στο 5ο Γυμνάσιο Κατερίνης
Το 5ο Γυμνάσιο Κατερίνης γιόρτασε την Ημέρα Δασοπονίας με ένα ξεχωριστό τρόπο. Τα μέλη της Ομάδας Περιβαλλοντικής Εκπαίδευσης που ασχολούνται με
« Το Πράσινο & τους Ελεύθερους Χώρους στην Πόλη μας», ανέλαβαν δράση για τη διάσωση και ανάδειξη δυο ιστορικών δένδρων της Κατερίνης. Πρόκειται για τον πλάτανο στη θέση «Παλιό Σιντριβάνι» και την φτελιά ή καραγάτσι (καρά + αγάτς = μαύρο δέντρο) που έχει δεσπόζουσα θέση στην αυλή του 5ου γυμνασίου και αν είχε μιλιά, σίγουρα θα είχε πολλά να αφηγηθεί από την 80χρονη λειτουργία του σχολείου.
Πρόταση της ομάδας ΠΕ είναι τα δύο αυτά δέντρα να συμπεριληφθούν στα Μνημεία της Φύσης της χώρας μας. Προκειμένου να κινήσουν τη διαδικασία αυτή χρειάζονταν την επιστημονική χρονολόγηση των δέντρων, γι αυτό απευθύνθηκαν στη Διεύθυνση Δασών Πιερίας, που πρόθυμα ανταποκρίθηκε στο αίτημά τους και φρόντισε να έρθει από το Ινστιτούτο Δασικών Ερευνών Θεσσαλονίκης ο κ. Χατζηφιλιππίδης Γρηγόριος, δόκτωρ δασολόγος- ερευνητής.
Σε μια σεμνή εκδήλωση κάτω από την ιστορική φτελιά, ο εκπρόσωπος της Διεύθυνσης Δασών κ.Λαλούμης ανέπτυξε το θέμα της σχέσης του πράσινου με την κοινωνική διάρθρωση και την εξέλιξη της πόλης. Αναφέρθηκε ιδιαίτερα στα κυρίαρχα κάποτε , αλλά υπό εξαφάνιση σήμερα, ιστορικά πλατάνια της. Κατόπιν, πήρε το λόγο ο κ. Χατζηφιλιππίδης, που παρουσίασε τα είδη της φτελιάς και αφού ανέλυσε τον τρόπο προσδιορισμού της ηλικίας των δέντρων, προχώρησε στην χρονολόγηση της φτελιάς του σχολείου με ειδικό όργανο. Η ίδια διαδικασία χρονολόγησης επαναλήφθηκε στον πλάτανο στο Παλιό Σιντριβάνι. Τα δείγματα θα εξετασθούν στο εργαστήριο του Ινστιτούτου Δασικών Ερευνών Θεσσαλονίκης. Μια πρώτη εκτίμηση του ερευνητή είναι ότι και τα δύο δέντρα είναι υπεραιωνόβια. Αναμένονται τα αποτελέσματα για να κινήσει η ομάδα ΠΕ τη διαδικασία με το ΥΠΕΧΩΔΕ για την ένταξη των ιστορικών αυτών δέντρων στον κατάλογο των Μνημείων της Φύσης της χώρας μας.
Αισθανόμαστε την ανάγκη να ευχαριστήσουμε και δημόσια τον δασολόγο ερευνητή κ. Χατζηφιλιππίδη Γρ. και από τη Δ/νση Δασών Πιερίας τους κ.Λαλούμη Μ. και Μαυρίδη Γ. που με τις ενέργειές τους έδωσαν ουσιαστικό περιεχόμενο στην επέτειο της Ημέρας Δασοπονίας.
