RCE Bulletin
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Greetings from the Global RCE Service Centre! We are excited to begin with news of the latest RCE publication which has just been launched on the topic of sustainable consumption and production (SCP). This features some of the excellent work being carried out by the network to promote sustainable practices and a more efficient utilisation of resources - please take a read!
Speaking of SCP, we have also recently launched this year's RCE Youth Art Challenge: From Waste to Art, which focuses on the same theme. We are looking forward to seeing the creative expressions of SCP from both RCEs and beyond!
We are also pleased to announce that registrations for this year's 15th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting and 13th African Regional Meeting are now open, please see the details below. Details for other regions will be announced soon.
Finally, the applications for the RCE Awards 2023 are also now open. This is your chance to highlight your RCE's achievements and contributions to addressing local sustainable development challenges in your region. Details to apply are below.
If you would like to share any news, upcoming events, open calls, or publications for an upcoming bulletin, please complete this form and email your submission to the Global RCE Service Centre at rceservicecentre@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month).
Sincerely,
The Global RCE Service Centre
This month a new publication by UNU-IAS was launched, featuring 12 innovative education projects developed by RCEs on the topic of sustainable consumption and production (SCP).
The projects in 'Driving Sustainable Consumption and Production at the Local Level: Education for Sustainable Development Projects from the Global RCE Network' cover a range of critical factors of SCP: resource efficiency; waste management and minimisation; and consumer behaviour.
Each project details actions that were taken by the RCE, and invites readers to apply the best practices of multi-stakeholder engagement and action-oriented learning in their regions to promote sustainable consumption and production systems. The resulting community-based projects inspired learners to adopt more sustainable practices, including the reduction of waste, conservation of energy, and a more efficient utilisation of resources to meet the needs of both current and future generations.
Read more about this exciting new publication here and the projects featured, or download the full publication here.
The Global RCE Service Centre at UNU-IAS, in partnership with UNESCO, is now accepting submissions for the RCE Youth Art Challenge: From Waste to Art. The challenge is open to anyone aged 35 or younger worldwide.
This is an opportunity to create an artwork to inspire others around the world to use resources more efficiently, reduce waste, and ultimately shift to sustainable consumption and production.
Entries should show the actions you or your local community are taking, with a focus on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). They can utilise any art medium - some ideas are paintings, drawings, photos, sketches, digital art, sculptures, handicrafts, murals - the list is endless! As for materials, we'd love to see your creativity, such as using locally sourced waste (e.g. e-waste, plastic, paper, etc).
Further information, including submission guidelines and eligibility are available here. Entries close on 15 August 2023 (11:59pm JST).
The Global RCE Service Centre at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) announces a call for nominations for the 12th annual RCE Awards! RCEs are encouraged to nominate their most outstanding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project/s for the award. RCE youth members are also strongly encouraged to apply.
ESD projects are to illustrate how RCEs address local sustainable development challenges, and therefore provide an example of how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be implemented at the local level through quality education. Award recipients will be announced at the 13th Global RCE Conference and featured on the RCE Portal.
To apply:
- Submit an RCE Project (video tutorial available here), and at the bottom of the form, please tick the box underneath the heading 'RCE Award 2023' before saving (Please note: projects submitted since September 2022 are also eligible to be nominated for the award. Please go into your existing project, go into 'edit' mode and tick the same box at the bottom of the form).
- You will then be redirected to the RCE Award form on a new page. Complete the form and click submit.
Details about the categories for the awards, eligibility, criteria, and the format for submission can be found here. Submission must be done online via the RCE Portal by 31 August 2023 (11:59pm JST).
15 May - 15 July 2023, Global Environment Outreach Centre, United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
This exhibition features nine of the awarded artworks from the 2022 RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge, which was held in partnership with UNESCO. The Challenge provided a creative platform for youth around the world to share their perspectives through art. All artworks focused on SDG 14 (life below water) or SDG 15 (life on land), highlighting the species, habitats, and ecosystems we need to work to protect.
Entries consisted of drawings, paintings, craft work, digital art, and photographs across two categories: 'Animals & Plants' and 'Habitats & Ecosystems' (take a look at the artworks in this video featuring the awardees).
The exhibition is on until next month, closing on 15 July 2023. It is free to attend and no registration is required. Read more
Upcoming Events
Under the theme 'Empowering Sustainable Community through Education for Sustainable Development', the 15th Asia-Pacific RCE Regional Meeting will be hosted by RCE Tongyeong, to be held in a hybrid format from 14-16 September 2023 at the Sejahtera Forest in Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam Province. Registrations are now open until 28 July 2023 (spaces for in-person participation are limited to 60 places, so early registration is recommended).
