Green Cross Denmark's work focuses on sustainable development based on people's enlightenment.
In all its activities, this national affiliate strives to implement the concepts of sustainability and behaviour change, and the principles of the Earth Charter. Major international activities include:
- The establishment of the Nnundu Open Village School, a community school focusing on development issues in Latvia;
- The Development of a Youth Programme on Sustainability in rural areas in Eastern Europe, in partnership with the EC Youth for Europe programme;
- A contribution to the World Summit on Climate Change taking place in Copenhagen in 2009;
- Participation in the establishment of a Climate Change Hub in Copenhagen;
- The preparation of Mr. Gorbachev's visit as keynote speaker at the Danish Parliament in October 2007;
- The preparatory work for establishing a Youth Green Cross sub-organisation.
Green Cross Italy has been involved in numerous environmental awareness and education initiatives, including:
- Organisation of the 14th edition of the international Youth Contest "Energy for peace" on renewable energy, with the patronage of all state authorities;
- Implementation of the "Pink Energy" project in collaboration with the power company Enel, for the promotion of renewable energy;
- Collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Rome for the promotion of green building;
- Production of a publication on renewable energy posted on GC Italy's website, and disseminated in Sicily thanks to the help of 30 volunteers;
- Partnership with the Powerstock Festival to raise awareness on clean energy and sustainability;
- Implementation of an education project in Sicily, with the contribution of the European Commission, on the issue of environmental micro-economy.
Green Cross Romania seeks viable alternatives to environmental degradation
GC Romania is involved in a project - together with UNDP and the PAN Park Foundation - to support the local community of the Retezat National Park, whose economy is currently based on exploiting resources from the National Park. The goal of the project is to sensitise local communities on environmental issues and to seek viable alternatives for economic sustainable growth with them that will have a minimal impact on conservation areas.
Green Cross Spain promotes environmental policies
Green Cross Spain has developed a new programme that integrates a passion for sport and the necessity to shape a sustainable world. By working closely with the Spanish Olympic Committee and other sports and environmental organizations (Spanish Sport Agency, Spanish Environment Ministry), GC Spain has promoted education on sustainable development. This programme has developed an overarching national strategy for sustainability and introduced it through sports. Thus the programme will liaise directly with event organisers and private sector sponsors to have environmentally friendly events and venues for competition. GC Spain is also actively involved in the preparation of the 1st International Social Forum on Environmental Policies, together with many high level political organisations.
GC Spain has a consultative role on the topics discussed at the forum, which will centre on the social impacts of potential environmental policies. Similarly, GC Spain, together with the Andalucian Region Agency for Innovation, is developing a programme to promote the Innovation and use of appropriate technologies for Sustainable Development, especially in cooperation projects.
Green Cross Sweden Environmental Education Activities
In an effort to provide environmental education while reducing conflicts over natural resources, Green Cross Sweden and Green Cross Japan have, since 2005, teamed up with the Green Belt Movement - founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai - to create a more sustainable and peaceful future in the Rift Valley in Kenya. The project goal is to mitigate conflict between Maasai and the Kikuyu communities and restore the environment in the process. To begin a process of reconciliation 121,000 trees were planted in the region by members of both community groups.The role of Green Cross has been to facilitate and document the project.
Green Cross Sweden has also looked to Al Gore's 2006 movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' as a tool for getting the attention of public officials in Sweden. GC Sweden organised a special screening of the film, which was followed by a discussion on climate change and environmental degradation. Green Cross Sweden, together with the Global School of Sweden (Globala Skolan) has, since 1998, been offering an educational programme "The World's Water" as a training course for teachers and high school students.Inspired by GCI's global programme,"Water for Peace",it has proven a success within many of the high schools in the cities of Gothenburg, Linköping, Malmö and Stockholm.The course aspires to give students a lasting impression of the use of water as a means for cooperation and conflict prevention.
