Environmental education and awareness (EEA) in the City of Prague
the text based on the chapter Environmental education and awareness (EEA) in the City of Prague published in yearbooks Prague Environment 2005 and Prague Environment 2004
(the text below is based on the chapter Environmental education and awareness (EEA) in the City of Prague published in yearbooks Prague Environment 2005 and Prague Environment 2004)
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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
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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 – amended as the Act No. 132/2000 Code, 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 the 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 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 EAA 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 approved by the Decision of the Council of the City of Prague No. 0121 of 1st February 2005. The concept should become the basic strategic document in this area till 2015.
For the territory of the City of Prague the following vision was set: “In 2015 the inhabitants of the City of Prague shall be aware and have high quality information on EEA, shall act in accordance with sustainable development principles and shall be aware of their responsibility for environmental protection”. In order to achieve this vision coming true a functional integrated EEA system shall be created which shall uniformly cover the whole territory of the city of Prague.
The priority areas of the EEA concept are the following:
- education, training and expert support to the EEA;
- providing of information on activities of environmental education and awareness;
- system for financing of environmental education and awareness activities;
- positive motivation of environmentally sound behaviour and promotion of EEA activities;
- communication in the area of EEA;
- number large enough of areas for the EEA implementation.
Following to the aforementioned decision there shall be the Action Plan of EEA.
A number of partial activities in the EEA have already been implemented for a long time by respective departments of the Prague City Hall. The EEA issues fall into the responsibility of, especially, Department of the Environmental Protection – OOP (till 30 June 2005 the Department of City Greenery – OMZ), Department of the City Infrastructure – OIM, Department of Education – SKU, and Department of Informatics – INF.
In 2004 employees of these departments and sections participated in the development of the RC EEA. The party ordering on behalf of the city of Prague was OMZ, which coordinated and provided for the whole preparation process. Representatives of the OIM and SKU departments were members of the Steering Committee, which played the role of a reviewer to the Project Party Ordering.
The most important activities of the Prague City Hall departments in the field of EEA in 2005:
Department of Environmental Protection of the Prague City Hall
The Department deals with agenda related to grants to support projects improving the environment in the City of Prague, which are declared by the Prague City Hall. EEA is also one of the thematic areas thereof. The Department also provides for preparations of information and educational materials and events on nature and city greenery conservation themes.
Selected activities in 2005: publication of the information brochure “Prague and Environmental Education” for schools and educational facilities; installing of information boards on the ongoing reconstructions of Prague’s lakes, their history and natural values of their vicinity, and gradual installing of new information boards into areas of special protection; arrangement of the event of the unlocking of springs in March (within the celebrations of the International Water Day); issuing of posters “Trees of Prague’s gardens, parks, and forests”; issuing of the information brochure “Horse chestnut leaf-miner, fearful pest” for inhabitants; recovery of the nature trail in the Nature Reserve Prokopské Valley on the route from Staré Butovice through Butovické Stronghold down to Prokopské Valley; creating of new Internet pages “Prague’s nature trails” (implemented by EVANS, Centre for Global Education); organising of the Children Day in the Royal Game Preserve Stromovka called “For horses to Stromovka”.
In cooperation with the Department of the City Greenery of the Prague City Hall citizens and schools could, with assistance of children, contribute to planting greenery within the celebrations of the Earth Day and at the same time to make urban environment healthier.
The Department of Environmental Protection supported the important event of Prague’s schools “Environmental Olympics”. This year’s theme was “City greenery and its role for large city life”. Students developed their papers on the theme and participated in the evaluation, which was carried out under the auspices of the Club of Environmental education of the Science and Education Faculties of the Charles University in Prague and at the Ecological Grammar School in Prague 10 and then in professional trip to the PLA Český ráj – the oldest PLA, which celebrates its 50 anniversary this year.
Department of Education of the Prague City Hall
The Department deals with agenda related to City-wide programmes on education support, which are every year announced by the City of Prague. Projects on EEA can also be submitted within these programmes. The Department also cooperates with the company of Pražské služby, a. s. in the preparation of certain didactic aids and competitions on waste management for schools.
