International Projects of Environmental Partnership We support local people and organizations to enable them to stand on their own feet and to determine their own path of development
International Projects of Environmental Partnership 3 About Environmental Partnership and Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) 5
Energy Bridges
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Via Pacis Pannoniae
page 17 C entral European Climate Campaigners programme—Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
9 Cooperation with non-govermental organizations in Mongolia 11 Harmony Centre 13 Fund-raising for the Tatra Mountains 15 Iron Curtain Trail ICT and European Green Belt 17 Central European Climate Campaigners programme
page 19 European Tree of the Year —Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain
19 European Tree of the Year 20 P lease help us to engage people in environmental protection International Projects of Environmental Partnership In 2010 issued by: Nadace Partnerství Údolní 33, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic www.nadacepartnerstvi.cz Editor: Zbyšek Podhrázský Text authors: Zbyšek Podhrázský, Tomáš Růžička, Hana Rambousková, Daniel Mourek Graphics: František Eliáš Cover picture by: Zbyšek Podhrázský Printed at: PRINT MATULA, s.r.o., Olomoucká 27, 618 00 Brno
page 5 Energy Bridges —Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
This material is supported by the European Commission, EuropeAid. The Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to this material.
page 15 Iron Curtain Trail ICT and European Green Belt —Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia page 13 Fund-raising for the Tatra Mountains—Slovakia
page 9 C ooperation with non-govermental organizations in Mongolia—Mongolia
page 7 Via Pacis Pannoniae —Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia
page 11 Harmony Centre—Kenya
We help people to protect and improve our environment
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About Environmental Partnership and Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia Environmental Partnership (in Czech Nadace Partnerství) is a leading Czech foundation supporting sustainable development projects in all regions of the Czech Rebublic. It assists citizens in protection and improvement of their environment. For this purpose, it provides them with grants, expert knowledge together with services and inspiration from abroad. It supports tree planting, environmental protection, considerate transport and tourism, using renewable energy resources and quality public spaces. Together with four affiliated foundations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia it forms the Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) aiming to support activities contributing to the protection of environment, local communities and society. Over 20 years of its existence, Environmental Partnership has supported by foundation contributions totaling more than 238 million crowns in 2,722 projects. “The centre of our attention are people. We do not say: we will come to you and solve a problem for you. We say: We will help you to solve problems yourselves.”—Miroslav Kundrata, director of Environmental Partnership 3
Energy Bridges Impact of our consumption on developing countries Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru Since 2007, Partnership Foundation has been cooperating on the international project Energy Bridges, aimed at connections between the global climate changes and life of the inhabitants of developing countries in South America. This project is coordinated by the European organisation Klima-Bündnis with cooperation of other European organisations: Luxembourgeois Action Solidarité Tiers Monde and Hungarian Védegylet Egyesület. The partners in South America are organisations from Peru (FORMABIAP), Ecuador (FDA) and Bolivia (CEDIP).
Partnership Foundation mediates the outputs of the project to the Czech public and in cooperation with other organisations in the Czech Republic employs the materials in schools and raise public awareness. Within this project, Partnership Foundation together with climatic coalition has organised a debating seminar with a participation of South American organisations representatives, several appearances on the radio, touring photography exhibition and a meeting of Indian tribe members with the DG ENVI representatives.
Within this project, a study on social and ecological conflicts caused by the production of palm oil as a source of biofuel in Ecuador has been elaborated, several documentaries recounting the consequences of crude-oil production in Ecuador have been made and series of other materials documenting the paradoxical lack of energy in countries rich in natural resources which are exported to advanced industrialised countries have been created.
The aim of this project is to enhance a cooperation between organisations concerned with climate change both in Europe and South America and to inform the public about the impact of the economic development in Europe and the greenhouse gases emission on life of the poorest inhabitants of our planet. The project is financed from the EuropeAid program.
Hundreds of oil wells are scattered throughout the Jungle of Ecuador’s Amazonia. During the heavy rains remains of oil get easily into rivers that local people use for washing and as drinking water for themselves and their animals. (photo: Michal Veselý) 5
Via Pacis Pannoniae Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia Since 2003, a successful cooperation of Environmental Partnership in the Balkans has been in progress. With an assistance of the experts from Environmental Partnership, the project of Pannonian green trail—Greenway of Peace “Via Pacis Pannoniae” was developed and carried out. It brought back together Serbia and Croatia long quarelled by the war in the Balkans. The longterm partner in the framework of both the programs is Serbian environmental organisation from Vojvodina (Zelena mreza Voivodine) with the seat in Novi Sad. Thanks to this project, financed mainly by foreign sources (Balkan Trust and others) not only was created a 250km long international trail linking Novi Sad, Sombor, Subotica, and Čenej in Serbia and Vukovar, Osijek and nature reserve park Kopački rit in Croatia along the rivers Danube and Tisa but also rural and municipal public areas were renewed, and with the assistance of partner New York organisation PPS a unique project of a functioning farm organic market Piac in the centre of Novi Sad was established.
