The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change. It was negotiated during the CoP-3 meeting held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The protocol came into effect on Wednesday, February 16, this year. Paul Renders teaches at Begeleider Milieuzorg Op School, in Brussels and he reports on an activity ‘Thick pull day’, an initiative related to Kyoto-Day.
This activity was organised by MOS (Milieuzorg op school, meaning environmental care at school), a project organized by the Flemish Community, for all the schools in Flanders and Dutch speaking schools in Brussels Capital Region. Its aim was to reduce the amount of CO² that schools spread into the atmosphere.
The participants were asked to lower the temperature in their schools with a few degrees centigrade and therefore to wear an extra pull. 479 schools have committed themselves to take part in the activity. That means that more than 57 tons of carbon dioxide were not released into the atmosphere.
More than 100 participating schools organised other actions in order to get to know more about the Kyoto Protocol and its impact on our lives. They organised workshops on working with wool, exercises to keep warm, how do homeless people survive in winter, energy-bills at school and home, measuring temperatures, energy-debates, planting Kyoto-tree, making an energy-rap and others.
MOS wants to give a clear signal to the government and to the schools that the Kyoto-protocol is crucial and realistic. MOS helps schools to take structural measures to reduce their energy-consumption. Therefore MOS has developed pedagogical materials in order to help other schools to get involved in similar activities. In addition MOS provides schools with trained experts.
The Flemish Minister of Education, Mr Frank Vandenbroecke and the Flemish Minister of Environment, Mr Kris Peeters visited the Victor Horta School, in Evere. They had a close look at the actions that were undertaken by this school.