In 2005 the implementation of the project “Creating and evaluating of programmes for education and awareness for sustainable development at elementary and secondary schools of Prague (shortly called “Eco-literacy”) within the use of financial resources from Structural Funds of the European Union (JPD3). The major delivering party is the Department of Education of the Prague City Hall, its fellow deliverers are the Faculty of Education of Charles University in Prague, Club of Environmental Education, and the Environmental Department of the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague is a cooperating institution. In total 31 Prague’s schools, out of them 11 elementary ones, 11 grammar schools, 8 secondary professional schools, and 1 higher school – members of the Club of Environmental Education have been participating in the project.
Department of the City Infrastructure of the Prague City Hall
The Department deals with EEA concentrated especially on the field of waste management – for example it organises in cooperation with the company of Czech Secondary Raw Materials, a. s. environmental competitions in collecting of raw materials for elementary and special schools and kindergartens, prepares information brochures for citizens, leaflets, and other materials on waste management in the City of Prague.
Selected activities in 2005: environmental competitions in collecting at Prague’s elementary schools (collection of paper, aluminium packaging, caps from PET bottles and beverage cardboxes) – in the school year 2004/2005 organises already for eleven time, for detailed information see chapter B4.2.8 Information campaigns and environmental education); in cooperation with the authorises packaging company of EKO-KOM, a. s. a series of lectures on “waste” for teachers of the Prague’s elementary schools; cooperation with Civil Association Arnika in the implementation of the project “Waste is Raw Material” – competition for the Prague’s elementary an secondary schools; information campaign on waste for Prague’s inhabitants on the occasion of the Earth Day in cooperation with the collecting company of Pražské služby, a. s. and the company of .A.S.A., s. r. o. the Open Days at the Municipal Waste Incineration Plant in Prague 10 - Malešice, in the Electronic Recycling Centre in the premises of the collecting company of Pražské služby, a. s., Pod Šancemi 444/1, Prague 9, and at the Municipal Waste Landfill in Prague 8 - Ďáblice, environmentally educative event for first graders of the Prague’s elementary schools, in cooperation with the collecting companies and selected City Districts the possibility for the disposal of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves from infested trees with horse chestnut leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella).
Department of Informatics of the Prague City Hall
The department provides for routine operation of the Prague Environmental Information System, which includes, among others, the internet applications for the public as the Atlas of the Environment, PREMIS, and the City internet pages on environmental issues (ENVIS).
Selected activities in 2005: publishing of the Yearbook Prague – Environment 2004, CD-ROM Prague – Environment 6, development and putting under operation of internet applications Cycling in Prague (www.praha-mesto.cz/cyklo) and Arround Prague along Creeks (www.praha-mesto.cz/podelpotoku).
In 2005 the City of Prague joined in active manner the Pan-European project named European Mobility Week, which was held September. The project included the Day of Prague’s Railways, Day of Prague’s Public Transport, Car Free Day, Cycling Day, Traffic Education Day, Day on “Municipal Police in a bit other way”, Day of transport information (with the ceremonial opening of the Information Centre of the Prague Transport Constructions in the building of the Prague City Hall in Prague 1).
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 projects focused on the EEA, for example, “Healthy Kindergarten”, “M.R.K.E.V.” (Methodology and Implementation of Comprehensive Environmental Education), the initiative “PEPEK” (Prague Eco-Pedagogical Club), and Archa 21. Since the school year 2004/2005 the Environmentally Focused Kindergarten Little Seed has been operated on the premises of the Centre of Environmental Education of the City of Prague Toulcův dvůr.
Elementary schools: The extent and implementation of EEA at elementary schools are affected by the chosen educational programme (National School, General School, Elementary School) and other factors and at present namely by the preparations of the implementation of new Framework Educational Programmes. Almost 100 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 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 66 elementary schools were registered by October 2005, further nation-wide school projects steered by the Association Tereza, and activities of the Club of Environmental Education (20 elementary schools of Prague have already become permanent members of the KEV, continuously monitor environmental information, pupils of some of them participate in the national literature and fine art contest on environmental issues, which is evaluated and awarded jointly by the Czech Commission of UNESCO and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic at the occasion of the World Day of the Environment on 6 June and teachers from other elementary schools participate in professional and methodical seminars for teachers accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic).