The principal aim of this project was to integrate nations and regions quarelled by the war, improve the quality of public area in towns and cities and support soft tourism along the trail by the form of stays in eco/agro farms and sheepfolds. Additionally, quality rest-stops were built up after the fashion of the Czech together with mapping the trail in the terrain and issuing a map with a guide. As a part of this project, our Serbian partner visited South Moravia. From 2006 to 2007, experts from Environmental Partnership contributed to the development of the green trails Greeways on the entire territory of Serbia. These were mainly Greenways in the precincts of spa Vrnkačka Banja and winter sports resort Zlatibor named “The Mineral Water Trails” and “The Ozone Trails” intended for various users—pedestrians, bikers and crosscountry skiers. In the wine regions in the South and East of Serbia (Alexandrova, Negotin) “Wine Trails” were created after the fashion of the Moravian wine trails.
Farm organic market Piac in the centre of Novi Sad. (photo: Environmental Partnership) 7
ooperation with non-govermental C organizations in Mongolia Mongolia In 2005 the Environmental Partnership started in cooperation with an NGO in Mongolia, People Centered Conservation, which is aimed at sharing the best practises of local people involvement in nature conservation. Together with Agency for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid of the Olomouc Region and the Austrian World Wildlife Fund (WWF) we prepared a study trip of 6 delegates from the Mongolian NGOs to the Czech Republic. The accent was put mainly on activities focused on environmental education, sustainable development of local communities and the involvement of the general public.
Within the reciprocal journey to Mongolia we identified topics of possible further cooperation in the regions of Huvsgul and Gobi. Besides the methods of involving local people and support of small businesses, supporting fair trade goods seems to be prospective as well. Currently we are looking for funding to be able to develop our cooperation in the fields of environmental education and supporting the use of law to protect public interests. Cooperation with Mongolia was supported by Austrian Development Cooperation within the frame of Regional Partnership Programme.
Buddhist monks play an important role in Mongolian communities. They are often the key leaders in promoting sustainable development and protection of natural resources. (photo: Tomáš Růžička) 9
Harmony Centre Simple technologies for people in Africa Kenya Kenya is approximately as large as France in size, it has 40 milion inhabitants divided into 42 tribes (each of which has its own language). Compulsory school attendance was introduced no earlier than in 2003. During the drought period, some children, however, cannot manage to attend school—they have to supply water, which at times requires walking several kilometres. In the need of wood people in this country rape, beat and kill... Near the small town of Malawa by Lake Victoria, our colleague Tomáš Miléř and the local inhabitants founded a non-governmental organisation which coordinates a community centre Harmony. The aim of this project is to contribute to solving energy crisis in Western Kenya caused by the population growth and inefficient use of natural resources.
As well as promoting tree planting, it is necessary to teach the local people to reduce the usage of wood for cooking since cooking on an open fire with three stones is still common. Therefore we support production and use of economical clay stove and solar cookers. Harmony centre currently offers local people solar cookers, clay stoves with low firewood consumption and consultancy concerning fertilising soil with organic coal and tree planting. What is the solar cooker? The solar cooker serves to cook food just as any other cooker but it uses uniquely solar energy. It works similarly to the magnifying glass with a sole difference—rays do not refract throughout the lens, as in the case of magnifying glass, but by reflex. Solar cookers thus represent the easiest way to cook food without firing.
A woman planting trees with the support of Harmony centre in Kenya. (foto: Tomáš Miléř) 11
Fund-raising for the Tatra Mountains Slovakia On Friday 19th November 2004, a destructive wind swept accross the territory of The High Tatra Mountains with an average speed of 90–115 km/h, at certain places up to 165 km/h. The windstorm, which persisted from 3 p.m. To 8 p.m., was followed by a heavy snowfall. During the night, there was up to 20 cm of snow, which further complicated rescue operations. The wind devastated or seriously damaged 13 000 hectares of forest. To illustrate: if this was a coherent whole of forest, its width would be 2–3 kilometres and its length 50 kilometres. The total forest area in Tatra National Park comprises 46,000 hectares, which means one quarter of its surface was devastated and another quarter was damaged. The volume of wood from fallen trees is estimated 3 milion cubic metres, which makes 90% of annual timber harvesting in Slovakia. The damaged stand was largely a part of the Tatra National Park Zone C, that is man-made
planted spruce monocultures aged approximately 80 years. The least damaged area was the Zone A (approximately 2% of the forests in this zone) where the largest area of native forest is to be found. Further material damage affected mainly buildings, medical institutions, accomodation and catering facilities. Environmental Partnership organised a public fund-raising, contributions to which could be donated via bank transfer or donors message service (DMS). Owing to the fund-raising, a total of 11,202,060 CZK (404,000 EUR) was raised and DMS was used on such a wide scale for the first time in the Czech Rebublic. The revenue of the fund-raising supported 34 projects by means of partner foundation Ekopolis from Slovakia (www.ekopolis.sk). In 2011, for instance, a nature trail across the affected area of Rakytovske lakes was opened which introduces visitors to various approaches to the forest recovery.
