Environmental education

Why and how should we reduce and sort our waste, protect the biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consume in a reasonable manner? In brief, why and how should we share resources, protecting the planet to make it sustainable for future generation?

The Metropolitan Council of Dunkerque intends to promote this daily struggle with its education for sustainable development policy.

The policy is transversal and it accompanies all policies implemented by the community in the frame of its competences or different intervention areas: water, waste, energy, transport and environment. The main objective is to allow the citizens to better understand the global and local issues regarding human development and the environment and also to familiarise them with the notion of sustainable development. The policy also aims at making all citizens aware of their responsibility and of the fact that they can participate individually or collectively in order to help the territory develop in a more respectful way for humanity and nature. It mainly aims at supporting changes of behaviour and consumption habits today rather than tomorrow.

All inhabitants of the greater metropolitan area have to be involved: children and adults, pupils and elderly people, employees and consumers, elected representatives and voters. All areas of social life are affected: home, school, work and leisure time.

In order to reach these objectives, an information and education service for sustainable development was created, as well as an educational centre entirely dedicated to sustainable development. Furthermore, the decision was made that the partnership with the local education structures for the environment should be strengthened and that a programme for educational actions regarding sustainable development should be implemented in collaboration with these structures and the educational players of the territory.