Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Umwelterziehung e.V. (DGU)

About us

The German Environmental Education Society (DGU) promotes environmental education as an educationally and scientifically based confrontation with the natural, the social and the man-made environment. Thus, at a national level, it pursues the same objectives as the European Foundation for Environmental Education (F.E.E.), which in particular supports the use of existing facilities for environmental education and initiatives for its dissemination.

The DGU seeks to achieve these aims by means of the following measures:
• Organising or promoting seminars, meetings, informative talks, focussing on the intensification of direct environmental experiences for children, juveniles and adults. In particular, this is to be achieved by an improvement in cooperation with educational institutions of all kinds, with local facilities, with authorities, with local citizens, with associations and companies.
• Issuing or supporting relevant publications, reports and studies.
• Promoting training and extension studies in environmental education.
• Promoting international cooperation, in particular with the European Foundation for Environmental Education.

Projects:
• Green Key Germany: the aim of this programme is the development and administration of an emblem for hotels, indicating aspects of environmental sustainability. Green Key is a certification programme with the aim of raising awareness among hotel owners, employees and guests for their potential for promoting environmental sustainability in their direct (natural) surroundings, with the perspective of practical action.
• Blue Flag: the “blue flag” has been awarded since 1987, in cooperation with the F.E.E. It is awarded when certain requirements regarding environmental management and communication have been fulfilled, when satisfactory waste and sewage disposal methods and safety measures have been observed.
• European Environment School - International Agenda 21 School: this is announced by the European Foundation for Environmental Education, represented in Germany by the DGU.
• Project "Participate in Sustainable Development": sustainable development requires participation. The ability to take part in the creation of an environmentally friendly and socially just world is crucial for the sustainable development of society. Young people in particular face the challenge of a world which is changing dynamically.
• Project "Eco-Schools – environment management with pupil participation”. Pupil participation in the environment management of the school is at the heart of this binational project. The aim is to improve the quality of participation in Slovakian schools by exchanging good examples and methods from the practice of the environment schools in European Environment School - International Agenda 21 School (USE/INA)..
• Cooperation project for training multiplicators: “Training for Sustainable Development in Full-time Schools” began in January 2008 as a project of Berlin University in cooperation with the DGU and supported by the German Environmental Trust.(DBU).

Robert Lorenz is the Green Key National Operator / Project Manager of the German Environmental Education Society (DGU).

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of our work. .