Η Ομάδα Περιβαλλοντικής Εκπαίδευσης του 5ου Γυμνασίου
« Νέοι Δημοσιογράφοι για το Περιβάλλον»
The Award Winning YRE of the 5th Gymnasium of Katerini
OR
Teacher of English at the 5th Gymnasium of Katerini
The Environmental team of the 5th Gymnasium of Katerini, guided by their teachers of English, participated in the international annual competition 2003 of the Young Reporters for the Environment and were given the“Award” in the topic “Cities” for their article “Cement vs Green”. They also entered the YRE awards at a national level in both the article and photo category and they won the second panhellenic prize in each category.
The YRE is a programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (Web: www.fee-international.org). It is an international network of over 3000 secondary school pupils and teachers, represented in 17 countries. Secondary schools across Europe and beyond, form press teams to work on six topics: Agriculture, Energy, Cities, Waste, Coastline or Water. The YRE of each school undertake journalistic investigations and they produce articles and photos about environmental issues either at national level or at international level in cooperation with their partner schools from different countries. The website http://www.youngreporters.org is their press agency where they can find services and tools which support their projects. The YRE partners work on a common subject and they use the Internet and the English language to communicate, to exchange ideas and information on the chosen theme. Every year, an international super-award is given to the team which produced the best article.
The aims of the programme are:
• to empower students to take an active role in their own education
• to give students an understanding of the professional world
• to help Ss to understand Europe’s dynamic better
• to encourage project-based, cross-curricular, inter-disciplinary approach to education.
• to allow Ss to acquire new competencies in communication and use of new technologies
• to help them understand the principle of sustainable development and promote environmental awareness
One of the fundamental challenges of the programme is to implement new open learning situations and contexts in which students feel engaged in research and training through new experience rather than remaining passive recipients of knowledge.
In this respect, “YRE” explores new ways for teachers in the fundamental aspects of their role. Through cooperative activities at the European or International level during a whole school year, teachers learn how to co-ordinate their students’ projects and put a greater emphasis on skills’ development ( communication, teamwork, autonomy, initiative, critical thinking etc.)
The YRE programme is particularly challenging for teachers of English as it offers their pupils the chance to use the target language in real life situations.
Topic of the project: Cities
Title of the project: (at national level) Green & Open Spaces in the Town of
Katerini
(at international level) The Green in our Cities
Number of students involved: (at national level) 15
Co-ordinator: Loukia Korobili-Perdikis, teacher of English
Assistant co-ordinator: Yiazitzi-Koletos Catherine, teacher of English
Partner schools: Kykkos Lyceum of Pafos, Lanitio Lyceum of Limassol-Cyprus,
Colegio de la Presentacion-Spain, Lucee Juliete Recamier-France,
Gustav Adolfs Grammar School-Estonia.
Duration of the project: 15 October 2002-15 May 2003
Subjects related: Languages ( Greek & English), Geography, History,
Mathematics, Ecology, Computer science
Knowledge of English: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate
Aims: The general aims of the YRE programme (See above, page 1,3rd paragraph)
Objectives: • to improve Ss competence in English under real life situations
• to acquire cooperative skills
• to sensitize Ss in local issues and get them actively involved
• to become aware of the “globality” of environmental issues
• to consolidate friendly relations with their partners and learn how
different cultures deal with the same issue
• Identification of the local issue
• Study of existing documentation (eg press cuttings, scientific reports etc)
• Identification of the main actors involved (Municipality, Prefecture, Ministry
for the protection of the environment, scientists, local press and media)
• Organizing the investigation plan
• Identification and allocation of the main tasks involved (press relations, field
study, public opinion survey, internet communication, “wall” newspaper etc)
• “Adoption” of the YRE team by a professional journalist, a photographer
and a scientist city-planner for special advice and guidance.
• Collection of information and data
• Supportive events in cooperation with state offices & scientific institutes
• Processing and evaluation of collected material- Feedback
• Writing of final report- Submission of the articles & photos to the YRE
awards
• Presentation of findings and conclusions to the school community and the
local press
Participation to the YRE awards 2003 in the article category.
