THE EARTH DAY CAmPAIgN APRIL 22 2007

B U L L E T I N
S p e c i A l
A P R I L 2 0 0 7
H E A L T H Y C I T I E S O F T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C
The Earth Day Campaign
April 22 2007
The Earth Day celebrations annually take place all over the world and
act as a reminder to citizens of the current unsatisfactory condition
of the living environment. The campaigns also try to draw attention
to favourable trends that show how to approach our environment in
This year’s campaign has been supported by the following HCCZ cities
and municipalities:
Blansko, Bolatice, Boskovice, Brno, Hodonín, Chrudim, Jilemnice,
Kopřivnice, Kroměříž, Kuřim, Litoměřice, Lomnice nad Popelkou,
Mladá Boleslav, Moravská Třebová, Orlová, Pelhřimov, Poděbrady,
Praha-Libuš and Písnice, Prostějov, Slaný, Strakonice, Strašín,
Strážek, Štětí, Telč, Třebíč, Ústí nad Labem, Uherské Hradiště,
Uherský Brod, Velké Meziříčí, Vsetín, Zlín.
In this special edition of HCCZ Bulletin we bring you bits and pieces
from events held within the Earth Day that was taking place in
a number of cities and municipalities in the course of the whole April
2007. Complete overview of activities related to this campaign can be
found at: http://www.nszm.cz/kampane.
Expert debates and educational
programmes for adults and children called
attention to issues of local importance
but also to global issues
of environmental protection
The inhabitants of Uherské Hradiště celebrated the Earth Day by setting up
a new Czech record. 122 222 PET bottle caps have been used to compose the
whole image.
a more friendly way. In the USA, San Francisco, 1970 there was the
first Earth Day held and since then the number of locations where
educational events concentrated on eco-friendly handling with wastes,
support of utilisation of renewable resources or issue of global climate
changes, has been growing. This year’s international campaigns
placed strong emphasis exactly on the importance of global climate
protection. A number of events annually also take place in the cities
and municipalities of the Czech Republic. The celebrations of the Earth
Day were this year also joined by 32 Healthy Cities and Municipalities
that prepared rich programme for their inhabitants, including expert
discussions and eco-educational events for children. The favourite
issue of handling with wastes has been complemented by educational
excursions into the nature and presentations of ecological agriculture
and traditional trades. Inhabitants of Healthy Cities and Municipalities
used the Earth day Campaign for improving their surroundings through
spring cleaning and planting of greenery.
This year the cities, municipalities and regions could take part in the
global campaign called Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign.
In presence of the Minister of Environment Dr. Martin Bursík, on the
occasion of the Earth Day on April 16 th in the Healthy City of Brno
there was a public debate about climatic changes, energetic policy
and living environment called “What is Brought by the New European
Energetic Package to the City of Brno and the Czech Republic?”
The discussion took place in the social hall of Jiří Mahen Library and
discussion dealt mostly with the energy savings in passive houses,
projects of panel-house housing estates recultivation, policy in the
Within the Earth Day framework in Brno there was also a debate dedicated
to the issue of climate changes and energetic, among others attended by the
Minister of the Environment, Dr. Martin Bursík.
| B u l l e t i n S p e c i a l - “ T h e E a r t h D a y C a m p a i g n ” |
-1-

| B U L L E T I N S P E C I A L | H E A L T H Y C I T I E S O F T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C |
area of living environment in the Czech Republic and the European
Union and the issue of renewable resources promotion. In the Healthy
City of Hodonín there was an expert MCAP Session held on April 18 th
under the title “Ecologically in Hodonín”, where the participants were
presented Hodonín’s activities including the project of Ecology-friendly
Office Operation, which is among others a member of the BestPractice
Database. Ninth grade pupils of Božena Němcová basic school in the
Healthy City of Litoměřice had the opportunity to familiarise with the
meaning of the Healthy City Project, in the course of meeting on the
subject “Healthy City, Local Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development”.
The debate was dedicated to the issues and perspective of the city from
the point of view of development and quality of inhabitants’ life. The
greatest deal of attention was drawn by the issue of alternative energy
resources and mainly by the project of geothermal energy utilisation in
Litoměřice. An innovative form of ecological education was chosen in
the Healthy City of Chrudim, where competition for pupils of secondgrade
and high-school students, competing for the best logo and
advertisement slogan to promote environmentally-friendly products
in Chrudim was organised in collaboration with Paleta Eco-Centre as
a part of the Earth Day celebrations. Announcement of the best works
and presentation of awards took place on April 24 on the Ressel Square.