Rakytovske lakes area is one of the few places in High Tatras where dead trees were not removed after the wind storm in 2004 and the forest has been left for natural regeneration. (photo: Tomáš Růžička) 13
Iron Curtain Trail ICT and European Green Belt Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia On the 23rd December 1989, at that time new Minister of Foreign Affairs Jiří Dienstbier and Hans Dietrich Genscher cut the barbed wire on the border with Germany, he did the same a few days earlier with his Austrian counterpart Alois Mock. According to the statistics of the Office for the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism, between 1948–1989, 145 people were shot in an attempt to escape the country, 96 killed by electrical wires, 11 demonstrably drowned escaping and another approximately 50 drowned were found by the police in the border rivers. Between 1948–1989, no less than 584 frontier guards died in service (only 11 as a result of encountering border „violators“), over 205,000 people were sentenced to prison for political reasons and between 1948–1987, around 170,938 Czechoslovak citizens went into exile. Since 1953, a two and half metre fence with high voltage, so-called wall of death, stood on the western border. During the following 40 years, a tight frontier divided Europe from the North to the Black sea.
Since 2008, Environmental Partnership has coordinated the European Green Belt iniciative which in width of 50 kilometres keeps track of the former Iron Curtain once separating Europe into two irreconciable groups. As a member of the European Cyclists’ Federation, Environmental Partnership also co-ordinates Iron Curtain Trail. The total lenght of the Iron Curtain makes 6,800 kilometres. Trail crosses 38 national parks, 16 of which are cross-border. It will be marked by international route marking EuroVelo. In 2010, Environmental Partnership together with partners from neighbouring countries and Hungary prepared a European project concerning unification of the standards along this trail and a further development of the Iron Curtain Trail in cooperation with the European Cyclists’ Federation. This project is financed by the European Commission, DG ENTR.
The remains of the Iron Curtain—Čižov, Podyjí National Park (photo: Environmental Partnership) 15
Central European Climate Campaigners programme Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia Between 2008–2009, Environmental Partnership co-ordinated a project named Central European Climate Campaigners, the aim of which was to increase profficiency of climate programme coordinators from non-for-profit organisations in Central and Eastern Europe. Selected representatives thus had an opportunity to meet not only people working in the field of climate science research but also politicians and industry representatives. Due to these meetings and conferences Patnership Foundation was able to mediate to the participating 17 coordinators the latest findings in climate protection— for instance, an excursion into the experimental facility for carbon capture resulting from electricity generation in coal-fired power plants (CCS technology—Carbon Capture & Storage) or a presentation of experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
An important part of the project were discussions with politicians and advisers in the field of climate change and energy management. Several open letters addressed representatives of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the European Parliament to promote the principles leading to a reduction of the climate change effects. Majority of the participants, as representatives of the nonprofit sector, is actively involved in climate change policy making in their countries. The project was financed by the European Climate Foundation.
A group of climate campaigners on the tour to Vattenfall experimental CCS facility at Cottbus (photo: Zbyšek Podhrázský) 17
European Tree of the Year Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain Since 2001, Environmental Partnership has been organising a popular national inquiry the Tree of the year. Its objective is not to find the oldest, highest or most beautiful tree but a tree with a story that can bond people living in its vicinity. The main aim of this inquiry is to strengthen local communities, relationships between people and their attentive attitude towards the plantscape. Trees are the heart of nature despite often not having an easy life in our culture. Therefore they deserve our attention and care.
You may enter your tree in the competiton in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, France and Spain. The European Tree of the Year is supported by the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Rebublic and the Ministry of Environment. www.treeoftheyear.org
In the history of the inquiry 400,000 people took part in the election, only in the Czech Republic. The winning tree is selected annually from almost a hundred nominees. Since 2010, Environmental Partnership has successfully expanded the Czech model of the inquiry to other countries in Europe. From Bulgaria to France, people are searching trees with a remarkable story and motivate others around them to build a relationship with trees and nature. Plane tree in Leteye won the Tree of the Year contest in Hungary in 2010 and became the first tree to represent Hungary in the European contest as well. (photo: Petr Francรกn) 19
Please help us to engage people in environmental protection The Environmental Partnership helps people to protect and improve their environment. It provides financial contribution to nonprofit organizations, schools, municipalities and individuals throughout the Czech Republic. We also support local residents and organizations abroad to enable them to stand on their own feet and to determine their own direction of development. An opportunity which was given to us thanks to the foreign assistance. Are you interested in our projects? Help us make them feasible!
You have several options: • Donate to the Environmental Partnership Endowment. Income from the endowment investments allow us to fund vital projects irrespective of the private sector or the state support • Partner with the Environmental Partnership • Donate material goods or contribute by voluntary work • Refer to us a gift in the last will • Take advantage of tax deduction • Send your donation via PayPal or credit card at www.nadacepartnerstvi.cz/gateway More information: partnerstvi@nap.cz, phone: (+420) 515 903 111 Thank you for your support!
Environmental Partnership Account in CZK account number and bank code: 994404-0449065015 / 0800 IBAN CZ77 0800 9944 0404 4906 5015 SWIFT (BIC) Code GIBACZPX
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Environmental Partnership Account in EUR account number and bank code: 994404-0149065005 / 0800 IBAN CZ21 0800 9944 0401 4906 5005 SWIFT (BIC) code GIBACZPX