ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

Our forerunner, the Green-Bridge Energetic and Environmental Advisory Union was founded in 1991 by energy providers of Pécs with the intention to connect the inhabitants with the experts of energy and environmental protection.

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THE MISSION OF THE GREEN-BRIDGE FOUNDATION

The Green-Bridge Foundation, which was founded by the union in 2000, does an advisory and educational work on the fields of energy and environmental protection. Our aim is to raise attention about these topics and improve people’s knowledge for living in a better world. We are convinced that this can only happen, if we become conscious about our part in our environment and we begin to change our ways in our everyday-life by and by. The preservation of the Earth’s resources and its wildlife begins in our homes, in our everyday life. We believe that by our knowledge and awareness of our responsibility for our environment we all can do something for the environmentally conscious use of the Earth’s natural resources.
The aim of the Green Bridge Foundation is to improve the quality of our life and our environment, to make the inhabitants, especially the children aware of their responsibility for the environment and to raise attention for the environmental problems that surround us. Further the popularisation of environmental conscious thinking and life style by environmental education, presentations, professional programs, conferences, forums and municipal energy advisory services.

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TARGET GROUP

• The inhabitants and professional groups of the South Transdanubian region of Hungary
• Children, who attend the kindergarten, the elementary school or the secondary school
• Disadvantaged groups

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OUR WORK

   1. Activities in connection with energy efficiency:

• Municipal energy advisory services
• Creation of heat maps for buildings
• Making energy audits
• Certifying the energy performance of buildings
• Energy saving application advice
• Applications for energy efficiency

   2. Arouse the inhabitant’s environmental consciousness:

• Organising professional programs, campaigns and conferences

   3. Informal education:

• Creating and running the Eco-Nook interactive environmental education room
• Environmental education for children of kindergarten, primary and secondary school age
• Global education trainings for elementary and secondary school aged children
• Working out educational materials for teachers and youth workers
• Project-days, handicraft activities for feast-days or important green events at schools
• Eco-Nook Green Playhouse of Pécs

   4. Integration and community development of disadvantaged groups:

• Popularising long-time voluntary work in Hungary
• Equality of chance - programs based on art techniques

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SERVICES

• Energy certificate, energy audit, photographs by heat cam, energy advice
• Environmental education – lessons for children at kindergarten, elementary and secondary school age
• Global education – lessons and trainings for elementary and secondary school children
• Organization of campaigns and conferences

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ABOUT OUR MOST IMPORTANT PROGRAMS

   Consciousness forming campaigns

In the campaign “Address label – Being at home in efficiency” (2008-) our foundation popularises the energy certificate with the help of the Energy Club. As the form of popularisation of the energy certificate we chose energy efficiency advice, flyers, organization of forums, open-air programs and the spread of publications. The gratis “Address Label” booklet contains the overview of buildings and the detailed description of various energy efficiency methods, tricks, practices, as well as renewing energy sources and their use at home.
Within the scope of the program “Do something for the reduction of climate change!” we organized consciousness-forming programs and gave municipal advice.
For the Elementary School of Szabadszentkirály and the Kindergarten of Bicsérd a heat map was made and an energy certificate was given. In addition, competitions were organized for the school children of the small region, where they were divided into two age groups (primary and secondary school age).

   Competitions, handicraft and art programs

In the past years the Green Bridge Foundation formed the consciousness of many children and youngsters on several competitions, creative art and handicraft programs and by environmental education.
In September 2005 the foundation organized the “Short Study Visit in Hungary, Youth Work for Environmental Education” program in Orfû, which lasted one week and where young people of ten different countries took part.
In the summer of 2006 twenty-two young people from six countries took part on the “RecycleART” program, where they exchanged different recycling methods.
70 children took part on the “Green Nose After” program, where they had to “adopt” a chosen territory and survey its environmental values and dangers. They had to present the result the self-government to which the chosen territory belonged.
In 2008 three secondary schools of Pécs took part in the pedagogical project “Global worth – education for a more just and equal world”, which was carried out by the Green Bridge Foundation and its Austrian partner Südwind Agentur. This program had a great success. A part of this project was a national photo competition for secondary school aged children, which was titled “Poverty in Hungary as I see it.” The most successful photos were exhibited. Also a teaching material was made that contains the summary of the three secondary school’s global education methods.

In the framework of the civic program European Capital of Culture Pécs 2010 the natural art program “Jewel of the land” was organized, where secondary school children and disabled young people took part. After the preparatory presentations and lessons the participants created their natural art work (Land art) in terms of fusion of natural and art education in one of the old outside stone quarries of Pécs. A photo exhibition and an amateur short film were made of the artworks as well.

For the preservation of the renewable energy the competition “Energy hunter” was organized in 2010. In the three-round competition 75 pupils took part and became acquainted with the possibilities of the use of energy sources.

The Green Bridge Foundation broadened its educational programs by facilitating the equality of chance, education and employment of disadvantaged groups in 2005. We took part on several open-air programs in disabled regions, where we offered municipal advisory service and organized environmental conscious playhouses for children. In addition we organized professional programs on the theme of energy and environmental protection.

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OUR MOST SUCCESFUL PROGRAMS

   IDEA program (2005-2010)

The aim of the IDEA program that is supported by the National Employment Foundation is the employment of the 18-30 year old young people, who are registered as unemployed and are not regular students either, as well as the reintegration of the long lasting unemployed above 45 years into the manpower market. The Green Bridge Foundation has been coordinating the program in the South-Transdanubian region for three cycles. In the first national long term voluntary program the participants volunteered for 10 months in municipal, non-profit or ecclesiastical organizations and in the meanwhile they received basic payment as well as common and individual education. Especially important were the individual improvement and helping people in keeping up with manpower market by developing the skills and abilities necessary for it. During the three cycles 72 volunteers and 46 host organisations took part in the program out of which 47 volunteers were employed.

   Creating and running
   the Eco-Nook Interactive Environmental Education Room (2004-)

In 2004 the environmental education became a part of our activity, which first step was the creation of the ECO-NOOK Interactive Environmental Education Room where later programs have been worked out and held. As time passed by besides the primary and secondary school children we have also offered programs for kindergarten children. The aim of the foundation is to make the children sensitive for their environment and to develop their claim for a life style that is in harmony with nature. The nook’s demonstration boards and the lessons are based on interactivity and facilitate experience-based teaching. With the methods of global education a lesson series was worked out for children in classes 6-12, who want to learn about the connections of the changing world. In the past few years almost 10 000 children and young people took part on environmental education occasions organized by the foundation. The Nook was created with the support of the “Investment in the future!” program of the Mobilisation National Youth Service.

   “Mural painting – Street art, living walls” (2007-2009)

In this program disabled young people of 10-25 years had the chance to learn the community improving method mural painting (wall painting), which has its origins in Nicaragua, within 6 months. As a result of it 4 wall paintings were made in Pécs (Rigóder playground, Elementary School of Pécs-Somogy, Youth Penalty Executive Institution, Peace Square – Tesco department store). We were supported by the Pécs 2010 Management centre public-benefit non-profit incorporation and the Mobilisation National Youth Service’s “The Youth is Getting Under Way!” program. At the end of the program a 103 page long methodological book was published and two films were made. The project received the titles “Child of the year” and “Youth sample project” from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. A huge interest was shown for the method, the project leader lead trainings on several places in the country. Since then the participant organisations have been using this method very successfully.

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