Credit: St George's International School Luxembourg
On Wednesday 3 May 2023, St George's International School Luxembourg announced having held a sustainability symposium which seven schools attended, to learn about climate change and develop practical skills to take action.
The Beyond COP21 Symposium began in Dubai in 2016 and was previously staged in eighteen countries, with St George's hosting the 34th symposium in a global series. This year’s edition, the first in Luxembourg, was opened by the British Ambassador, Fleur Thomas, and attended by representatives from the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development and the British Chamber of Commerce.
The event brought together over 150 secondary school pupils for workshops, discussions and networking on sustainability, climate change and the environment.
St George's Sustainability Coordinator, Anne-Marie McHugh, said: "The Beyond COP21 symposium offers an opportunity for us to come together as a school community to build hope through sharing concerns and ideas to help support students on our journey in sustainability."
St George's International School reported having selected workshops and exhibitors that would teach practical tools and inspire sustainable action. The pupils attending engaged in workshops on upcycling clothing, they produced films on sustainable topics and built pollinators from recycled materials. They also attended an interactive exhibition showcasing eleven companies and organisations in Luxembourg that promote sustainability.
Peter Milne, facilitator of the symposium series and founder/director of Target4Green, said it was important for young people to see and engage with companies and organisations in the front line of sustainability, in order to help them identify ways they could take action. "The symposiums give young people the chance to work on local solutions to a global problem," he said.
Guest speakers included Filip Westerlund, CEO of Our Choice Fashion, a Luxembourg-based circular fashion brand specialising in footwear made from sustainable, recyclable and recycled materials, and Dr Claudia Hitaj from the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, who discoursed on how one can reduce one’s carbon footprint.
Participating schools included St George's, the European School I and II, Lycée Classique d'Echternach, the International School of Luxembourg, Lycée Robert-Schuman and Lycée Vauban.
The next symposium will be hosted by Chester Schools Together, in the United Kingdom on Friday 26 May 2023.
