Saarbrücken celebrates 20,000 euros for sustainable school projects!

Saarbrücken celebrates 20,000 euros for sustainable school projects!

In the festive setting at the vhs center on Saarbrücken's Schlossplatz, 108 school projects were recently awarded a total of 20,000 euros. The regional association director Dr. Carolin Lehberger presented the awards and emphasized the role of schools as places of responsibility and community. Weekly Mirror Online reports that among the 164 projects submitted by 32 schools, the focus was on topics such as sustainability, waste prevention and fair trade.

The three schools that presented their innovative projects are particularly worth mentioning: The Rotenbühl high school presented a well-thought-out waste prevention concept, while the Klarenthal community school showed an impressive video shoot about the fire hazards caused by cigarettes. The high school at the castle also demonstrated ingenuity with its “Furoshiki – cloth instead of bag” project, which pushes the use of single-use plastic into the background.

A look at the award-winning projects

The event had a lot to offer: stilt walkers from the circus club at the Dudweiler Community School provided colorful entertainment. Among the award-winning projects, a few ideas particularly stood out:

• „Becherhelden“ des Berufsbildungszentrums Sulzbach – Einsatz von Mehrwegbechern
• Friedrich-Joachim-Stengel-Schule – Aktionen wie Insektenhotels und gemeinsames Kochen
• Do it yourself-AG der Europäischen Schule Saarland – Herstellung von Naturkosmetik und Saatbomben
• Gemeinschaftsschule Kleinblittersdorf – Freiluft-Klassenzimmer mit Lebenshilfe
• Marie-Curie-Schule in Völklingen – „Upcycling für den guten Zweck“ mit Teelichtern für die Kinderkrebshilfe

Sustainability and fair trade in focus

The Saarbrücken regional association promotes awareness of fair trade and sustainability through various initiatives. Every year, around 18,000 students take part in the school book loan, where school books are handed out in fairly produced organic cotton bags that contain information about fair trade. Saarbrücken regional association emphasizes that avoiding plastic bags and using Fairtrade products are a good example of sustainable action.

As part of workshops, trainees at the Technical-Commercial Vocational Training Center II Saarbrücken use their skills to put together recipes made from Fairtrade foods in a cookbook. The aim is to establish these products in catering establishments in Saarland, thereby aiming for sustainable catering in schools.

Fairtrade schools as part of the sustainability strategy

The initiative to designate schools as Fairtrade Schools plays a crucial role in the German sustainability strategy. Fairtrade Germany confirms that over 700,000 students take part in more than 950 Fairtrade schools in Germany. These schools meet certain criteria to hold the title and are part of an international network. In this way, education for sustainable development (ESD) will become a key competency for future generations who will contribute to achieving the global sustainability goals.

Overall, the ceremony shows that creative commitment and the will to change are firmly anchored in schools, and that the young people have a good hand with their projects not only for themselves, but also for a sustainable environment.