The Ministry of Environment hosted an award ceremony Dec. 20 in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City to honor schools across the country that have incorporated environmental education as part of the U.S.-Taiwan Eco-campus Partnership Program.
According to the MOENV, a total of 59 schools were recognized this year, with a record 10 acquiring Green Flags, the program’s highest honor. An additional 20 schools received silver awards and 29 more earned bronze.
Among other schools, the ministry praised Jhong Fu Elementary in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District for the river protection project that saw students join community patrols of a local waterway and participate in river protection activities to earn the campus its second green flag.
The MOENV said that 675 schools in Taiwan have joined the eco-campus program to date, with 445 having earned awards. Through the program, schools encourage students to engage in discussions of environmental protection-related issues and take action.
The U.S.-Taiwan Eco-campus Partnership Program is now nearly a decade old, the MOENV said, and involves participation from the ministry’s precursor, the Environmental Protection Administration, as well as the Ministry of Education and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to empowering low-carbon campuses, the program seeks to implement U.N. sustainable development goals for the betterment of the world and the education of future generations. (POC-E)
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