations of information and awareness materials on nature conservation and urban greenery protection), Department of the City Infrastructure (in the field of waste management – competitions for schools, preparations of information materials for the public), Department of Education (City-wide programmes to support education – within the Programme 1, projects concerning the EEA may be submitted, preparations of didactic aids and competitions concerning waste management), and Department of Informatics (publishing of Prague Yearbooks – the Environment and CD-ROMs Prague – The Environment, operating the information system on Prague, operating the Internet applications of the Atlas of the Environment, PREMIS, ENVIS, etc.).

In 2004 personnel of the aforementioned departments contributed to the preparations of the RC EEA. The Party Ordering was the DOCG on behalf of the City of Prague, which co-ordinated and provided for the whole process of the preparations. Representatives of the DOCI and SKU were members of the Steering Committee, which played the role of a reviewer to the Project Party Ordering.

Among the basic pillars of the EEA system on the territory of the City of Prague there are schools and educational facilities. Detailed information on the state of the EEA in kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities in Prague is given in the Analytical Part of the regional Concept of the EEA and in other information sources given. Here only selected basic information is provided.

Kindergartens: The implementation of environmental education in kindergartens in the Czech Republic has been performed on the basis of the Framework Programme for the Preschool Education, which accentuates also the environmental education and awareness area “The Child and the World”. A portion of kindergarten in the City of Prague participates in the existing networks/projects focused on the EEA, for example, “Healthy Kindergarten”, “M.R.K.E.V.” (Methodology and Implementation of Comprehensive Environmental Education), initiative “PEPEK” (Prague Ecopedagogical Club), and Archa 21. In 2004 the Kindergarten Little Seed was opened on the premises of the Centre of Environmental Education of the City of Prague Toulcův dvůr.

Elementary schools: The extent and implementation of the EEA at elementary schools are affected by the chosen educational programme (National School, General School, Elementary School) and other factors. 84 elementary schools cooperate in the networks of the Association for the Environmental Education Tereza, Club for Environmental Education (KEV), Green School, and in the network of the Healthy School. Schools are also associated in the Prague Eco-Pedagogical Club “PEPEK”. Among the major projects, in which elementary schools take part, there are the project of the Network of Environmental Education Centres the Web (SSEV Web), M.R.K.E.V., in which 35 elementary schools were registered, further nation-wide school projects steered by the Association Tereza, and projects of the Club of Environmental Education (6 elementary schools of Prague cooperated year-round in the project Tulip with the Faculty of Education of the Charles University and the following project UNESCO and over fifty teachers from various elementary schools participated in other events in 2003–2004).

Secondary schools: In total there are 196 secondary schools in Prague, 18 of them participates in various networks/projects focused on the EEA. Numerous secondary schools participate in projects and events organised by the Club of Environmental Education (the UNESCO project, professional workshops, 1^st Environmental Conference of Secondary Schools), events organised by the Pedagogical Centre Prague, deals with projects prepared by the Association Tereza, etc. One grammar school (Eco-Grammar School) declares right in its name the increased interest in environmental education and enables to pass the A-level examination of ecology (in the broad sense of the word). This school also arranges for the Prague Olympics in Ecology on its premises.

The EEA forms a part of the introduced and verified Framework Educational Programmes (RVP) of the elementary and grammar school education.

Other organisations falling under the responsibility of the City also perform EEA activities as, for example, the Prague Botanical Garden, Prague Zoological Garden, Observatory and Planetarium of the City of Prague, House of the Children and Youth of the City of Prague. An important part of the activities is also focused on the adults.

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Implemented by means of other organisations

Universities

At present there 26 universities active on the territory of the City of Prague. The faculties preparing future teachers, namely Faculty of Education of the Charles University and Faculty of Science of the Charles University, which participated in the delivery of the UNDP project “Towards Sustainable Development of the Czech Republic – Creating Conditions”, dedicate their activities to issues of environmental protection, sustainable development and the EEA at various extent within the preparations of pedagogical staff. Majority of universities participates in the education of experts focused on environmental issues and sustainable development at various extents and various concentrations on. Detailed information can be found in the given information sources.

On the territory of the City of Prague there are numerous professional institutions falling into the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MEYS CR), which are active national-wide (Pedagogical Centre Prague, Institute for Children and the Youth of MEYS CR, Pedagogical Research Institute in Prague).

