The twin schools of HSY and the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre have been selected

Nine primary schools in the metropolitan area will start the coming school year as mutual twin schools of the HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority and Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd. The objective with these schools is to create a cost-free teaching material package that focuses on environmental education.

The participating schools include the schools of Hakunilanrinne, Hiekkaharju and Kulomäki of the Vantaa area. The selected twin schools of Helsinki are the primary school of Maatulli, the comprehensive schools of Puistola and Siilitie, as well as the primary schools of Tahvonlahti and Vuosaari. The twin school from Espoo is the Toppelund School.

There have been dozens of entrants each year for the twin school program. The emphasis of the selection criteria was placed on the second or third application follow-up, an enthusiasm to deal with the subject and carefully drawn-up and well-grounded reasons in regard to the application to operate as a twin school.

The teachers of the selected twin schools will be provided with training and ready-to-use teaching materials and lesson plans for their classes. For example, the classes focus on sustainable consumption and recycling. The objective is that the students and staff will be motivated to perform actions for the benefit of the environment and also to help the schools reduce the amounts of waste at source.

Although the program covers one year, the schools can easily apply the once-adopted themes and classes in the future. The aim of the twin school year is that the schools will adopt such ways of action, which will reduce the amounts of waste and increase recycling.
 
The twin school program will be organised ever year. HSY will provide the finances and the Environmental School of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd will carry out the program.

For additional information, please refer to:
Environmental expert Elina Karhu, phone 045 657 7375, elina.karhu(at)hsy.fi

Environmental educator Elena Saarikallio, phone 050 501 4884, elena.saarikallio(at)kierratyskeskus.fi
The web pages of the Environmental School of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd

The twin school program is developed and supported by ERDF funding (European Regional Development Fund)

At the beginning of 2010, the development of the Twin School Program was initiated to promote environmental work in schools within the KUKKO 2010 project, which aims to promote diversity for the program.

The KUKKO 2010 project is financially supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by the Centre for the Economic Development, Transportation and Environment of Uusimaa. The total costs of the project will be approximately 74 500 Euros, of which the financial supports will cover 70 percent.