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| Hungarian Green Pack - Zöld útipakk |
New environmental education pack for Hungarian schools is launched Budapest, March 28, 2003 - Today, environmental education in Central and Eastern Europe is receiving a major boost, as a new resource kit for teachers is introduced at a launch ceremony in Budapest. Developed by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), with a grant from the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program 2001, the "Green Pack" contains a variety of educational materials for teachers to use throughout the curriculum. The pack will be distributed free of charge to 1,000 Hungarian schools and will help teachers introduce the concepts of environmental protection and sustainable development to their students.
There are 22 case studies, one for each environmental topic, organised as a dilemma game. Each case study presents a situation and a number of possible choices for dealing with the problem, as well as comments on the positive and negative aspects of each answer. By working through the dilemmas in this game, teachers and students can engage in in-depth discussions on particular aspects of the conflict between environmental protection and economic development. The game also fosters an understanding and respect for differing opinions, and the willingness and ability to build consensus. The development of the Green Pack benefited greatly from the participation of Hungarian teachers and environmental experts, various contributors from Poland and Bulgaria, and from the advice and assistance of the Hungarian Ministry of Environment. In 2001, a grant of USD 197,300 was awarded to the REC for the development and distribution of Green Pack versions for Hungary and Bulgaria. The grant to the REC was one of nine awarded worldwide during the first year of Toyota's Environmental Activities Support Programme. The programme is operated by the Toyota Foundation, a multipurpose foundation established in 1974 to mark the 40th anniversary of Toyota car production. In appreciation of the REC's work in producing the first Green Pack (for Poland), Toyota's Environmental Activities Support Programme again selected the REC as one of the organisations to be supported in 2002. Work on two more educational packs, for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, is already in the works. For more information contact:
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Upon
opening the attractively designed box, the teacher will find a handbook
with lesson plans and activity sheets for the pupils, a video cassette
with animated clips and educational films, and an interactive CD-ROM with
extensive information on various environmental topics. The emphasis of
the pack is on the formation of new values and behaviours at school, at
home and in society at large rather than simply the accumulation of facts
in particular areas.