We act for the climate

In January 2022 the municipalities of Brwinów and Michałowice launched a partnership centred around a project titled ‘Act for the climate. Initiatives for raising environmental awareness in schools in the municipalities of Brwinów and Michałowice in partnership with the Sandgerði Elementary School in Iceland’.

The project is led by Brwinów, which coordinates all activities organised by schools across both municipalities. The project will be carried out between 2022 and 2023 in schools in Brwinów, Żółwin and Otrębusy, as well as Nowa Wieś, Michałowice and Komorów. Its international partner is the Sandgerði Elementary School (Iceland), which formed a partnership with Primary School No. 1 in Brwinów several years ago.

As part of the project, participating schools will organise classes, workshops and trips which raise environmental awareness. Students will attend five cross-school educational initiatives whose themes focus on climate-conscious behaviours – waste sorting, carbon footprint, water and bicycle transport. These initiatives will involve various competitions – visual arts, knowledge and theatre contests, as well as contests for the best multimedia presentation and the best video on waste sorting. The resulting materials, including posters, comics and other artwork, will be posted for everyone to admire on the municipalities’ websites, in newsletters and on info boards. The goal is to encourage local residents to act in a climate-conscious way and adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.

The project does not only seek to educate, but also involves the purchase of equipment for the participating schools. Insect hotels, water dispensers for birds and cameras for observing the life of animals are only some of the things which will let students take a closer look at the world surrounding their schools. Other amenities will include solar benches, educational, rain and meteorological gardens, as well as a sundial. Thanks to the partnership with the Sandgerdi school, online comparative research will be carried out on plant development and the impact of climate on everyday life in Iceland and Poland.

The project ‘Act for the climate. Initiatives for raising environmental awareness in schools in the municicipalities of Brwinów and Michałowice in partnership with the Sandgerdi Elementary School in Iceland’ has received more than 2.9 million zlotys in funding from the EEA Grants. The EEA Grants are the contributions of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to creating a green, competitive Europe which facilitates social integration. The project has also received more than half a million zlotys in funding from the state budget.