 

Activities of non-government, non-profit organisations (NGOs)

The non-government, non-profit organisations have been implementing an important part of activities in the EAA field focused on the public, children, and youth. In Prague there are 26 national or local organisations dealing with the EEA in children and youth either as their core activity or one activity of their activities portfolio. A special group of NGOs important for the EEA in Prague are centres of environmental education and eco-centres. In Prague there are several professional organisations specialised in the EEA – members of the national Association of SSEV Web (Eco-Centre Mycelium and Environmental Centre/Centre of Environmental Education of the City of Prague Toulcův dvůr), eco-centres of the CUNC (Association of Young Nature Conservationists and its Centre for Children and the Youth, and other accredited eco-centres of the CUNC) and the Association Tereza.

Schools and other organisations from Prague use services of some other centres and organisations focused on the EEA and residing out of Prague (for instance, CEE Chaloupky, SEVER, Dřípatka, etc.). Important activities focused on public awareness were performed by, for example, the Green Circle (Public Information Centre/Ecoline, the campaign Game for the Earth) and the Association ARNIKA. The Club of Environmental Education – professional civil association of schools and pedagogues has 36 members in Prague coming from elementary and secondary schools and universities – out of them 11 are collective members, i.e. whole schools. The EEA forms and important part of the activities and focus of the Czech Ornithological Society (ČSO) residing in Prague 10 - Hostivař.

Administrations of protected areas in the vicinity of Prague (APLA Český kras, APLA Kokořínsko, and APLA Křivoklátsko) have also been contributing to the out-of-school EEA of the children, youth, and adults in an important manner.

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The EEA funding in the City of Prague

Tab. - Grants to support projects for the improvement of the environment in the City of Prague (the agenda is organised by the OMZ MHMP)

Year	Total number of projects submitted	Total number of accepted projects / number of projects accepted in he field of the EEA	Total resources allocated / allocated resources – projects on the EEA [CZK]
2003	145	74 / 34	7 495 100 / 2 916 100
2004	138	78 / 41	8 626 000 / 4 652 000

Note: The subdivision of projects into the EEA projects and other projects is just approximate.

Source: OMZ MHMP

Tab. - City-wide programmes to support education on the territory of the City of Prague (the agenda is administered by the SKU of the Prague City Hall)

Year	Number of accepted EEA projects	Resources allocated to the EEA projects [CZK]
2003	3	234 250
2004	3	296 400

Source: SKU MHMP

Note: A portion of the EEA projects implemented on the territory of the City of Prague has been financed and/or co-financed also from other sources (grant programmes of respective City Districts, tenders of the MOE CR for the support to projects submitted by civil associations and general benefit companies, grant programmes of foundations, financial gifts from companies and individual persons, a UNESCO project, etc.).

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Centre of environmental education of the City of Prague “Toulcův dvůr”

The Centre of Environmental Education of the City of Prague “Toulcův dvůr” (formerly Ecocentre) has been built in Prague - Hostivař since the end 1994. The Association of Toulcův dvůr, which is responsible for its administration and development, concluded with the Prague City Hall the fifty-year agreement on the Administrations and Use of the Premises of Toulcův dvůr (Toulec’s Manor) on 4 January 1996. The Association members are the Basic Chapter Botič of the Brontosaurus Movement, Association SRAZ, 4^th BCh of the CUNC, and since 2004 the Kindergarten Little Seed g. b. c. The objective of the member associations is to build premises for environmental education in Toulcův dvůr, which will serve for practical application of environmental education and the increasing of environmental awareness. In 2004 the association activities have been broadened which encompass environmental education programmes for schools, conferences and workshops, as well as events focused on active spending of leisure time of children and families. The Maternity Club Mateřídouška (Thyme) has been under operation year-round andon 1 September 2004 the Kindergarten Little Seed launched its activities. In the second half of 2004 the association began closer co-operation with several secondary schools and universities. Students visit the Centre, first of all, to acquire additional professional practise.

The facility of Toulcův dvůr may be operated only owing to the understanding and support it has been receiving from the Prague City Hall, appropriate ministries, foundations, and other sponsors as well as volunteers. The premises of Toulcův dvůr has had rich history. On a plot of 8 hectares there is a set of buildings protected as historical monuments (Gothic granary, Baroque stable), interesting natural communities (wetland, alluvial forest, rock outcrop, maple woods, and herb-rich meadow), and green areas under human management (orchard, field, and organic garden). Farm facilities form a part of the premises where Hucul horses, a cow, sheep, goats, and other livestock are kept. The premises are accessible to the public for free every day from 8.00 do 18.00 o’clock.

Detailed information is available at: www.toulcuvdvur.cz.