EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION
The Educational Commission raises community awareness of cultural assets, traditional knowledge, and environmental best practices. We do this through:
– Connecting other GHO commissions to communities to meet local needs
Impact: Building environmental consciousness among Lebanese youth
ECO NEIGHBORHOODS
Integrated Awareness Module
48 Schools, 637 Students, 8 Projects
From 2011 to 2016: Aims to educate youth about environmental conservation/consciousness through organizing an annual competition between schools. A general workshop is conducted for all participating schools on environmental topics related to the competition (clean energy, landscape by using native species, solid waste management, reduction of waste). This is followed by a tailored workshop for each school, depending on the topic chosen. Projects are submitted to a committee of judges from the field, who will evaluate the project and announce a winner. The winning project will be executed through a supported fund.
Partners: Schools, Municipalities, Red Cross Youth Club, Rotary Club.
Environmental Awareness LECTURES
Interactive Hands-on Sessions
More than 800 lectures, more than 100,000 Students
Started 1999: introduce basic level of environmental consciousness to youth through organizing sessions, to explain and promote basic training on solid waste management, best ways to use resources, biodiversity, artistic recycling, smoke free zones and environmental health.
Partners: Universities, Schools, Municipalities.
Gifts for Kids
Education & Hygiene Awareness
More than 100,000 Kids between the ages of 2 to 14 years
From 2007 to 2013: Through the joined effort of Green Hand and the Evangelical Church a program was created to introduce the concepts of cultural and environmental aspects to younger generation. While the church obtained hygiene and education gift kits from kids of USA and Canada, Green Hand organized and executed the program on a national level and was responsible for the emphasis on the cultural and environmental aspects.
Partners: Evangelical Church, Municipalities, Schools, Orphanages, Scouts, NGOs.
Mood Line Design
Conceptual Up-cycled Designs
35 executed orders
Started 2013: Joining using resources more wisely and highlight cultural elements through establishing a production line of household items (home/garden furniture, tables, chairs, lanterns, accessories, etc) based on the concept of the 3Rs. This program provides work opportunities for locals and it is sustained through providing customized, pre-ordered products.
Customers: Municipalities, General Public.
Our Kids Read
Promoting Ecological Enlightenment
10 Schools | More than 1000 Kids between the ages of 9 to 14 years
Year 2009: In harmony with the selection of Beirut as the World Book Capital, a program was created to introduce and promote environmental reading and storytelling into underfunded public schools. 10 schools were selected where trainers were trained on environmental story telling/writing and how to introduce environmental reading into their curriculum. The program was then executed by school kids through organizing interactive workshops of story telling/writing/enacting. In addition, workshops were organized on paper recycling and up-cycling. Moreover, a station composed of a library that was initiated with 40 books’ encyclopedia joined with a reading area was gifted to every school.
Partner: Ministry of Culture, Schools,
Promoting Best Environmental Practices on Landfills
8 Municipalities, 15000 Signature
From 2007 to 2010: An advocacy campaign was launched involving the surrounding community of Naahmeh landfill to create consensus on proper solid waste management in coordination with diverse stakeholders. This campaign entailed lobbying on governmental level, encouraging scientific research to back-up our arguments and engaging the general public through workshops, seminars, lectures and signature collection campaigns.
Partners: Municipalities, NGOs, Private Sector.
Re-Culture Program
recycling, reuse and reduce
Introducing Recycling into our culture
Funding / Investment is required
Started 2018: Promoting the concept of the 3Rs (recycling, reuse and reduce), through creating projects that are mainly based on upcycled objects to mainstream the culture of 3Rs. The project designs for this program currently are: Upcycling the mGHBG bus compartment to a cultural auditorium, executing book-shelves from used material where books can be donated/borrowed and creating small interactive cultural areas for public use.
Partners: Municipalities, Private Sector, Architects, Interior Designers.
Solid Waste Management
Advocacy & Lobbying
8 Municipalities | 15000 Signature
From 2007 to 2010: An advocacy campaign was launched involving the surrounding community of Naahmeh landfill to create consensus on proper solid waste management in coordination with diverse stakeholders. This campaign entailed lobbying on governmental level, encouraging scientific research to back-up our arguments and engaging the general public through workshops, seminars, lectures and signature collection campaigns.
Partners: Municipalities, NGOs, Private Sector.
Take Care of Me
Responsibility & Commitment
2000 Students | 8 Municipalities
Year 2010: Creating a module to connect society to a natural site in Qamouaa, to introduce biodiversity and conservation concepts to local communities through an interactive program with the municipalities, schools and service providers. Training was conducted with the students of eight schools on solid waste management, biodiversity, importance of natural areas, economic return of natural areas, tree planting and species identification. Students participated in the clean up of the area to become a picnic area in the summer after it was a dumpster.
The project resulted in less garbage year after year due to student awareness, who planted 300 cedar trees (logistics helped by municipality). Also, a trail was established that identified 52 species found in the area. Eight toolkits were provided to schools to be used by local NGOs.
Partners: Municipalities, Schools, Service Providers, UPP, Italian Cooperation.
Tobacco Control Program
Consciousness and Legislations
More than 500 public sessions
From 2002 to 2017: Aims to reduce smoking among the public especially the youth through conducting public seminars, workshops, exhibitions, focus group sessions, research and publications. Also, establishing and heading the coalition for tobacco control (CTC – Lebanon) through which lobbying was conducted with the government to issue the law 174 which prohibits smoking in public closed areas and bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Partners: World Health Organization, Framework Convention Alliance, Municipalities, Schools.
Waste is Fortune
Solid Waste Management
More than 100 Schools, 100 Projects, 300 Teachers and 20,000 Students
Started 1999: Introducing the 3Rs concept of solid waste management to school students through TOT programs directed to school faculties, which are then implemented by students. Moreover, schools were introduced to Eco themes through conducting public competitions to further promote the concepts taught and mainstream it among the young generation, through innovative and creative modules and artistic pieces.
Partners: Universities, Schools, Municipalities, NGOS.
