Viennese schools shine with sustainable projects: SDG Award goes to three!

Viennese schools shine with sustainable projects: SDG Award goes to three!

The Vienna Education Directorate has presented its SDG Awards again this year - a great initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable school projects. The awards were presented in collaboration with the partner Future Works awarded and aim to promote projects that take the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) into account and thus bring about sustainable changes in society. The winners of this year's award come from three Viennese schools that have attracted attention with creative and environmentally conscious approaches.

The Aspern elementary school, the BRG/BORG II Lessinggasse and the BRGORG 15 can be pleased about this honor. As part of its projects, VS Aspern carried out “Earthweek & Earthday”, during which students were encouraged to protect the climate through workshops and hands-on stations. The highlight was the construction of insect hotels and wind turbines, which was not only educational but also a really fun project. MyDistrict reports that the children participated with great enthusiasm.

Versatile concepts for the environment

With its “Exchange Lessig” project, the BRG/BORG II Lessinggasse focused on a sustainable exchange space. Here, students can exchange clothes, books and other items or purchase them for donations - an excellent opportunity not only to reduce plastic waste, but also to make their own wardrobe more environmentally friendly. The donations collected flow into environmental projects and charitable organizations, which makes the concept even nicer.

Another exciting project comes from the BRGORG 15 school. An Erasmus project is being carried out here with the partner countries Türkiye, Greece, Germany and Norway. The project “PETS – Protecting the Environment and Teaching Sustainability” covers topics such as recycling, renewable energy, vegan nutrition, sustainable tourism and waste prevention. The students recorded the results of their work in the form of videos, pin boards, posters and a digital Padlet diary.

Strengthen political commitment

Another sign of the commitment to Viennese schools can be seen in Pichelmayergasse. An exciting panel discussion took place there on April 11th, in which committed political figures from the SPÖ, ÖVP, Greens, FPÖ, NEOS, Team HC Strache and KPÖ took part. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students worked on specific questions about education, migration, integration and equality.

This event not only encourages students' political interest, but also shows how important it is for youth to raise their voices and ask questions that matter to them. They discussed with the politicians for two hours, and the opportunity to take selfies with them was well received by the young participants.

The feedback shows that the students are very interested in the topics and it highlights how important the exchange between educational institutions and politics is. The aim is for their ideas and concerns to be taken seriously in order to have a positive influence on their environment, an approach that the Vienna Education Directorate is also pursuing with the SDG Awards.

Overall, one can say that Vienna is not just about education, but also about turning students into committed and responsible citizens. The SDG Awards and the panel discussion in Pichelmayergasse are just a few examples of how schools in Vienna can serve as role models today.