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After a four-year hiatus, the Eco-Schools Summer Forum, organized by the Environmental Education Fund, will take place in Liepāja this August, offering educational and experience-sharing activities. From August 19 to 24, around 230 young people and educators from across Latvia will gather for the event, which will be held in collaboration with Liepāja State Technical School and the Liepāja City Council.

The Eco-Schools Summer Forum is a significant environmental education event in Latvia, bringing together the most active representatives of Eco-Schools and nature conservation activists. Participants will engage in environmental education sessions and practical workshops. This year's forum will focus on circular economy principles and their practical application in daily life. Other topics include understanding climate emotions and their importance, sustainable product design, planning environmental advocacy initiatives, renewable energy, eco-friendly transportation, and climate neutrality.

Daniels Trukšāns, the head of the Eco-Schools program in Latvia, expressed his excitement: "It’s great to not only organize the annual Winter Forums but also to resume the Summer Forums, which began 18 years ago. The Summer Forum is a place where Eco-School representatives can meet, gain new experiences, knowledge, inspiration, and motivation to continue their green initiatives in the new school year. The main theme of this year’s forum is the circular economy. Through forum activities, we aim to emphasize that sorting waste alone is not enough to promote efficient resource use. We need to think about preventing waste, reducing unnecessary consumption, reusing, repairing, and restoring items. These are the basics we will educate about during the summer forum so that participants can apply this knowledge in practice."

The forum will be divided into two parts: the first three days will be dedicated to educators, while the next four days will focus on students. Both programs will feature diverse educational and interactive sessions on environmental protection, experience exchange sessions, team-building activities, and, of course, a party.

Practical skills workshops and educational sessions will be led by representatives from organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Zero Waste Latvia, Repair Cafe Riga, Ltd. "ZAAO" Nature Technology Park "URDA," Liepāja State Technical School, the association "Radi Vidi Pats," the Science and Education Innovation Center at RTU Liepāja Academy, SIA "Elnetworks," the Liepāja Education Department, and others.

This year, the event is planned to be as eco-friendly as possible—no disposable dishes will be used, waste will be minimized, and energy resources will be used efficiently. The menu will feature reduced amounts of animal products, and environmentally friendly solutions for everyday needs will be provided by event supporters. With the support of SIA "NMS RIGA," "LUCART" hygiene paper, made from recycled tetra-pack cellulose fibers, will be available during the forum.

Eco-Schools Summer Forum 2024 Program for Educators:

Program for Educators

Eco-Schools Summer Forum 2024 Program for Students:

Program for Students

Participant List (Educational Institutions):

Participant List

The Eco-Schools program is one of the most comprehensive and popular environmental education approaches worldwide. Currently, around 200 educational institutions (from preschools to universities) are part of the Eco-Schools program in Latvia, and globally, the program includes 48,700 educational institutions in 73 countries. Any educational institution willing to focus on environmental protection and sustainable development issues in the long term is invited to join the program. Institutions can participate in the Eco-Schools program without aiming for Eco-School status, simply by joining environmental education activities such as campaigns, competitions, trainings, experience exchanges, forums, and more. Participation in the Eco-Schools program is valuable not only for the educational institution’s community but also for municipalities, as the program actively promotes public involvement in environmental management.