在兒童節前夕，美國環保署國際合作暨部落事務辦公室主任Mark Kasman來臺，今（3）日與行政院環保署共同拜訪通過生態學校綠旗認證的雲林潮厝華德福教育實驗國民小學，瞭解學校如何透過環境教育將友善環境及健康生活的理念由學生擴散至家庭，進而回饋至社區，有助於未來投注更多關懷於孩童上。
潮厝國小占地約7千7百平方公尺，擁有充分的活動綠地及學校農地，讓學生能親自餵養雞、鴨、鵝，提供了近距離觀察自然的機會。家禽所生產的高品質蛋，更為學校午餐添加丰采。學校致力於健康飲食文化的推廣，在潮厝國小的每一個孩子，都在學校指導下，力求養成健康生活態度習慣，每日午餐均以蔬食為主，並朝生機飲食邁進，希望藉由學生將健康的飲食及環保概念帶回家庭，並回饋影響至社區。校內推動節能環保，減少對環境的衝擊；並積極將友善環境及健康生活之觀念融入正規課程中，並朝多元化議題方向發展，如：綠建築、生態農耕、生態水池、綠美化、垃圾分類、資源回收、綠能發電、健康運動等。這樣的教學理念與目標正符合全球環境教育夥伴計畫「保護人類健康」的目標宗旨，值得其他學校參考學習。
行政院環保署於103年與創始夥伴美國環保署，在外交部的支持下，啟動國際環境夥伴計畫(International Environmental Partnership, IEP)及其下的全球環境教育夥伴計畫(GEEP)，至今合作將屆滿5周年。國際環境夥伴計畫，致力於共通性環境挑戰議題，如環境汞污染、空氣及土壤污染、電子廢棄物、氣候變遷、環境教育等；而目前已有超過50個國家加入全球環境教育夥伴的網絡平臺，我國自103年推動生態學校至今，已有401所學校加入，獲認證學校數有綠旗9所、銀牌96所、銅牌153所。美國環保署現任國際合作暨原住民事務處首席副助理署長Jane Nishida女士亦曾在西元2016年奈洛比聯合國環境大會中，讚賞臺灣在環境教育領域的領導性，期望未來持續透過臺美交流與合作機制，讓臺灣與美國的環境教育往下扎根，並帶動國際。
Sustainable Future – Highlight on Environmental Education and Children’s Health
Shortly before Children's Day, Mark Kasman, Director of the Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, made a visit to a Green Flag Awarded Eco-Campus school - Chaocuo Waldorf Education Experimental Elementary School in Yunlin County. Together with teachers and representatives of the community, thoughts were exchanged on the Eco-Campus approaches and its positive impact on children's health and sustainable environment.
Chaocuo Waldorf Education Experimental Elementary School covers school ground of close to 2 acres. Abundant space and agriculture fields on campus provide students with the opportunity of learning in and from the environment. Well-raised poultry further provide high quality eggs that are used in their mostly vegetarian school lunch. Such healthy culinary culture, leading a healthy lifestyle, and caring for the environment is emphasized in Chaocuo Elementary School. This also shows in their curriculum, where the concepts are infused and covers topics such as green buildings, ecological farming, ecology and biodiversity, environmental aesthetics, waste categorization and recycling, green energy, sports etc. These concepts will be brought back home by the students, and might even further involve the community. Such aim and approaches align with the goals of the GEEP and are highly recommended for other schools to refer to.
The Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) and the umbrella program, the International Environmental Partnership (IEP), were launched in 2014 under the cooperation of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan. The IEP aims to build partnerships on mutual environmental challenges, such as mercury monitoring, air pollution, soil contamination, e-waste management, climate change mitigation, and environmental education; while the GEEP, focusing on education and information sharing to build capacity on all levels, is a network with over 50 countries engaged. Jane Nishida, Principle Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. EPA, once highlighted Taiwan's leadership in the field of environmental education at the United Nations Environment Assembly meeting in Nairobi. 2019 marks the 5th anniversary of the IEP and GEEP. This partnership continues to strengthen environmental education in both Taiwan and the U.S. and advances the field globally.