The Healthy City of Zlín hosted the regional global education fair,
dedicated to teachers, non-profit organisations and the public. The
programme of seminars and workshops within the fair framework was
focused on global issues such as human rights, climate changes or Fair
Trade. In the Large Cinema the Zlín spectators also had an opportunity
to see a movie about climate changes called “An Inconvenient Truth”,
which is guided by the USA former vice-president Al Gore. Global
issues were also dealt with in the Healthy City of Slaný, where the local
Ecology Education Centre Javory helped to organise a programme for
selected classes to the issue “Will there Be Wars for Water?”.
Considerate handling with wastes is
reminded in the course of Earth Day
celebrations as a part
of environmentally-friendly life
The Earth Day in the Healthy City of Bolatice was mostly focused
on the issue of wastes. In addition to the educational campaigns
dealing with waste sorting there was also an Open Day in the sewage
treatment plant that raised a great deal of interest. Tens of citizens
thus familiarised with operation and functioning of these devices. The
Many useful things can be made out of plastic bottles. Prior to that, these may
serve as a material for production of sea horses such as in Štětí.
inhabitants of the Healthy City of Štětí had the opportunity to take
part in an expert field trip to the Meva company plc. in Roudnice nad
Labem that produces collecting containers for sorted and mixed waste.
Events concentrated on sorting and recycling of waste along with
excursions to the collection yard and waste treatment plant took place
in the Healthy City of Lomnice nad Popelkou as a part of Earth Day
celebrations. The pupils of local basic school wrote compositions on
the subject of “How we Purify Water in Lomnice nad Popelkou” and
also could practically familiarise with sorting and utilisation of recycled
material in the city and school. The Healthy City of Kuřim organised
a happening on the subject of “Environmentally-Friendly Household”,
where the major part of educational sections was dedicated
exactly to the issue of waste sorting and disposal. Employees of the
environmental department of Municipal Office answered questions
of how to sort waste in Kuřim. The most favourable response was
Containers for sorted waste can be used for both practical and sporting
purposes. In Ústí nad Labem these were used for parallel slalom of couples.
received by compostable bags made of maize starch that decompose
approximately after 30 days to biologically harmless material. The
Healthy City of Poděbrady prepared a thematic exposition in the
area of local school to the issue of “Waste as Raw Material” and for the
smallest children there was a series of fairy-tales with main hero called
“Odpadníček Recyklový” (Recycling Wasteman). Children in after-school
centres and kindergartens of the Healthy City of Kopřivnice created
exhibits made of waste and ecological materials for the exhibition in
the Community Centre entrance hall, with a title “Eco-Exhibition, or
Just Notice the Beauty of the World”. Children could bring their own
contributions into decorated containers for sorted waste. Waste
containers were also used in a unique way in the Healthy City of Ústí
nad Labem. Very attractive spectacle and sports experience were both
offered by the parallel slalom race of couples riding dustbins that was
a part of other competitions for which children received “small coins”
and “bought” rewards of their own selection. On Masarykovo Square on
Wednesday of April 18 th at 9 o’clock, the inhabitants of the Healthy City
of Uherské Hradiště commenced the composition of the largest city
logo of PET bottle caps. Not even cold rain that enriched the colourful
spectacle by an exhibition of umbrellas and plastic raincoats could
discourage the participants from attempt at new Czech record in this
discipline. After termination of the event the bottle caps were handed
over for further processing and recycling. Within the framework of
Earth Day celebrations, the Students’ Parliament of the Healthy City
of Třebíč this year organised a programme whose part was also an
event called “They Also Live among Us”, which was based on creating
animals out of PET bottles. In the Healthy City of Štětí also did not fall
behind and dedicated an expert lecture to the issue of waste and its
sorting. Pupils along with teachers moreover went through the city
and collected paper, plastic, glass and other waste. Afterwards they
documented the whole event and gave a report on pollution of the
city. Cleaning of surroundings was the task chosen by the students of
Medical High School of the Healthy City of Mladá Boleslav. The initial
plan of cleaning a major part of suburban forest “Na Chlumu” was
ruined by surprisingly large amount of waste and illegal waste dumps.