Secondary schools: In total there are 196 secondary schools in Prague, 18 of them participates in various projects focused on the EEA. 27 secondary schools are members of the KEV and participate in projects and events organised by the Club of Environmental Education (now there are 21 schools involved in the project JPD3, teachers participate in professional seminars, they start to pass the school coordinator course, pupils have already participated in 2nd Environmental Conference of Secondary Schools, as well as fine art and literature contest), events organised by the National Institute for Further Education, 10 secondary schools were registered in the project of M.R.K.E.V., some schools 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, on its premises, for the Prague Olympics in Ecology organised by the Club of Environmental Education for all Prague’s secondary schools with active involvement of university lecturers of the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Science of the Charles University in Prague.
The EEA forms a part of the introduced and verified Framework Educational Programmes (RVP) of the elementary and Framework Educational Programmes for grammar school education as well as education at secondary professional schools and higher professional schools.
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 focused on the adult public as well.
Implemented by means of other organisations
Universities
Universities: At present there are 26 universities active on the territory of the City of Prague. The faculties preparing future teachers dedicate their activities to issues of environmental protection, sustainable development and the EEA at various extent within the preparations of pedagogical staff, namely Faculty of Education of the Charles University and Faculty of Science of the Charles University, which also participate in the delivery of the project “JPD3 Environmental literacy” (creating and evaluating of programmes for sustainable education and awareness at elementary and secondary schools of Prague). 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 nation-wide (National Institute for Further Education, Institute for Children and the Youth of MEYS CR, Pedagogical Research Institute in Prague, National Institute of Professional Education).
Activities of non-government, non-profit organisations (NGOs)
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, etc.) and the Association ARNIKA. 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 adult public in an important manner.
Selected activities in 2005:
The Eco-Centre Mycelium: traditional “eco-days“ for the public (the Earth Day in cooperation with the CD Prague 12, the Tree Day – along with the Association Tereza and the CD Prague 13, the Unlocking of Springs and the Celebration of the Solstice); environmental education programmes for kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools in Prague and surroundings (85 programmes for approx. 2,000 participants); series of lectures for teachers on “Interactive methods in environmental education” and for the Prague’s university students “Education for sustainable development in practise”, etc.
The Association Tereza: awareness events for the public (the Earth Day, the Tree Day, and others); school projects – approx. 500 schools coming from the whole the Czech Republic are involved [international (GLOBE, Eco-school) national (Forest at school, school in the forest), project sets (Acid rain, ozone, …)]; environmental education programmes for kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools in Prague and Central Bohemia Region (300 educational programmes for approx. 6,000 children); seminars for teachers (over 60 held per year), etc. Further important activities of the Pilot European GLOBE Games in Česká Třebová with approx. 400 students from 12 European countries participating in and the World Conference of the GLOBE Programme in Prague, first ever in history held out of the USA territory.
The Centre of Environmental Education of the City of Prague “Toulcův dvůr”: education and awareness events for the public, little shops, walks, environmental education programmes for kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools of Prague and surroundings (over 20 events for approx. 350 teachers), 5 hobby groups, the Kindergarten Little Seed.
There is a specific position of professional civil association – the Club of Environmental Education, which vast majority of activities is focused on professional and methodological improvement of competence of teachers for the EEA. It has already 65 members in Prague coming from elementary and secondary schools and universities – out of them over 50 are collective members, i.e. whole schools.
zdeThe 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 OOP MHMP)
| Year | Total number of projects submitted |
Total number of accepted projects / number of projects accepted in the EEA field |
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 |
2005 |
116 |
83 / 40 |
9 740 000 / 5 118 000 |
Note: The subdivision of projects into the EEA projects and other projects is just approximate.
Source: OOP 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 EEA projects accepted | Resources allocated to the EEA projects [CZK] |
|---|---|---|
2003 |
3 |
234 250 |
2004 |
3 |
296 400 |
2005 |
1 |
500 000 |
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.).
zdeCentre of environmental education of the City of Prague “Toulcův dvůr”
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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. |