Diana Rayan's Friends

In the city of bicycles and canals, we wrapped up our series of environment forums in style - on a houseboat! After a conversation with Pauline at NEWNRG Academy, a renewable energy enterprise, she offered us her houseboat office space as a venue. It was a great fit because it was completely off the grid, using renewable energy sources.

Pauline also connected us with Claire, a recent university graduate in Environmental Resource Management who took on the role of event organizer extraordinaire, coordinating the houseboat preparations and arranging for delicious refreshments, including organic soda donated from Oggu, an Amsterdam company. Claire's dedication and attention to detail were inspiring, she was instrumental in putting together a fabulous event. 

Marloes, Tread Lightly's Dutch Language and Engagement Coordinator, also joined in to help recruit participants and prepare some tasty appetizers.

Before we got started, Layana from NEWNRG Academy gave us an overview of the features of the houseboat and its innovative renewable energy sources. 

The Amsterdam forum brought together players in environmental education and Rio+20 organizers from across the city, including NME Centrum, Eco-schools, FELT Agency, and JMA. Many of the participants were involved in Rio+20 work in their respective organizations, which made for a well-informed discussion. 

We were pleased to welcome three representatives from Staples Europe at the event: Katy, Jamie and Mark from the Amsterdam office joined in to talk about Staples' ongoing support for Tread Lightly and participate in the discussion. Several ideas arose around how to connect companies such as Staples with community efforts, thanks to their contributions. 

The Staples involvement extended the the Lunch and Learn event at the Amsterdam office, where I presented to a group of 20 employees, introducing Tread Lightly with the goal of encouraging environmental responsibility among the Staples crowd. Everyone in attendance enjoyed a delicious lunch and contributed to a discussion around environmental initiatives that could be implemented at their office. 

With the Amsterdam event behind us, the next step is to compile the recommendations from each summit and submit to the UN and Peace Child International's Rio+20 contributions! Stay tuned for a summary of our recommendations. 

I was welcomed to Paris by the lovely Sarah Toumi, one of the founders of DREAM and an active TakingITGlobal member who has represented TIG at many conferences and events. Sarah was also the French Coordinator for Tread Lightly during its inaugural year, so it was fitting that she came on board to make arrangements for our Parisian Youth Environment and Education Forum. 

Sarah's organizational skills blew me away - she put together a fabulous event with involved and interested participants, all of whom had participated in a preparatory meeting to discuss the issues prior to coming to the forum. Attendees included university students and representatives from various environmental groups, including a group that was putting on a model Rio+20 event. All the participants took the work of making recommendations very seriously, and their contributions didn't end when the forum finished - they created Google docs so they could continue and polish up their work in progress, before making a final submission. 

Coinciding with the timing of this forum was the Girls20 Summit, a conference on the topic of global issues related to girls and women. I had the chance to attend along with Sarah and Chiara Palieri, Tread Lightly's Italian Coordinator. It was a great place for networking to promote the Tread Lightly educational materials, and it also turned out to be a star-studded event, featuring talks from Academy Award winner Forrest Whittaker, Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, and Canada's very own Jann Arden, who closed the event with an acoustic serenade of "Good Mother." 

I was welcomed to Paris by the lovely Sarah Toumi, one of the founders of DREAM and an active TakingITGlobal member who has represented TIG at many conferences and events. Sarah was also the French Coordinator for Tread Lightly during its inaugural year, so it was fitting that she came on board to make arrangements for our Parisian Youth Environment and Education Forum. 

Sarah's organizational skills blew me away - she put together a fabulous event with involved and interested participants, all of whom had participated in a preparatory meeting to discuss the issues prior to coming to the forum. Attendees included university students and representatives from various environmental groups, including a group that was putting on a model Rio+20 event. All the participants took the work of making recommendations very seriously, and their contributions didn't end when the forum finished - they created Google docs so they could continue and polish up their work in progress, before making a final submission. 

Coinciding with the timing of this forum was the Girls20 Summit, a conference on the topic of global issues related to girls and women. I had the chance to attend along with Sarah and Chiara Palieri, Tread Lightly's Italian Coordinator. It was a great place for networking to promote the Tread Lightly educational materials, and it also turned out to be a star-studded event, featuring talks from Academy Award winner Forrest Whittaker, Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, and Canada's very own Jann Arden, who closed the event with an acoustic serenade of "Good Mother." 

