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On 19 February 2004, the German Foundation for Environmental Education (DGU), together with the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), distinguished committed municipalities and counties as school supervisory bodies that champion environmental protection. With this project the DGU hopes to promote dialogue between school supervisory bodies and schools as it is intended by Agenda 21. The president of the Federal Environment Agency, Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge, said, “The survival of environmental projects in schools is vitally dependent on how committed and willing the respective school supervisory board is to cooperate on such projects. Furthermore, the economic advantages that environmental protection holds for public authorities are not negligible. DGU Director Dr. Fritz Heidorn said, “Cost savings, efficient structures, and sustainable development are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, the example of the distinguished school supervisory board makes it clear that synergy effects can be targeted and achieved in the search for progressive thinking”.
The entities distinguished this year include:
The cities of Norderstedt, Ostritz, Potsdam, Frankfurt am Main, the districts of Leer, Darmstadt –Dieburg, Saarpfalz-Kreis, Schwalm-Eder-Kreis and the Rheinland regional assembly were distinguished in the past year. The title of “Schulträger 21” is awarded for a period of two years after which it must renewed application is necessary.
The school supervisory bodies are involved in classic environmental subjects such as waste disposal and energy and water savings, but they also go beyond this, enabling subjects such as prevention of violence to be treated in schools. The school boards evaluate themselves according to a catalogue of criteria which allows for a differentiation of five stages of development. Every school supervisory body had to get feedback from the schools under its jurisdiction about its self-evaluation, thereby exposing itself to criticism from the schools. An expert jury assessed and evaluated submitted data. “What counted for the jurors was not individual model projects but quality and continuity of commitment”, said jury panel member Dr. Harald Schoembs of the UBA.
Updated documents for the 2004/2005 “Schulträger 21” competition will be online as of 1 March 2004 at http://www.umwelterziehung.de. Contact person: Jörg Friese, Project Director, DGU. Tel/fax: 0385/39 93-185.
Berlin, 19 February 2004