Planting greenery in the schoolyards, environmental education in a fun way, or a field trip to the local boiler house. This is all part of the ENGIE Eco Schools project, which the ENGIE Group implemented for the first time in autumn 2015. This year, schools in 6 Slovak cities and districts took part in the project.
ENGIE Eco Schools is a project aimed at promoting environmental education for children and young people. The project programme, which is aimed primarily at schools, consists of three parts: the introductory part is a lecture in which ENGIE Group employees try to introduce and explain heat production and distribution to pupils in a playful way and to introduce them to different ways of using energy in an environmentally friendly way. The second part of the project is an excursion to a local boiler house, where pupils can see how heat is produced and distributed by means of technical equipment and technology. The final part is the planting of greenery in the schoolyard, in which all participants – pupils, teachers and ENGIE Group employees – are actively involved.
This year, the fourth edition of the ENGIE Eco Schools project took place in 6 Slovak schools, in towns and villages where the ENGIE Group operates heat farms. In total, more than 120 pupils and students and 30 ENGIE Group employees participated. “We are glad that we could help to green the schoolyards in Bratislava Rača and Ružinov, Skalica, Senica, Moldava nad Bodvou and Veľké Kapušany. The successful CSR project has been enjoying great interest from pupils, teachers, but also from our colleagues – volunteers who not only plant, but also prepare lectures and excursions,” says Róbert Ruňanin, Sales Director of ENGIE Services.
In the schoolyards, pupils and volunteers from the ENGIE Group jointly planted mature deciduous trees, fruit and ornamental shrubs. They planted vegetables and flowers in new raised beds in Senica, added 15 garden benches to the rest area in Moldava nad Bodvou and planted more than 30 trees in Skalica.
“Planting green areas is an important part of the whole programme. From the theoretical lectures, where we explain the importance of planting greenery for our lives, the pupils can move smoothly into the practical, where they can try it out for themselves. Planting a shrub or a tree is not as easy as it may seem at first sight. They have to put in more effort and effort than adults, they use real tools and they see how long it takes to plant a single tree or shrub. We believe that this will also make them appreciate the greenery around them more, not destroy it, but protect it. Planting greenery fosters team spirit and volunteering also brings joy and a good feeling to everyone involved in a job that is meaningful and beneficial to the local community,” explains R. Ruňanin.
What are the objectives of the project?
- Promote environmental education in schools
- To introduce pupils and students to the world of energy, its laws and the efficient use of renewable resources
- Actively involve ENGIE pupils, students, teachers and staff in improving the environment, specifically by planting trees and greenery in the schoolyards
- Support ENGIE’s decarbonisation strategy with green activities
- Strengthen Employee Branding among young people in schools – to raise awareness of the ENGIE brand and the company as a reliable and attractive employer that supports environmental projects
“The ENGIE Eco Schools project has been of great benefit to our school and to the pupils who have taken part. The children enjoyed the introductory lecture with informative and fun games. Many pupils got to know for the first time the place where heat and hot water is produced and supplied. The pupils were very interested in the excursion. Together we built beautiful flowerbeds, beautified the school surroundings and gained the basics to be able to develop the cultivation work further. Without the support of the ENGIE Group, we would not have had them.” Hana Kalamenová, a teacher from Komenského Primary School in Senica, evaluates the project.
“The Engie Eco Schools 2022 project has been of great benefit to our school. We are glad that they chose us. We have received positive feedback from all the pupils who have actively participated in this project. The children were especially interested in the planting of trees, thanks to which they became aware of the importance of trees in the urban environment,” says Katarína Janeková, a teacher from the Komenský Primary School in Bratislava’s Rač district.
More than 400 children and young people and around 150 ENGIE Group employees participated in the ENGIE Eco School programme over the course of 4 years. “Projects of this nature have a great social sense and added value for the participants, fellow volunteers and the pupils themselves. Thanks to such activities, we can also introduce children to the rather complex world of energy, its importance, its functioning and the future that awaits us in connection with its efficient and economical use. It is important to educate children about environmental protection, to encourage their willingness to help others and to beautify the environment in which they live through their own work,” concludes R. Ruňanin.