I was welcomed to Paris by the lovely Sarah Toumi, one of the founders of DREAM and an active TakingITGlobal member who has represented TIG at many conferences and events. Sarah was also the French Coordinator for Tread Lightly during its inaugural year, so it was fitting that she came on board to make arrangements for our Parisian Youth Environment and Education Forum. 

Sarah's organizational skills blew me away - she put together a fabulous event with involved and interested participants, all of whom had participated in a preparatory meeting to discuss the issues prior to coming to the forum. Attendees included university students and representatives from various environmental groups, including a group that was putting on a model Rio+20 event. All the participants took the work of making recommendations very seriously, and their contributions didn't end when the forum finished - they created Google docs so they could continue and polish up their work in progress, before making a final submission. 

Coinciding with the timing of this forum was the Girls20 Summit, a conference on the topic of global issues related to girls and women. I had the chance to attend along with Sarah and Chiara Palieri, Tread Lightly's Italian Coordinator. It was a great place for networking to promote the Tread Lightly educational materials, and it also turned out to be a star-studded event, featuring talks from Academy Award winner Forrest Whittaker, Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, and Canada's very own Jann Arden, who closed the event with an acoustic serenade of "Good Mother." 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

In bella Italia, I headed to Milan for the third forum, and to meet with Staples Associates in nearby Castelletto Cervo. 

At the beautiful offices of the Commissione Europea in the centre of the city, I met with Valentina from the World Wildlife Fund's Lombardia office, to start setting up for the forum. Tread Lightly partnered with the WWF to run the Italian Youth Environment and Education forum, a perfect fit since WWF works with teachers across Italy on education initiatives, so we were able to reach out to their networks to spread the word about the event. Participants were a mix of university students involved in environmental initiatives, and teachers, so we had some diverse perspectives contributing to the discussion.

I was lucky to have Federico Brocchieri as a co-facilitator - one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to climate change issues and giving youth a voice. Federico traveled all the way from Rome for the event, to co-host and share his expertise as a former Climate Champion with the British Council and a crusader for climate change education - he has given hundreds of presentations to students across Italy to introduce them to climate change issues and encourage them to make a difference, all on his own initiative. Meeting people like Federico has been my favourite part of this forum series - I am constantly inspired by the amazing individuals creating awareness and action. 

I had an opportunity to meet with Staples Associates at the Italian headquarters in Castelletto Cervo, a small town outside of Milan situated among fields and farms. The rural setting was great news for the lunch part of our lunch and learn - it was not difficult to find local food, and as expected, the Italians did not disappoint! The spread included cheeses, salamis, breads, and even strawberries and tomatoes, all from nearby farms and producers. It was a delicious example of how to reduce your ecological footprint. 

I learned about some impressive environmental initiatives at the Italian office, spearheaded by employees like Alessandro, who operates an office-wide recycling program that is setting an example for the local municipality, which currently does not have a central recycling system.

Paris is my next stop, arriverderci! 

After a great start in Oslo, I traveled to London for the second round of the Youth Environment and Education Forums. We partnered with Stakeholder Forum (http://www.stakeholderforum.org), an international organization that works to advance sustainable development and promote democracy at a global level. With such a mission statement, Stakeholder Forum was an ideal partner! The event was hosted by Defra, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and attendees included approximately 50 representatives from major UK charities, including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth. It was a spirited forum with insightful input from all the participants. 

Next, I visited the Staples UK headquarters in High Wycombe, just outside of London. Staff there worked hard to organize a breakfast version of a "lunch and learn" event to engage Staples Associates in reducing their ecological footprint, in the spirit of Tread Lightly. There was an impressive breakfast spread of local and organic products, featuring apple juice from a local farmer and producer.

I gave a presentation to highlight the successes of Tread Lightly in the last two years, including over 2,000 student participants in video conferences, and over 4,000 downloads of the teacher toolkit. Then, the Staples Associates participated in a lively discussion about how to apply the ideas behind the Tread Lightly program - reducing your ecological footprint in the categories of food, energy, water, waste and transportation - in their own office, communities and homes. Suggestions brought up included a cycle-to-work program to encourage Associates to use sustainable methods of transportation. 

Onwards to Italy!

