Cologne's children active for the environment: Environmental Taler 2025 reward sustainable projects!
Cologne's children active for the environment: Environmental Taler 2025 reward sustainable projects!
This day of the environment is a very special sign of sustainability in Cologne. The Catholic Youth Agency Cologne gGmbH (KJA Cologne) awarded the coveted internal award "Environment Taler" for the second time. Over 100 locations in Cologne and the Rhein-Erft district were invited to participate and present their projects to promote climate and environmental protection. The ambition with which the young people present their ideas here is remarkable and shows that the awareness of environmental issues is already anchored in recent generations.
The “Flur-Check” project, which was initiated by students from the KGS Horststraße in Cologne Mülheim, stands out. The idea behind it is to control cleanliness in corridors and cloakrooms by using reusable checklists and to promote order in a playful way. The presentation of Luan, Nina and Johanna, who even presented a prototype with washable template, was very well received. As part of the competition, part of the prize money will flow into the creation of further corridor check templates, while the rest for an ice cream is used for everyone-the children's heart smiles!
commitment to a greener future
In another impressive project, the Paul-Krämer-School plans to build a school garden that not only serves to transfer knowledge, but also promote cross-generational cooperation. This is about more than just planting flowers: With a prize money of 500 euros, the garden should be expanded and equipped with the necessary devices as well as earth and plants. These approaches show how important it is to involve young people in the design of their environment and have them taken on responsibility.
dr. Annette Boms, a jury member at the Environment Taler, praised the creative ideas and the active participation of the groups. Bernd Rustemeyer, Managing Director of KJA Cologne, emphasized the social responsibility that is necessary to enable the following generations a future worth living. This message matches the idea of education for sustainable development (ESD), as is also propagated by the Greenpeace organization and the Federal Environment Agency. They emphasize that young people cannot be left alone with the responsibility for their future and that sustainable and peaceful coexistence is a joint task.
on the way to sustainability
Education for sustainable development aims to promote future -proof thinking and acting, and helps to understand the effects of one's own action on the environment. "Teaching sustainability is more than conveying knowledge," emphasize the experts. Children and adolescents should be able to actively participate in social and environmental policy processes - this is the only way to develop solutions that have grown to the challenges of our time. An alliance of various organizations is committed to ensuring that education for sustainable development in schools and political guidelines is bindingly anchored. The efforts to promote sustainable education are therefore more important than ever.
In the coming year, the groups can look forward to the award again when two environmental thaler are again awarded. The motivation that children and adolescents show is a valuable investment in a greener future for both the Kja Cologne and for society.
For further details about the projects, we recommend a look at the websites of lindweiler.de , greenpeace.de and DetailsOrt Lindweiler, Deutschland Quellen