Green Cross Belarus' international art contests and awareness campaigns
Green Cross Belarus is involved in three international projects: the “In My Homeland” children’s art contest; “World Garden” summer ecological school for students, teachers, and ecological educators and activists; and “Inter-Eco School”, a summer ecological school for teenagers and teachers. The programs began nationally, propelled internationally by their success.
The “In My Homeland” project was launched on Earth Day of 2001, going international four years later. The project depicts a child’s perspective regarding their homeland and its history, everyday life and traditions, and nature and man. The contest proposes different themes each year. Since its inception, “In My Homeland” has involved over 12,000 school teachers, 25 countries, and 47,000 youths. International exhibitions have been opened in Belarus, Germany and Russia and six CDs and one DVD released. The goals of the project are to grow ecological awareness in children and adults, to discover and portray the natural beauty and culture of countries to one another, to consolidate young and old generations in taking care of their
homelands, to build humanistic ties between children and youths of different countries. In 2008, the contest has received 10,654 drawings from 24 countries from across Europe, Asia and Africa. The reasons behind the growing success, teachers explain, is that participants are asked to present drawings on different themes and ecological issues that are close to home. The international jury selected 482 drawings for the International Children’s Art Exhibition in Minsk on March 28th and also nominated 103 young artists for an achievement award. In addition, four exhibitions were selected to showcase young artists in Belarus and throughout Europe. The jury consisted of professional artists, editors of art magazines, book-illustrators and art teachers. When asked what would happen to all the other art pieces, Chairman of Jury Leonid Gomonov responded this is not a competition but an awareness of nature through art.
The “World Garden” project began in 2005 and has been present on the international stage for three years. The goals of this project are to initiate dialogue and cooperation between students of world universities, to acquaint them with the results of ecological catastrophe, to spread ecological awareness in new interactive and brainstorming forms, and to involve activists and public figures in Green Cross philosophy and activity.
The “Inter-Eco School” project started in 2006 and has since gained international outreach. The school is a short-term platform for schoolchildren, students, and teachers from different countries to share ideas regarding harmonization of humans and nature as to discuss local issues and propose solutions, to explore new ideas with local and international partners and to present their experiences and methods to one another. The school hopes to promote an ecological world outlook to teachers and students as well as the ability to disseminate their knowledge in different regions, to motivate participants toward active improvement of their situation, to build ties between teachers from different countries, to combine theory and practice in ecological education, to develop international complementary cooperation amongst the GC family and to involve more activists from different regions in Green Cross philosophy and activity.
Green Cross Environmental Education and art in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Pakistan
Many Green Cross National offices have found that art projects and contests are a great way to encourage creativity in children while educating them about care for the environment. The International Drawing Contest coordinated annually by Green Cross Belarus was another great success.
The 2007 competition attracted 7,579 drawings from 11 counties: a total of 4 more counties and 1,000 more participants than previous years. Similarly, pupils from eighteen schools participated in a new project launched by Green Cross Bulgaria,"Dream: My Home Town in the Future." This was an art contest wherein children drew or painted how they imagine their homeland will look in the future. This contest was a part of GC Bulgaria's new environmental education programme. The artwork submitted to the contest became part of a larger exhibition, which was displayed in hotels, banks and art galleries.
Green Cross Czech Republic focuses its activities on ecological education. In all its ecological education programmes, GC Czech Republic works in close collaboration with the Club of Ecological Education, a renowned organisation in the country with several years of experience. The ecological education component was particularly emphasized after Ms. Danuse Kvasnickova joined the GC Czech Republic Board. Throughout her career, Danuse Kvasnickova has promoted environmental education at all levels of the Czech Republic's educational system.Widely recognized on the international scene, she received the UNEP Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievment.
In 2007, Green Cross Pakistan organised a nationwide art competition on the theme "Botanical Green Living." The event, which was the first of its kind in Pakistan, was supported by IUCN Pakistan and the Federal Ministry of the Environment. Young professional artists from all over the country were given the opportunity to display their paintings while contributing to the promotion of environmental education in Pakistan. The event received extensive media exposure. Within the framework of the Earth Charter, Green Cross Italy is also actively involved in environmental education and art activities (See Earth Charter section).
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