NEWS

2016 USA- Taiwan Eco-Campus Teachers Training Workshop was held in Taipei Globaltown Business Center last Tuesday, July 12thby Taiwan EPA, under the assistance of National Wildlife Federation, which is in charge of implementing and coordinating Eco-Schools in the states. The total participants for this workshop are 63,including the teachers in Eco-Campus-registered schools, the representatives from local environmental protection bureaus and those who are interested in Eco-Campus program. Different from the previous two workshops in 2014 and 2015,this year Taiwan EPA not only invites Ms. Kim Martinez, who are now currently working for NWF and engaging in developing the Eco-Schools in the states, to share the developing processes and the relevant experiences with these participants, but also invite 7 US eco-school teachers led by Ms. Martinez to the workshop. The workshop is proceeded in group discussion, and each group is assigned at least one US teacher, providing the Taiwan teachers the chance to discuss issues related to Eco-Campus with US teachers face to face, exchanging and learning the promoting experiences with each other. In addition, Kim also shares the key elements to get Green Flag certificated with an on-site auditor point of view, and two Taiwan schools, which are Micang Elementary School in New Taipei City and Affiliated Experimental Elementary School of National Chiayi University, are also invited to share their experiences on Eco-Campus program,letting all the participants to get something new and build up a whole new perspective and vision toward constructing Eco-Campus and become the seed teachers to help Taiwan EPA promote Eco-Campus Program in Taiwan.

US–TaiwanEco-Campus Partnership Program is one of the program under International Environmental Partnership (IEP), launched by US EAP minister Ms. Gina McCarthy and Taiwan EPA in 2014, building up a partnership between the US and Taiwan.This workshop aims to help Taiwan high schools, junior high schools and elementary schools, which are willing to register in Eco-Campus program or even get certified, by introducing experts from NWF, teaching and sharing the related knowledge and experiences with them, and to train these teachers(workshop participants) into the seed teachers, helping schools to promote Eco-Campus.

With the financial support by Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan EPA and the “co-founder” partner,the U.S. EPA, officially launched IEP program in year of 2014. Simply through the idea of partnership and multiple way of cooperation, IEP established lotsof professional sharing platforms in countries around the world, dedicating to discussing the common environmental issues or challenges, such as mercury pollution, air and soil pollution, electronic waste, climate change and environmental education, and to enhancing schools, communities, and even countries’ ability to deal with these issues, hoping to accumulate the achievement for environment improvement done by all the partners.

(Refer to the US-Taiwan Eco-Campus Partnerships wesite (News): http://ecocampus.estc.tw/newsDetailEn.aspx?dsn=386)

Ms. Hung, deputy director general from Department of Comprehensive Planning, Taiwan EPA is giving her opening remark

Ms. Kim Martinez, senior regional education manager from NWF, is giving her lecture

The US delegate and the representative from Taiwan EPB shared the result after group discussion.