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Description
Climate change is a threat to sustainable development. It is expected that the effects of climate change, such as floods, violent storms, urban heat islands, smog, thermal inversions, disrupting air circulation and droughts will intensify even more. According to the SPA 2020, there is a need to implement measures to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate change. The project is a response to the above-mentioned challenges.
The project aims to broaden the knowledge of the school community and residents of Brwinów and Michałowice communes about climate change (including: problems related to it, its effects and ways of mitigating and adapting to them) by implementing adaptation and mitigation measures at schools, as well as related educational and information activities. Students will take an active part in the project
Implementation of the project will contribute to broadening the school communities'' knowledge of climate change (problems related to it, its effects and the ways of mitigating and adapting to them).
The main recipients o f the project are students aged 6-19 and teachers from seven schools in Poland and one school in Iceland, as well as residents of Brwinów and Michałowice municipalities.
The partnership will contribute to building a network of connections and trust. The partners will draw on their knowledge, experience and know-how, which will create a synergy effect, ensuring the effective implementation of the project objectives. There will be: institutional and personnel strengthening; cooperation between teaching staff and students; exchange of didactic, educational and cultural experiences; learning about a different education system; strengthening linguistic, professional and intercultural competences; carrying out educational tasks beyond school education.
Summary of project results
The project aimed at increasing knowledge about climate change through the implementation of adaptation and mitigation activities in schools and related educational and information activities with the dynamic participation of the school community. Moreover it the project intended to raise public awareness about climate change within the Brwinów and Michałowice municipalities.
We are well aware of the fact that climate change is the biggest challenge to sustainable development which must be implemented to rational use of natural resources. The consequences of the climate changes, i.e. flooding, floods, heavy storms, urban heat islands, smog, thermal inversions, air circulation disorders and droughts, are threatening our livings and will intensify in the nearest future. In accordance with the Polish National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change by 2020 with the perspective by 2030” (SPA 2020), there is a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate change. The project is a response to the above-mentioned problems.
Raising awareness and in that way understanding of the impact of climate change on the environment and human health will enable both behavioural change and societal support for the actions needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It can also help in getting local administration to introduce strategies for mitigation and adaptation that will improve our life and protect our planet for the sake of next generations.
The execution of the project helped to prepare the school community (main recipients were students and teachers) and the local community (student parents, inhabitants of municipalities over 30 000 inhabitants) for the intensification of the climate change.
Various adaptation and mitigation activities were carried out in 4 schools from the Brwinów municipality that sand 3 schools from the Michałowice municipality.
The main activities of the project:
- Outdoor facilities that can be used for educational purposes have been installed on the school premises.
We have built 7 outdoor educational facilities!
As part of this task, on the school premises the following equipment have been installed:
- an eco-educational playground (a sensory path of bare feet, a bridge, a set of installed balance beams, slalom stumps, a Tarzan rope, stilts, educational devices that convert energy, a wicker hut and tunnel);
- green classroom: tables with seats, a solar shed, a shelter with a green roof, table and benches; educational boards: flat, interactive on poles and columns;
- a live outdoor green wall, rainwater barrels with taps and watering cans;
- rain gardens;
- educational garden with raised plant beds (open and roofed beds, a box for gardening tools, a composter);
- other elements: insect hotels, birdbaths, wireless camera for watching animal life;
- weather station with the data transmission; mobile meteorological devices;
- indoor and outdoor recycling bins;
- indoor green walls;
- stationary spinning energy bikes with for charging phones;
- replacement of the playground surface with an infiltrating one;
- educational equipment (photo camera, and mobile education touch screen).
Each school have created own project that fit within the school area.
- Educational activities addressed to students of all educational levels (kindergarten, primary school and high school).
- a number of educational activities have been carried out in the immediate vicinity of the school using the installed equipment;
- educational trips, to botanical gardens, the Copernicus Science Centre, nature protection sites;
- during practical classes, students learn about modern solutions for CO2 reduction (green roofs, school didactic garden), waste segregation (e.g. composting) and ways of managing water resources;
- topics related to the world of insects and their importance in nature have been discussed.;
- students conducted research and measurements of weather phenomena.
- students provided permanent care for the eco-gardens (herbs, vegetables, use of rainwater, etc.);
- during after-school activities, students undertook thematic artistic and technical activities with the use of recycled materials;
- the youngest students could combine nature observation with fun on green playgrounds;
- Trainings for teachers have been conducted
Teachers had the opportunity to undergo trainings to learn more about selected topic related to the climate change and get familiar with new teaching strategies about the ecology and climate change. Following trainings have been organised by external experts.
