For a third school year in a row, the Mission: Green Steps project has been organised by the Ecoschool programme and the BTC Company with the aim of strengthening awareness and knowledge of young people on the sustainable aspects and forms of transportation. A record number of 2,300 children and adolescents from 125 Slovene kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and schools with an adapted programme of studies have participated in this year’s project. The project’s conclusion took place on 4 June with a special event hosted by SiTi Teater BTC, where they announced the most creative artworks, boasting thoughtful technical and graphic design and research work on sustainable mobility. The exhibited artworks by young artists will be on display until 5 July 2019 on the ground floor of Shopping Arena A in BTC City Ljubljana.

What will the vehicles and transportation of the future look like, how will they affect our environment and life, and what will our everyday transportation habits on our way to kindergarten, school, job or store be and how can be improve them? These are the main questions, which sparked the interest of young minds among this year’s participants. They presented their views with illustrations of different vehicles and vessels in form of models, illustrations, collages, thought-provoking games, and other techniques. They presented their own vision of the transportation of the future: flying cars, the transportation landscape of the future within a dome, parking spaces turned into green areas, a solar kick scooter, takeoff area for rockets, and even a tourist submarine.

“The care for the society and the environment intertwines with the activities and the development of the BTC Company. Thus, we were happy to become part of the Mission: Green Steps project, with which we cooperatively encouraged the creativity of young people concerning mobility – a topical issue for the environment. Traffic is one of the largest polluters; therefore, a shift towards sustainable means of mobility is essential both in the way we think as well as in the way we act,” pointed out, upon the conclusion of the programme, Miha Mermal, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing in the BTC Company.

Mag. Gregor Cerar, national coordinator of the Ecoschool programme, pointed out: “The Ecoschool programme focuses on long-term projects, among which is also Mission: Green Steps. This project is intended for gradual building of knowledge about the transportation and mobility having an impact on the quality of the environment and thereby also the quality of life. Gradual changing of living habits in the field of mobility positively impacts also other areas, among which the lessening of climate change is of utmost importance.”

Winner of Mission: Green Steps project 2018/2019, per categories:

Kindergartens:

1st place: Kindergarten Vrtec Agata pri OŠ Poljane
2nd place: Kindergarten Otroški vrtec Metlika
2nd place: Kindergarten Vrtec Ringarija pri OŠ Artiče
3rd place: Kindergarten Vrtec Križevci

First triad – primary schools:

1st place: Primary school OŠ Kidričevo with its branch Lovrenc na Dravskem polju
2nd place: Primary school OŠ Štore
3rd place: Primary school OŠ Antona Martina Slomška
3rd place: Primary school OŠ Spodnja Šiška

Second triad – primary schools:

1st place: Primary school OŠ Šturje Ajdovščina
2nd place: Primary school OŠ Grad
2nd place: Primary school OŠ Kuzma
3rd place: Primary school OŠ Šmarje pri Jelšah, branch Mestinje
3rd place: Primary school OŠ Vransko – Tabor

Third triad – primary schools:

1st place: Primary school OŠ Louisa Adamiča Grosuplje
2nd place: Primary school OŠ Louisa Adamiča Grosuplje
3rd place: Primary school OŠ Gornji Petrovci

Special category:

1st place: Primary school OŠ Glazija
2nd place: CUDV Dobrna
3rd place: CUEV Strunjan

Secondary schools:

1st place: Secondary school Šola za hortikulturo in vizualne umetnosti Celje
2nd place: Secondary school ŠC Slovenj Gradec, Srednja zdravstvena šola
3rd place: Secondary school Srednja vzgojiteljska šola, gimnazija in umetniška gimnazija Ljubljana

The BTC Company’s co-operation in the project is realised in the scope of the business pillar Mission: Green, which combines socially responsible projects and activities for sustainable development. With an array of activities, the BTC Company and its partners create opportunities for the current and all future generations.

The Ecoschool programme is the largest international network of children, young people, educators, and teachers in the world, who implement environmental education and principles of sustainable development in their everyday work and in the teaching-learning process. On a world scale, the Ecoschool programme is the leading and the most renowned programme of education for the sustainable development in the world, including over 15 million children, one million educators and teachers, and more than 48,000 institutions from 65 countries across the world. In Slovenia, there are over 100,000 children, pupils, and students, as well as 8,500 educators and teachers (eco-coordinators), mentors, and project heads included in the Ecoschool programme.