Annual Environmental Youth Conference in Berlin

The 4th annual environmental youth conference, organized by the Goethe-Institut, took place in Berlin, the capital of Germany, marking the final chord of the international program "Schools for the Environment." In 2017, 230 projects from various countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Ukraine, Georgia, and others, were presented.

An international jury selected the 15 best, among which was "The Little Prince" Educational Complex's project representing Armenia: "Less Food Waste in the Dustbin: Let's Reduce Food Waste in the School Kitchen."

Today, there are several pressing environmental problems in the world, also known as global ecological issues. These require urgent and comprehensive solutions. "The Little Prince" Educational Complex in Yerevan, emphasizing the role of environmental protection, implements numerous events and programs, raising issues aimed at solving existing problems in the ecological system, in which students from various grades consistently and actively participate.

In Berlin, the educational complex's team was represented by Biology teacher Ruzanna Simonyan, German language teacher Ofelya Nazaryan, and 10th-grade students Nane Shahbazyan, Petros Hovhannisyan, and Irina Gevorgyan.

The teachers and students spoke about the importance of the project's goals, objectives, and results. Since 2015, through this competition, schoolchildren in various countries around the world have been solving environmental problems. Students from grades 7-11 identify an ecological problem in their surroundings, research it, and propose solutions.

Subsequently, a plan is developed on how to publicize the problem, and then the project is brought to life. The expected outcome is to create a green organic vegetable garden for the entire year, yielding ecologically clean, useful, harmless, healthy vegetables. All this was done in German, using the "Content and Language Integrated Learning" method.

Within the framework of the project, a series of meetings were held with environmental organizations, and studies and surveys were conducted. As a result, it became clear that only 6 percent of daily used resources are converted into useful products, while the rest turns into waste. Large volumes of food are lost in stores, at home, during food transportation, storage, processing, and so on.

For the project's implementation, 5-liter plastic containers, various organic waste, soil, water, and a thermometer were needed. The participants cut the tops of the plastic containers, filled them halfway with food scraps, straw, paper, and dry leaves. The mixture was moistened and left outdoors.

The temperature fluctuated between 41°C and 63°C. After one week, soil was added, and seeds were sown. The natural thermal energy and moisture released from the decomposition of food scraps contributed to the rapid germination and growth of the seeds. The result was ecologically clean vegetables, which were used in the school cafeteria.

In Berlin, "The Little Prince"'s project received high praise. Within the framework of the conference, inter-team meetings were held in German, English, and Russian, in which the Armenian team actively participated, managing to ensure communication and translation in three languages among teams representing different countries. Outside the conference, they toured and familiarized themselves with the sights of Berlin.

The educational complex's team returned from Germany with certificates of honor and vivid impressions.