- Ways and techniques of teaching about ecology;
- Air pollution and its impact on the environment;
- Rain gardens, Eco-gardens and green walls;
- I teach segregation, promote ecological behavior;
- Water in nature and human life;
- Educational campaigns have been conducted
Several educational campaigns considering the most important issues and challenges related to the climate change were organised. Each school was responsible for organization of different campaign.
We have carried out 6 awareness-raising educational campaigns !
- Educational Campaign "Bike to school";
- Educational campaign "Water is life";
- Educational Ecological Session "Act for the Climate";
- Educational campaign "I know how to segregate";
- Educational campaign "My carbon footprint";
- Educational campaign addressed to all residents of the Brwinów and Michałowice communes.
The activities undertaken included: theatre performance, presentation contest, movie contests, poster competition, comics competition, recycled fashion competition, green city model competition, cycling transport competition, knowledge competition etc.
In total 4299 students from Brwinów, Michałowice and Sangerdii participated in the educational campaigns!
All schools participated in all campaigns apart from the school in Komorów, which could not participate in the “Bike to school” campaign because of the safety reasons.
We have reached more than 31 000 people !
- Dissemination of information
During the implementation of the project, the Brwinów municipality provided information about the implementation of the project in the following form:
- Newspaper:
- Town Hall (Information Bulletin of the Brwinów City Hall) -
- WPR (regional newspaper, Pruszków) –
- Przegląd regionalny (local newspaper from Pruszków and Grodzisk counties)
- Obiektywna (Newspaper of the West Mazovia Voivodeship)
- Internet:
- PAP (PAP Local Government Service) -
- The website of the Brwinów Commune Office
- School websites,
- Radio:
- Bogoria – range of the Mazovia Voivodeship
- Niepokalanów – western range of Mazovia and Łódź Voivodeship
During the implementation of the project, the Municipality of Michałowice provided information about the implementation of the project in the following form:
- Newspaper
- Bulletin
- Internet:
- Website of the Michałowice Commune Office –
We have reached more than 31 000 people !
Conducting the project resulted in many aspects raising the awareness about climate change and the possible solutions how to mitigate it by changing individual habits and taking actions on the local and global scale. We have increased the capacity of local communities of Brwinów and Michałowice municipalities to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
We have listed the main results of the project and target groups.
- Sustainable infrastructure (eco-educational playgrounds, green classrooms, green walls, educational gardens, weather stations etc.) within the premises of 7 schools located in the Brwinów and Michałowice municipalities. These has been used for educational purposes during the project and is sustainable and will be used in the next years.
- Improved knowledge of school teachers about ecology, the climate change and teaching strategies. Implementation of new type of lessons conducted with the use of educational playgrounds, green classroom, rain gardens, educational gardens with plant beds; composters, insect hotels, birdbaths, wireless camera for watching animal life and weather stations. These type of environmental education with “hands on” exercises will improve teaching of students at all educational levels. Teacher will continue using this facilities in the next years as they are robust and made of sustainable materials
- Raised environmental awareness about the climate change of students, their parents, teachers and the inhabitants of Brwinów and Michałowice municipalities. by conducting. 6 educational campaigns which were implemented in the schools. The Sandgerdii Elementary School conducted the "My carbon footprint" educational campaign. These campaigns had educational purposes because students increased their knowledge in various areas related to ecology and environmental protection, with particular emphasis on the impact of climate change on our life and natural ecosystems. They also made them aware of the changes in their lifestyle that can have the greatest pro-ecological effect. The active participation of many students together with teachers also had an social goal through changing of attitude and striving to develop permanent habits of responsible, sustainable and healthy lifestyle with respect for the natural environment and by undertaking social activities for pro-environmental activities.
- Raised public awareness by dissemination of information about the climate change, the project and project results that reached the school community (students and teachers), the local community (inhabitants of municipalities) and other people from Mazovian and Łódź voivodship. The information about the project have been propagated within the educational campaigns and by broadcasting using various channels: newspaper, internet (web pages and social media) and radio.
Summary of bilateral results
The Sandgerdi Elementary School (Sandgerðis School) in Iceland, which was a partner of the project from the donor country, was involved in the implementation of the project only at its initial stage. The school''s students and teachers took part in the opening meeting of the project, which was translated into English. During this meeting, students from Sangerdi presented the problems related to global warming, which are already observed in Iceland. The Sandgerdi Elemetary School took part in the first educational campaign entitled "My carbon footprint", which involved analysing the impact of students life activities on the level of carbon dioxide emissions. The results of the analysis were presented by the students in the form of a presentation, and the students who prepared the best works received prizes. The prepared presentations indicate the students'' high awareness of the human impact on climate change. Unfortunately, due to staffing problems, the school in Sandgerdi could not continueto participate in our project. For this reason, the Sandgerdi school requested termination of the bilateral collaboration in this project.