Stars and STEM Stories
Vibrant Earth Day Celebration in the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Region
The GLOBE Community in the Europe and Eurasia Region marked Earth Day with a multitude of vibrant celebrations. Through a diverse array of events and activities, ranging from citizen science projects to educational workshops, participants demonstrated their commitment to understanding and protecting our planet. These initiatives underscore the importance of GLOBE Program collaborative efforts in fostering environmental awareness and sustainability across the region. Explore some of the events organized by the GLOBE Community to honor Earth Day and The GLOBE Program's birthday.
2024 Earth Day Video from GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Region
This video celebrates the achievements of the GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Community over the past year.
Croatia
GLOBE Croatia celebrated Earth Day with a virtual GLOBE exhibition named "My place yesterday and today."
Ten Croatian GLOBE schools responded to the challenge of the GLOBE Year of Climate and Carbon Campaign by creating works on the topic "My place yesterday and today." All the works were created with the use of modern digital tools to analyze the observed changes in the cover in a certain research area. They tell very interesting stories by comparing the state of the environment in different periods, using the StoryMap digital tool, comparing satellite images and other illustrations. The school works were published on the occasion of Earth Day and GLOBE's 29th birthday.
See the projects here. You will certainly find interesting information and beautiful descriptions of different Croatian places.
Czech Republic
GLOBE Czech Republic held a GLOBE conference on 22 April. The GLOBE Student Conference in the Czech Republic provided a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with other GLOBE teams, gain new experience and knowledge, and initiate inter-school collaborations. In addition to 23 Czech teams, eight teams from five countries (Ireland, Georgia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Ukraine) joined the event. The conference was visited by a special guest, Dr. Tony Murphy. Students from around the region presented projects and had a chance to be interviewed by local journalists. A Student Science Fair followed with an interactive project presentations and activities led by student teams. The conference agenda and more information are available at the webpage Earth Day 2024 - GLOBE Student Conference in the Czech Republic.
Read more about the conference in this GLOBE Star Story.
Estonia
GLOBE schools from Paldiski and Lauka participated in a joint learning day outdoors, where they learned about GLOBE protocols and the surrounding environment. The U.S. Ambassador to Estonia visited Kilingi-Nõmme Gymnasium, and at the end of the month, Muhu Basic School will visit the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn.
France
French GLOBE Calisph'AIR teachers gathered in the Valbonne international high school for the Air Quality Annual Workshop.
Germany
To celebrate the Earth Day, GLOBE Westphalia planted trees for a good future.
Ireland
To celebrate the Earth Day, GLOBE Ireland made a beautiful video recognizing the incredible work of the teachers and students taking part in GLOBE Ireland activities. “We are so proud of them and the impact they have at their schools and in their communities,” commented the GLOBE Ireland team.
See the video here.
Italy
The 13th edition of Earth Day in Italy for the GLOBE community took place in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy in Aquileia in the surrounding areas of the Basilica of Aquileia and the archaeological area. Sixty stands were proposed for a total of over 300 interactive workshops that integrated science, history and culture. The EARTH writing created with the 1500 participants represented great land art.
There were remote contributions from some schools in the “Generating Schools on the Move with GLOBE” network with scientists at Deakin University (Australia) who developed the Microplastics Monitoring Protocol in Waters along with Peter Falcon (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, USA).
As part of the celebration, the challenge "An idea for the EARTH" was launched in participating schools; the challenge was a search for ideas and thoughts that have built a large Solomon's Knot, a mosaic symbol of early Christian art present in Aquileia.
The following day (23 April), the Earth Day event continued with a Scientific Educational Expedition in the lagoon area and in the Reclamation Lands with a "scientific expedition" along the aquatic and land routes to discover sites of naturalistic interest and reclamation areas.
Read more in this GLOBE Star Story.
Malta
The Sunday Times of Malta showcased GLOBE Malta, focusing on how the students are actively involved in scientific exploration and environmental conservation efforts.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than being immersed in nature. GLOBE students participated in a scenic nature walk in Belliegha Valley, exploring its diverse flora. Guided by Stephen Mifsud from EcoGozo, they gained insights into the area and its vulnerability to climate change. On the way back, the students and teachers collected around 20kgs of litter, thus being agents of change and giving back to our planet.
Switzerland
The second Swiss National GLOBE Contest was launched under the patronage of the US Embassy. The Contest will be closed with a national student conference on 13 June 2025, where students will present their results in poster sessions and discuss them with the experts and all the students and teachers present at the conference.
Three important Swiss scientists will participate in the conference in the roles of keynote and guest speakers: Prof. Sonja Senevirantne (research scientist on climate change and leading author of the last IPCC report on climate change), Prof. Thomas Stocker (research scientist on climate change) and Prof. Kathrin Altwegg (research scientist on space and astronomy).
Images courtesy Lenka Kleger, GLOBE Europe and Eurasia Coordination Office.