In Lahti, environmental education is inspiring and versatile learning and doing.
Environmental education guides towards sustainable lifestyle and everyday experiences and opportunities that strengthens our connection to nature. Sustainable lifestyle is a wholesome way to live by respecting Earth’s limited resources. It is easy and natural when you have the needed skills and knowledge, and that is why educational work has a major role in ensuring sustainable development. Strong connection to nature, on the other hand, is a source of environmental responsibility that is created by spending time and working in nature.
The Environmental Counselling and Environmental Educator of the City of Lahti support the environmental education work of early childhood education, schools and upper secondary schools. Our office is a LYKE certified regional promoter of the Eco-Schools sustainable schools programme in Lahti. We lend environmental education tools for schools and day care centres free of charge. The Environmental Educator provides guided environmental education programmes for educational institutions and supports the environmental education work of early childhood education in the form of workshops, trips and co-creation. We coordinate and organise supplementary training on outdoor learning for teachers and early childhood education staff and give tips for nature and environmental teaching.
LYKE network for nature and environmental education
The environmental education of the city of Lahti is part of the national nature and environmental education LYKE network. The acronym ‘LYKE’ comes from the Finnish words for nature (luonto), environment (ympäristö) and sustainable lifestyle (kestävä elämäntapa). The network comprises over 50 nature and environment schools, youth centres, nature centres of the Finnish Forest and Park Service, camp school centres and other operators. The network is coordinated by the Finnish Association of Nature and Environment Schools. The operations are constantly developed by means of certification, peer auditing and training meetings.
Read more about the LYKE network from the link https://www.luontokoulut.fi/?lang=en
Mappa.fi
You can find plenty of material for distance teaching on the Mappa.fi service. Mappa is a material bank for outdoor learning, environmental education and sustainable lifestyle. You can also find the material produced by the Environmental Educator of the City of Lahti on Mappa: link https://www.luontokoulut.fi/?lang=en