In addition, the call for applications is also open for the Lightning Presentation (deadline: 31 August 2023) and Good Practice Sharing Session (deadline: 12 July 2023). See the event page for further details.
(Photo credit: Seol Hyeonjoong)
Under the theme 'Fostering Pan-African Collaboration for Just Futures', the 13th African RCE Regional Meeting will be hosted by RCE KwaZulu-Natal, RCE Makana and Rural Eastern Cape, RCE Lesotho, and RCE Eswatini, to be held online on 17 August 2023. Registrations are now open until 31 July 2023.
In addition, the call for applications is also open for video submissions (deadline: 1 August 2023). See the event page for further details.
(Photo credit: Chris Galliers)
In line with the 12th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC)
29 January - 2 February 2024, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The Youth Environmental Education Conference (YEEC), which runs in line and is mainstreamed to the World Environmental Education Congress, is a platform that provides opportunities to engage youth in Environmental Education, and articulate their thoughts, challenges, address their interests, concerns, and goals. Additionally, YEEC provides opportunities for youth to engage with practitioners in the design, process and implementation of Environmental Education initiatives and programmes. Read more
Open Calls
Applications are now open for the 39th UNU Global Seminar, which will focus on 'Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production: The Way Forward to Ensure Food Security'. It will take place online from 7-9 August 2023, in English.
The aim of the UNU Global Seminars is to enhance awareness about contemporary global issues and the role of the United Nations in addressing those issues. Students and young professionals are given the opportunity to interact with distinguished scholars and practitioners from Japan and abroad, and to explore a specific issue in depth through lectures and group discussions. Through group work, participants will discuss sustainable agricultural practices and explore how these practices can help ensure food security while mitigating negative impacts. Participants will also be tasked with developing innovative solutions to mainstream sustainable agriculture.
The Seminar is open to undergraduate students and postgraduate students residing in Japan, as well as young professionals. The application deadline is 5 July 2023. Further information, including details about the application process are available here.
Latest News
On 15 May 2023 UNU-IAS co-organised a symposium to celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity, on the theme 'From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity'. The event focused on national and global efforts towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) - a historic agreement to protect at least 30% of the Earth's ecosystems by 2030. Read more
RCE Greater Dhaka partners and its host institute IUBAT - International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies (IISS) and Department of Environmental Science observed World Environment Day 2023 on 5 June with a number of activities. These included a rally held on 5 June on campus, whilst a team also participated at the National Environmental Fair, Agargaon, Dhaka from 5-11 June. A seminar was held on 7 June, organised by the Department of Environmental Science and IISS at IUBAT, where the aim was to engage stakeholders with the emerging knowledge of sustainability at higher educational institutions to build 'One Liveable and Sustainable World'. Speakers from UNESCO, UNDP offices in Dhaka, and environmental experts from Jahangirnagar University and IUBAT presented at the seminar.
The global theme of World Environment Day this year focused on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign 'Beat Plastic Pollution'. It highlighted the need to live sustainably in harmony with nature, and the possibilities of shifting to a greener lifestyle through both policies and individual choices.
On 3 May, 2023, RCE Saskatchewan held its 15th annual ESD recognition event, where it honoured 34 sustainability projects - a record number for the event. The awards were created to honour sustainable development leaders from businesses, towns and cities, educational institutions and community-based organisations. Read more
ESD BOOKS, PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER
A new Community Climate Action Toolkit has recently been released by The Schumacher Institute in Bristol (UK) and the COMMEET Fellowship (the Netherlands). The Toolkit enables people to take up the challenges related to climate change on a community level, making improvements to their everyday lives and helping the world to tackle global warming in the process. Read more
This is a publication of the UNU-IAS Global RCE Service Centre.
If you wish to contribute to the monthly bulletin or have news, upcoming events, or publications you would like to share, please use this form. You can email it to the Global RCE Service Centre: rceservicecentre@unu.edu. Submissions must be made by the 15th of every month. In addition, we encourage you to continue using the RCE Portal to exchange ideas, share expertise and resources and deliberate emerging sustainability issues towards ESD implementation at a global level.
Please send your comments, suggestions and materials to rceservicecentre@unu.edu.
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