Stars and STEM Stories
Vibrant Earth Day Celebration in the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Region
The GLOBE community in the Europe and Eurasia Region marked
Earth Day with a multitude of vibrant celebrations. Through a diverse
array of events and activities, ranging from citizen science projects
to educational workshops, participants demonstrated their commitment
to understanding and protecting our planet. These initiatives
underscore the importance of GLOBE Program collaborative efforts in
fostering environmental awareness and sustainability across the
region. Explore some of the events organized by the GLOBE Community to
honor Earth Day and The GLOBE Program's birthday.
2024 Earth Day Video from GLOBE Europe and Eurasia
Region
This video celebrates the
achievements of the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Community over the past year.
Croatia
GLOBE Croatia celebrated Earth Day with a virtual GLOBE
exhibition named "My place yesterday and today."
Ten Croatian GLOBE schools responded to the challenge
of the GLOBE Year of Climate and Carbon Campaign by creating works
on the topic "My place yesterday and today." All the works
were created with the use of modern digital tools to analyze the
observed changes in the cover in a certain research area. They tell
very interesting stories by comparing the state of the environment
in different periods, using the StoryMap digital tool, comparing
satellite images and other illustrations. The school works were
published on the occasion of Earth Day and GLOBE's 29th birthday.
See the projects here. You will certainly find interesting information and beautiful descriptions of different Croatian places.
Czech Republic
GLOBE Czech Republic held a GLOBE conference on 22 April. The
GLOBE Student Conference in the Czech Republic provided a unique
opportunity to meet face-to-face with other GLOBE teams, gain new
experience and knowledge, and initiate inter-school collaborations. In
addition to 23 Czech teams, eight teams from five countries (Ireland,
Georgia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Ukraine) joined the event. The
conference was visited by a special guest, Dr. Tony Murphy. Students
from around the region presented projects and had a chance to be
interviewed by local journalists. A Student Science Fair followed with
an interactive project presentations and activities led by student
teams. The conference agenda and more information are available at the
webpage Earth
Day 2024 - GLOBE Student Conference in the Czech Republic.
Read more about the conference in this GLOBE Star Story.
Estonia
GLOBE schools from Paldiski and Lauka participated in a joint
learning day outdoors, where they learned about GLOBE protocols and
the surrounding environment. The U.S. Ambassador to Estonia visited
Kilingi-Nõmme Gymnasium, and at the end of the month, Muhu Basic
School will visit the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn.
France
French GLOBE Calisph'AIR teachers gathered in the Valbonne
international high school for the Air Quality Annual Workshop.
Germany
To celebrate the Earth Day, GLOBE Westphalia planted trees for
a good future.
Ireland
To celebrate the Earth Day, GLOBE Ireland made a beautiful
video recognizing the incredible work of the teachers and students
taking part in GLOBE Ireland activities. “We are so proud of them and
the impact they have at their schools and in their communities,”
commented the GLOBE Ireland team.
See the video here.
Italy
The 13th edition of Earth Day in Italy for the GLOBE community
took place in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy in
Aquileia in the surrounding areas of the Basilica of Aquileia and the
archaeological area. Sixty stands were proposed for a total of over
300 interactive workshops that integrated science, history and
culture. The EARTH writing created with the 1500 participants
represented great land art.
There were remote
contributions from some schools in the “Generating Schools on the Move
with GLOBE” network with scientists at Deakin University (Australia)
who developed the Microplastics Monitoring Protocol in Waters along
with Peter Falcon (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, USA).
As part of the celebration, the challenge "An idea for the EARTH" was launched in participating schools; the challenge was a search for ideas and thoughts that have built a large Solomon's Knot, a mosaic symbol of early Christian art present in Aquileia.
The following day (23 April), the Earth Day event continued with a Scientific Educational Expedition in the lagoon area and in the Reclamation Lands with a "scientific expedition" along the aquatic and land routes to discover sites of naturalistic interest and reclamation areas.
Read more in this GLOBE
Star Story.
Malta
The Sunday
Times of Malta showcased GLOBE Malta, focusing on how the
students are actively involved in scientific exploration and
environmental conservation efforts.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than being immersed in
nature. GLOBE students participated in a scenic nature walk in
Belliegha Valley, exploring its diverse flora. Guided by Stephen
Mifsud from EcoGozo, they gained insights into the area and its
vulnerability to climate change. On the way back, the students and
teachers collected around 20kgs of litter, thus being agents of change
and giving back to our planet.
Switzerland
The second Swiss National GLOBE Contest was launched under the
patronage of the US Embassy. The Contest will be closed with a
national student conference on 13 June 2025, where students will
present their results in poster sessions and discuss them with the
experts and all the students and teachers present at the conference.
Three important Swiss scientists will participate in the conference
in the roles of keynote and guest speakers: Prof. Sonja Senevirantne
(research scientist on climate change and leading author of the last
IPCC report on climate change), Prof. Thomas Stocker (research
scientist on climate change) and Prof. Kathrin Altwegg (research
scientist on space and astronomy).
Images courtesy Lenka Kleger, GLOBE Europe and Eurasia
Coordination Office.