After a great start in Oslo, I traveled to London for the second round of the Youth Environment and Education Forums. We partnered with Stakeholder Forum (http://www.stakeholderforum.org), an international organization that works to advance sustainable development and promote democracy at a global level. With such a mission statement, Stakeholder Forum was an ideal partner! The event was hosted by Defra, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and attendees included approximately 50 representatives from major UK charities, including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth. It was a spirited forum with insightful input from all the participants. 

Next, I visited the Staples UK headquarters in High Wycombe, just outside of London. Staff there worked hard to organize a breakfast version of a "lunch and learn" event to engage Staples Associates in reducing their ecological footprint, in the spirit of Tread Lightly. There was an impressive breakfast spread of local and organic products, featuring apple juice from a local farmer and producer.

I gave a presentation to highlight the successes of Tread Lightly in the last two years, including over 2,000 student participants in video conferences, and over 4,000 downloads of the teacher toolkit. Then, the Staples Associates participated in a lively discussion about how to apply the ideas behind the Tread Lightly program - reducing your ecological footprint in the categories of food, energy, water, waste and transportation - in their own office, communities and homes. Suggestions brought up included a cycle-to-work program to encourage Associates to use sustainable methods of transportation. 

Onwards to Italy!

After a great start in Oslo, I traveled to London for the second round of the Youth Environment and Education Forums. We partnered with Stakeholder Forum (http://www.stakeholderforum.org), an international organization that works to advance sustainable development and promote democracy at a global level. With such a mission statement, Stakeholder Forum was an ideal partner! The event was hosted by Defra, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and attendees included approximately 50 representatives from major UK charities, including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth. It was a spirited forum with insightful input from all the participants. 

Next, I visited the Staples UK headquarters in High Wycombe, just outside of London. Staff there worked hard to organize a breakfast version of a "lunch and learn" event to engage Staples Associates in reducing their ecological footprint, in the spirit of Tread Lightly. There was an impressive breakfast spread of local and organic products, featuring apple juice from a local farmer and producer.

I gave a presentation to highlight the successes of Tread Lightly in the last two years, including over 2,000 student participants in video conferences, and over 4,000 downloads of the teacher toolkit. Then, the Staples Associates participated in a lively discussion about how to apply the ideas behind the Tread Lightly program - reducing your ecological footprint in the categories of food, energy, water, waste and transportation - in their own office, communities and homes. Suggestions brought up included a cycle-to-work program to encourage Associates to use sustainable methods of transportation. 

Onwards to Italy!

Last week, the inaugural Youth Environment and Education Forum was held in Oslo, Norway. This was the first in a series of five events, held  to engage youth and educators in the dialogue around the Rio+20 Earth Summit, and spread the word about the Tread Lightly climate change education initiative.

Oslo proved to be an excellent place to kick things off! The Oslo forum was a great success; thanks to the efforts of SPIRE, our co-hosting organization. SPIRE is a youth environmental network with chapters across Norway. They arranged for the location for the event, which was held in the beautiful Utviklingshuset, (Development house) a facility operated by Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) for use by youth and students. With SPIRE's promotional help, the forum attracted students, youth activists and representatives from NGOs to discuss the issues around Rio+20 and provide a Norwegian perspective. SPIRE representatives were particularly interested in the Tread Lightly Challenge cards and carbon footprint calculator, as they will be starting their own educational campaign in the new year and are looking for Norwegian materials to include.

All the participants applied themselves diligently to the task at hand. It was decided that the five categories of the Tread Lightly Challenge were best combined into three groups: food and waste, transportation and energy, and water. Many suggested initiatives and policy recommendations surfaced during the small group discussions and presentations. One suggestion in particular was to create awareness-raising campaigns not only to promote new environmentally-friendly initiatives, but to make Norwegians aware of the areas in which their country is already achieving success, such as the promotion of organic food, energy efficiency, and the klimahelt (climate hero) program. These types of public campaigns would help boost morale and put a positive spin on environmental concerns. The need for environmental education in the permanent school curriculum at all levels was addressed, to create a robust knowledge base. The youth present called on the government to involve young people as a stakeholder group at an equal level with industries during consultation sessions. One excellent outcome of the forum was the connection between diverse groups in attendance, who made plans to collaborate as a result of coming together for this discussion.

