Press release | 11.04.2016
Kids on the move for climate action: EU-wide campaign kicks off 2016 season in Bayreuth
ZOOM launches at primary school in Bad Berneck, Germany
Joint press release of Climate Alliance and the District of Bayreuth
Bad Berneck/Frankfurt am Main. The first steps for this year’s European-wide ZOOM campaign have been taken by children from Bad Berneck’s Sebastian Kneipp School, thereby kicking-off the 2016 season. Thus far, children in eight EU countries will be participating in Zoom for 2016; more are sure to follow. The campaign engages children in sustainable mobility in a playful way, encouraging them to earn special "Green Footprints" for each climate-friendly trip they make.
"We have supported the ZOOM campaign for 10 years now and are therefore thrilled to be hosting the European-wide kick-off for this year," pronounced Deputy District Administrator Christa Reinert-Heinz in her opening speech. "In this way, the commitment of the children in this city and district receives special recognition." Katharina John, Headmistress of Sebastian Kneipp School, went on to describe how eager the children always are to participate in the campaign, which so successfully combines awareness-raising with old-fashioned fun. The festivities were marked by Martin Stümpfig, Member of Bavarian Parliament, and Jürgen Zinnert, Mayor of Bad Berneck, who encouraged the children to continue their exemplary activities.
The campaign also lends these activities some political weight. Each year, the efforts of the children are presented to politicians at the UN Climate Summits. Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance, explained to the children how he will ensure all the Green Footprints they have collected are brought to the Climate Summit in Marrakech this November. "This shows international climate politicians how keen you are to help save our climate," he emphasised, adding, "this time you are even faster than those politicians – you are getting started now whereas they will have to wait until 22 April to sign their climate agreement."
Since 2002, young children across Europe have participated in this annual climate action campaign by the Climate Alliance. ZOOM places grassroots measures above slow negotiation processes. Children demonstrate to their parents and politicians alike that action is needed instead of empty promises. In so doing, they show that they are part of the solution to our common climate challenge.
Tens of thousands of children in kindergartens and schools across Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands will be "ZOOMing" in for sustainable mobility and collecting footprints for their actions in 2016. The city and district of Bayreuth has been implementing the campaign for a decade, supporting ZOOM with intensive communications work and rewarding the participants with prizes each year.
Didactic materials
Available from the Climate Alliance European Secretariat and downloadable on www.zoom-kidsforclimate.eu
Photos
Photos of the kick-off available on www.zoom-kidsforclimate.eu and bit.ly/ClimateAlliance_Flickr
CONTACT
Claudia Schury, Climate Alliance, T. +49-69-717139-22, c.schury(at)climatealliance.org
Michael Benz, District of Bayreuth, T. +49-921-728-108, michael.benz(at)lra-bt.bayern.de
THE ZOOM CAMPAIGN
In 2002, Climate Alliance started the mobility campaign for children, extending it to the whole of Europe in 2003 under the motto "ZOOM – Kids on the Move for Climate Action". Since then, 1.7 million children from 39 countries have participated, more than 185,000 last year alone. Together over the years, they have collected over 22 million "Green Footprints".
www.zoom-kidsforclimate.eu