Thematic topic: CITIES
We are the Environmental team of the 5th Gymnasium of Katerini, North Greece, which during the current school year have run a survey on the “Green & Open Spaces in our City”.
Two newspaper articles attracted our interest in this topic. The first one announced the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs to fund 70 municipalities with 35 million euros in order to “green” the schoolyards of their domain. In the second article our Mayor presented his plans to have a five-storey cultural centre erected in the schoolyard of the 5th Gymnasium which is situated in the historical centre of the city.
Surrounded by concrete high-rise buildings and under their chilly shadow, we wondered: “Is there enough green in our city? Should we spare our schoolyard? Are the principles of sustainable development of towns and cities served with decisions of the kind? What is the Municipality’s “green” policy? Let us investigate!”
Over the course of our investigation, we consulted bibliography & scientific magazines, a scientist city planner, a professional journalist and a veteran photographer. We carried out a public opinion survey, interviewed Municipality officials, we did study in the field and we exchanged information with our YRE partners from five European countries.
The city’s development in the process of time
Katerini is a relatively new city; it is first mentioned in historical sources from the late Ottoman period. It is the capital of the administrative region of Pieria (North Greece) and has a population of 50000 inhabitants (2001 census). From the early 20th century to the 1960’s the city grew from a small agricultural settlement to a medium-size urban center. Since the 1960’s the urban space of the city has been subject to chaotic development due to the absence of general state planning. In the 70’s among other problems, the city developed an acute housing shortage, which led to uncontrolled and often unauthorized building. The city is marked by over-centralisation and extremely poor provision of green spaces.
A recent unsuccessful attempt at urban redevelopment occurred with the National Urban Reconstruction project, 1982-84. In 1992 the City Council commissioned a study of the upgrading of the urban center and the existing green spaces. The study was undertaken by a group of specialists from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The implementation of the specialists’ proposals is still in progress.
( Based on the article: “ The New Face of Katerini: Restructuring the Center and the Image of the City”, Jan.- Dec. issue of “Technika Chronika” scientific Journal of the TCG.)
What the “autopsy” showed
Early January 2003. Our team equipped with maps, cameras and notebooks started for a field study: “Recording and assessment of the green and open spaces in our city.”
No comment…
We did know that Katerini suffers from lack of green spaces but reality is even harder when you touch it! We took long walks until we met few green spaces surrounded, or better sieged, by high-rise blocks of flats. Cement seems to have an insatiable appetite in Katerini. It has devoured almost all green and open spaces. We evidenced their poor condition mainly because of the too many cement/stone pathways and constructions in them. Green seemed to be in exile, even in spaces characterized as parks! We wondered: “Are we prejudiced? Let us ask the people!”
The public opinion survey results
The data included in this brief report was obtained from a random sample of 100 men and women inhabitants of Katerini, aged 15-70, who responded to our survey questionnaire in February 2003.
¨84% of the people questioned are not happy with the land distribution in their city. ¨65% estimate the average green from 1 to 3.5sq.m. per inhabitant, and they attribute the vertical decrease of green over the 30 past years to: urbanization, illegal building, loose state control, lack of state spatial planning, lack of environmental public awareness, underestimation of the importance of urban green.
¨51% believe that the average condition of green spaces is modest, while 71% stated that they have not been planned according to environmentally friendly criteria.
¨Considering the upgrading of green and open spaces project in progress in our city, 87% demand that the state should prohibit any further building in the existing open spaces, suggest that green gardens should be created in schoolyards and that the municipality should “green” every common space ( streets, squares, pedestrian precinct etc).
¨81% haven’t ever heard about “ Local Agenda 21”.
¨80% disagree with the municipality’s plans to have a multi-storey cultural center built in the schoolyard of the 5th Gymnasium.
