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Following the COP21 climate summit that took place in Paris last December, UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet) in France have continued to actively contribute to fighting climate change with actions in their schools.
On 26 April 2016, Jules Verne School in Brou invited students of eight other ASPnet schools of the region to a “Clim’art” event, using art as a vector for climate change education (CCE). More than 150 students aged 4 to 17 presented their approaches to the audience. “This magical moment allowed students to realize that each of them took a step in the right direction and that we can all become agents of change for the place where we live.” said Jean-Marc Septsault, National ESD Referent for the French ASPnet.
The students participated in different art workshops on the themes forests, sustainable cities and biodiversity. Apart from learning about the importance of trees or “how to make a city sustainable”, students created art works made from natural resources such as leaves, sand, flowers and vegetables. All art productions were exhibited in the city centre in the market hall, in order to raise the local population’s awareness on climate change.
This event is just one example for the commitment of French ASPnet schools to climate action. Lycée Marseillevere, from Marseille has been working on its “Les sentinelles” (The sentinels) project, intended to increase students’ awareness on water, energy and biodiversity issues, for the past two years. Van-Gogh college in Blénod-lès-Pont-à-Mousson launched the intiative “Together against global warming” which regroups students from 13 countries. The aim of the project is to make students aware of the consequences of global warming through creative activities.