Despite this fact, the participants managed to collect more than 3
thousand kilograms of waste in half a day.
| B u l l e t i n S p e c i a l - “ T h e E a r t h D a y C a m p a i g n ” |
-2-

| B U L L E T I N S P E C I A L | H E A L T H Y C I T I E S O F T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C |
Billion Tree Campaign also
in the Healthy Cities
The Earth Day Celebrations offer an
opportunity for seeing nature and country
The students and teachers of Stavbařů Grammar School of Ústí nad
Labem jointly undertook to plant in the course of April up to 2000
pines and beech trees in the cadastral area of Povrly municipality.
The Healthy City thus joined the international campaign called Plant
for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign that sets the task of planting one
billion trees over the whole world in the course of 2007. Within the
framework of this campaign there were ten trees planted in areas of
kindergartens and basic schools and in public places of the Healthy
City District of Praha Libuš and Písnice. There have also been events
dedicated to cleaning and improvement of the surroundings, such
as cleaning of Zátoňská Street surroundings and Písnický Stream,
organised by the local horse-riding club. Volunteers of the Healthy
City of Kromeříž, among whose there also present the Municipal
House representatives, cleaned the Barbořina suburban forest and
the whole event was concluded by the traditional wells opening in
Divokách u Zdounek. Wells and forest were also cleaned in the course
of the Earth Day celebrations in the Healthy City of Strakonice. The
cleaning and opening of Podsrpenská Well, whose patronage has been
taken over by the children of Povážská basic school of Strakonice,
has been also attended by inhabitants of the Healthy Municipality of
In the castle park of the Healthy City of Jilemnice there were the Earth
Day celebrations prepared by workers of the local branch of Consulting
Centre for the Country. The event was visited by 500 pupils and students
of basic and high schools. Owing to external lecturers the participants
could gain in knowledge about spring vegetation, birds and their
voices or about the system of Krkonošský National Park functioning. In
the Healthy City of Vsetín the ALCEDO Association organised the Earth
Day in Panská Garden, where the visitors were welcomed by knowledge
competitions based on identification of trees, birds according to their
silhouettes or identification of footmarks or archaeology. The Earth
Day in the Healthy City of Orlová was realised in the sign of getting
to know the native Americans’ life and their relationship to nature. For
children there were prepared examples of moulded animal footmarks,
Planting of trees belongs among the traditional activities within the Earth Day
celebrations. It has not been any different in the Healthy Mozaika Kindergarten
of Hodonín.
Strážky. Cleaning of Rohová nature reserve has been carried out by
the environmental department workers of Municipal House of the
Healthy City of Moravská Třebová in collaboration with local branch
of Czech Society for Natural Preservation. Approximately 50 children,
pupils and students of Special School then planted suitable wood
plants under expert supervision gardener, along Svitavská Street.
The event took place within the framework of continuous Moravská
Třebová activity called Greening the City Outskirts. The Healthy City
of Chrudim with a support from the part of Partnership Foundation
in the programme called Tree of Life and with the general partner of
the programme, Skanska company, prepared an event for city citizens
called “Regeneration of recreational Areas in Novoměstská Street”.
At the planning meeting of April 16 th the programme was introduced
to public, announcement of public enquiry results took place followed
by the city tour and presentation of created designs. In Chrudim there
will be new recreational area “Under the Trees” created on the basis
of observations and designs. This activity is also a part of the Billion
Tree global campaign that has been also supported by children of local
basic school and kindergarten in Bolatice, who planted 300 trees.
Learning about nature directly in the nature belongs among the best practices
of education of the youngest generation in Chrudim but not only there.
a fold with live horses or examples plant processing for preparation
of tasty native Americans’ foods. In the educational area of SEVER
Ecological Education Centre of the Healthy City of Litoměřice there
was an entertainment afternoon for kindergarten children called “Join
Us Seeing Animals”. Precisely 399 children who visited the event found
out in an entertaining way some more about animals in water, on shore
and in the air, observed small water animals through the microscope
and learned how to identify animal footprints. In the kindergartens
they planted the brought sunflower seeds. In the Healthy City of Velké
Meziříčí they celebrated the Earth Day on the waves of nature. In
addition to the walk through spring nature of Balinské Valley there were
prepared activities that familiarised the participants with water world.