The Municipality officials’ views
The Head of the Office of City planning, facing the facts and the critical questions posed by the YRE has to admit: “ Unfortunately, Katerini has developed without planning. Some reorganization attempts, eg in the early ‘70’s and in 1982, were cancelled or modified under the pressure of citizens’ reactions whose interests would be affected. It’s been a “ vicious circle”. The elected Municipality authorities
|
have
always been submissive to public pressure; the scientific staff, that is us,
are generally pathetic and don’t object to the politicians’ will. As a result,
in 1982, from the 6480000sq.m. covered by the city, the authorized city
planning was only 2800000sq.m. The green and open spaces in Katerini are,
actually, a victim of this lack of policy. The city park is a typical example;
today, it covers half of its initial expanse. Consequently, the average green
per citizen is estimated to 3.85sq.m., far from the European standards.
|
CITY |
Average green (m2/ inhabitant) |
|
Athens |
2.55 |
|
Katerini |
3.85 |
|
Malaga |
5.70 |
|
Paris |
8.54 |
|
London |
9.00 |
|
Vienna |
20.00 |
However, since 1993 the urban renovation projects carried out by our Municipality have changed the profile of our city and the aesthetic results are obvious. New reconstruction studies are commissioned and, I can assure you that we are making serious attempts to even past faults…”
The thread is taken up by the Head of the Office of Green, an enthusiastic and hard-working scientist-forester and environmentalist: “I’m determined to green every public open space left in the city. Six thousand new plants, all endemic, will be planted this year. Since 1992, I’ve been working out a very enterprising project of upgrading the existing green areas. It’s expected to be completed in the next 15 years. We have already completed the renovation of one-third of the city park, which is an ornament for the city and an oasis for its people. Our criteria comply absolutely with the principles of sustainable management of green areas with an emphasis on the preservation of the local flora. Of course, we can’t accomplish miracles. There are restrictions we have to consider. For instance, the infra-structure networks ( drainage system, electricity supply etc) do not allow the planting of trees in the pedestrian precinct or on the squares. We are obliged to opt for paved pathways or squares, as grass carpets are difficult to maintain because of water shortage and high maintainance costs. Besides, the people in Katerini do not seem to love green; 99% of their requests to our office concern permissions to cut trees in front of their shops/properties! There have also been cases of vandalism in green areas. Therefore, our office encourages the cooperation with schools within the framework of environmental education, because it’s our belief that this will result in raising public awareness…”
The YRE posing in the city park.
The Verdict
It is evident that there is no firm local green policy. It is typical that whereas in Denmark 2/3 of the municipalities, in the UK 90% and in Italy 30%, implement the principles of “ Local Agenda 21”for the sustainable development of towns and villages, only two Greek municipalities implemented LA 21 (1998 data).
However, the Municipality offices in Katerini have been reorganized and manned by young qualified scientists with a dream about the city, which is changing for the better. On the other hand, the people coming mainly from rural areas tend to underestimate the importance of urban green. There is no collective reaction to activities or decisions leading to the environmental degrading of the city.
It is vital that additional measures should be taken towards raising public awareness. Therefore, education programmes on sustainability should be organized for both the municipality members and the citizens. It is time that LA 21 and sustainable development are not regarded as a threat but as a chance.
Our contribution
True to our belief, “Deeds speak louder than words”:
¨ As YRE, we intervened with articles relevant to the burning issue of green in the local paper “ Olympio Vima”.
¨ Supported by the 4th Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage ( Ministry of Culture ),we took up action to prevent the construction of a five-storey cultural center in the schoolyard of the 5th Gymnasium.
¨ In cooperation with the Office of Green, we proceeded to the creation of a rose garden in the front yard of our school and the plantation of new trees.
¨ Invited by our environmental team, a forester- researcher from the Institute of Forest Research in Salonica dated the oldest elm tree and plane tree in the city, using the Pressler method. It is in our plans to start the procedure for the nomination of these trees as monuments of nature
The elm tree dating- March 21st 2003
The plane tree in the square of “ Palio Sintrivani”in 1924.