To conclude, Kari-Anne from SPIRE said a few words and shared news about their upcoming campaigns. Afterwards, participants mingled over refreshments while checking out artwork from around the world in the Imprints Art Collection display.

On to London next - stay tuned for the next update!

Last week, the inaugural Youth Environment and Education Forum was held in Oslo, Norway. This was the first in a series of five events, held  to engage youth and educators in the dialogue around the Rio+20 Earth Summit, and spread the word about the Tread Lightly climate change education initiative.

Oslo proved to be an excellent place to kick things off! The Oslo forum was a great success; thanks to the efforts of SPIRE, our co-hosting organization. SPIRE is a youth environmental network with chapters across Norway. They arranged for the location for the event, which was held in the beautiful Utviklingshuset, (Development house) a facility operated by Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) for use by youth and students. With SPIRE's promotional help, the forum attracted students, youth activists and representatives from NGOs to discuss the issues around Rio+20 and provide a Norwegian perspective. SPIRE representatives were particularly interested in the Tread Lightly Challenge cards and carbon footprint calculator, as they will be starting their own educational campaign in the new year and are looking for Norwegian materials to include.

All the participants applied themselves diligently to the task at hand. It was decided that the five categories of the Tread Lightly Challenge were best combined into three groups: food and waste, transportation and energy, and water. Many suggested initiatives and policy recommendations surfaced during the small group discussions and presentations. One suggestion in particular was to create awareness-raising campaigns not only to promote new environmentally-friendly initiatives, but to make Norwegians aware of the areas in which their country is already achieving success, such as the promotion of organic food, energy efficiency, and the klimahelt (climate hero) program. These types of public campaigns would help boost morale and put a positive spin on environmental concerns. The need for environmental education in the permanent school curriculum at all levels was addressed, to create a robust knowledge base. The youth present called on the government to involve young people as a stakeholder group at an equal level with industries during consultation sessions. One excellent outcome of the forum was the connection between diverse groups in attendance, who made plans to collaborate as a result of coming together for this discussion.

To conclude, Kari-Anne from SPIRE said a few words and shared news about their upcoming campaigns. Afterwards, participants mingled over refreshments while checking out artwork from around the world in the Imprints Art Collection display.

On to London next - stay tuned for the next update!

Last week, the inaugural Youth Environment and Education Forum was held in Oslo, Norway. This was the first in a series of five events, held  to engage youth and educators in the dialogue around the Rio+20 Earth Summit, and spread the word about the Tread Lightly climate change education initiative.

Oslo proved to be an excellent place to kick things off! The Oslo forum was a great success; thanks to the efforts of SPIRE, our co-hosting organization. SPIRE is a youth environmental network with chapters across Norway. They arranged for the location for the event, which was held in the beautiful Utviklingshuset, (Development house) a facility operated by Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) for use by youth and students. With SPIRE's promotional help, the forum attracted students, youth activists and representatives from NGOs to discuss the issues around Rio+20 and provide a Norwegian perspective. SPIRE representatives were particularly interested in the Tread Lightly Challenge cards and carbon footprint calculator, as they will be starting their own educational campaign in the new year and are looking for Norwegian materials to include.

All the participants applied themselves diligently to the task at hand. It was decided that the five categories of the Tread Lightly Challenge were best combined into three groups: food and waste, transportation and energy, and water. Many suggested initiatives and policy recommendations surfaced during the small group discussions and presentations. One suggestion in particular was to create awareness-raising campaigns not only to promote new environmentally-friendly initiatives, but to make Norwegians aware of the areas in which their country is already achieving success, such as the promotion of organic food, energy efficiency, and the klimahelt (climate hero) program. These types of public campaigns would help boost morale and put a positive spin on environmental concerns. The need for environmental education in the permanent school curriculum at all levels was addressed, to create a robust knowledge base. The youth present called on the government to involve young people as a stakeholder group at an equal level with industries during consultation sessions. One excellent outcome of the forum was the connection between diverse groups in attendance, who made plans to collaborate as a result of coming together for this discussion.

To conclude, Kari-Anne from SPIRE said a few words and shared news about their upcoming campaigns. Afterwards, participants mingled over refreshments while checking out artwork from around the world in the Imprints Art Collection display.

On to London next - stay tuned for the next update!