Games, quizzes and experiments with water were complemented by
identification of small water animals. The event has been organised
by the Ostrůvek Ecological Education Centre, detached workplace of
Chaloupky o.p.s. educational facility.
| B u l l e t i n S p e c i a l - “ T h e E a r t h D a y C a m p a i g n ” |
-3-

| B U L L E T I N S P E C I A L | H E A L T H Y C I T I E S O F T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C |
Historical trades and natural products
symbolise in the Healthy Cities and
Municipalities the tradition that still
inspires today
On the Zachariáš of Hradec Square in the Healthy City of Telč, the
participants of the Earth Day celebrations could find out about
wool processing, taste products of ecological agriculture and visit
an exhibition called “It Is Not Hemp like Hemp”. For the children of
Hradecká basic school there was prepared a programme that included
examples of rope making, basketry and beekeeping. The tradition of
White Carpathians was to be seen in the Healthy City of Uherský
Brod on Masarykovo Square in a form of offer of musts, teas and dried
fruit. Visitors of the event could also purchase bio-foodstuffs and
woollen blankets from eco-farm or candles and honey directly from
beekeeper. In the municipal orchards of the Healthy City of Pelhřimov,
everyone who arrived to the celebrations could try producing bee wax
candles with their own hands or production of recycled paper, in the
Similarly as in last year, the inhabitants of the Municipal district Prague-Libuš
and Písnice joined the cleaning under the word “Let’s Clean Our Surroundings!”
and cakes, work on foot lathe and others. Along the paths of castle park
in the Healthy City of Blansko there was a fair, whose part was also sale
of regional dairy products, pastry and honey. The Olga House for the
handicapped offered hand-made products from its Blanensko-based
workshop. The basic school in Ostrovní Street of the Healthy City of
Štětí prepared for its pupils a visit to Litomeřice workshop producing
hand-made paper and also a trip to Velké Žernoseky and to Porta
Bohemica, focused on getting to know the local landscape and winemaking
tradition of Litoměřice Region.
Besides nature the Earth Day visitors in Jilemnice could also familiarise with
useful information, e.g. about water consumption and its importance related
by works of pupils and students themselves
American-Indian tee-pee they could try work with yet another material
– clay. In the Healthy City of Prostějov there was the Earth day with
eco-fair, presenting kiosks with natural products, bio-foodstuffs and
environmentally-friendly and hand-made products. The accompanying
programme consisted of traditional folk trades such as blacksmithing,
weaving of wicker baskets, products of straw and bast, weaving on
hand loom, work on potter’s wheel, baking of traditional Czech pastry
As well as in past years the Earth Day celebrations have been accompanied
by hundreds of events and the rich programme had attractions for
everyone. In the course of entertaining games and quizzes in nature,
children could meet animals they never saw before and learned why and
how to protect them. Parents and grandparents on the other hand could
familiarise with a number of new options of how to recycle domestic waste
and find out why sorting makes sense. Representatives of all generations
then met together during common cleaning of areas they live in or
where they spend their free time. Others were planting trees, whether for
pleasure out of good turn or within the framework of global campaign for
planting a billion trees for the planet Earth. Others then visited lectures on
how to influence the global problems of our planet by everyday actions
in our municipalities and cities, as well as on how the current generations
influence the quality of life of future generations through their behaviour.
The Earth Day holiday was celebrated by a total of 32 Healthy Cities
and Municipalities who have yet again proven that protection and
restoration of nature make sense.
C O N T A C T S
Healty Cities CZ, Srobárova 48, 100 42 Prague 10, Czech Republic
T: +420 602 500 639 | E: info@nszm.cz | W: www.nszm.cz
Petr Svec, National Coordinator of the Healthy Cities Project
(The photographs were provided by the archives of HCCZ Office
and member cities, municipalities and regions.)
T h i s i s s u e w a s s u p p o r t e d b y t h e E u r o p e a n S o c i a l F u n d a n d t h e C z e c h M i n i s t r y o f E n v i r o n m e n t
| B u l l e t i n S p e c i a l - “ T h e E a r t h D a y C a m p a i g n ” |
-4-