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Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity

96 Worldview s and Integra tion 14 The purpose of the Encounters Project was to find ways in which sustainable development and its methods could become rooted in a school’s daily activities RCE Espoo: The Encounters Project Anna Maaria Nuutinen RCE Espoo Espoo was the first Finnish city to join the RCE network when RCE Espoo was established in January 2011. With the slogan “Sustainable future is an active choice and we will reach it together!”, RCE Espoo engages a diverse array of people in Espoo in education for sustainable development (ESD) through lifelong learning towards sustainable ways of acting, being, living, caring, working, affecting and enjoying. RCE Espoo works with diverse partners for a more sustainable future, including: City of Espoo (Educational and Cultural Services, Social and Health Services; Technical and Environment Services, Public Utilities Services); Omnia (Joint Authority of Education in Espoo); Laurea University of Applied Sciences; Metropolia University of Applied Sciences; Aalto University; University of Helsinki; The Regional Chamber of Commerce; Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE); SITRA; Finnish National Fund for Research and Development; UNESCO ; Active Life Village Ltd; HSY (Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority); Kuluttajavirasto (The Finnish Consumer Agency); Kierrätyskeskus (Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd); Marefort Ltd; Metsähallitus (Natural Heritage Services) Southern Finland; Motiva Ltd, Helsinki; NatureGate Ltd; The OKKA Foundation for Teaching, Education and Personal Development; Sampo Group; Stories Ltd Paula Salmela; SYKE (Finnish Environment Institute); SYKSE (The Finnish Association for Environmental Education); TO Y (Association for Science Education); Espyy (Environmental Association Espoo); Finnish Red Cross, and the Youth Emergency Shelter Espoo. Introduction The Environment and Schools Initiative (ENSI) is an international network that has supported educational development, environmental understanding, a global exchange of experiences and active approaches to teaching and learning through research since 1986. ENSI activities eventually led to the Encounters Learning Environment project (2008-2010). These projects and programmes were in line with the ethos of ESD whereby a school is developed based on the unique needs and nature of the school and the community. Keinumäki, Hospital School and Sorrila School from Valkeakoski are two key partners in the Encounters project. In 2007, the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) offered grants for Learning Environment projects. Colleagues from schools such as Keinumaki and Sorrila proposed a Learning Environment idea in order to bring a sustainable lifestyle to school culture. Riitta Paasivirta came up with the title, Encounters, while Anna Maaria Nuutinen and Paula Salmela added the sustainable lifestyle perspective to it. The two schools have begun implementation of the project in their own unique ways. The Encounters project is fully aligned with the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) and ENSI. Indeed, the two coordinators of the Encounters project belong to the ENSI group, which is led by FNBE. The association aims at supporting educational and pedagogical developments that promote insight into learning for sustainable development, environmental studies, active forms of learning and teaching, as well as education for citizenship, all via research and the international exchange of experiences. In Espoo, the Encounters project evolved in a unique direction. There are about 100 schools in the region, from primary to upper secondary. Some of these schools are Learning Centres, such as Keinumäki School, which since spring 2009 has been responsible for ESD, particularly in-service teacher training and development of municipal/ local curricula and ESD materials. The RCE Espoo network was created based on the network of the Keinumäki´s school project: Encounters for a Sustainable Lifestyle. The purpose of the Encounters Project was to find ways in which sustainable development and its methods could become rooted in a school’s daily activities, through networking with local stakeholders, authorities, researchers and experts and by choosing pedagogical methods that support social interaction and participation, and enrich the working methods within a school’s learning environment. There were more than 40 organisations working together on the project. As such,


Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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