Editorial

Abstract

Dear readers With the end of 2013 in sight, we are happy to publish this new fully English issue of Envigogika – our second English-only edition this year. The publishing of Envigogika over the last two years has been made possible thanks to project funding for the Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development Network (MOSUR project, OP VK), and we are very grateful for this support. Apart from Envigogika, our team is also preparing a number of events relating to sustainable development (as part of the MOSUR project), which we’d like to draw your attention to. The following events are planned for early 2014: • January 22nd: Practical workshop for educators: The World beyond 2015 – Education for Sustainability, more info here • February 17th and 19th:Academic article writing workshops for young researchers (PhDs, postdocs) with Assoc. Prof. Rodrigo Lozano - Associate Editor of an Elsevier academic journal (the Journal of Cleaner Production), more info here • February 18th: Workshop for academic journal editors with Assoc. Prof. Rodrigo Lozano, more info here • March 30th–April 5th: International Spring School on Sustainable Development 2014 for Bachelor and Master students, more info here. We would be very happy to welcome you to any of these planned events. Now, back to the current English issue of Envigogika, we are very pleased to bring you several interesting and inspiring articles by authors from the Czech Republic, as well as farther afield (Slovenia, Australia). The articles encompass a wide range of themes relating to environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD), as well as sustainable development in more general terms. You can therefore read about: 1) Earthkeepers in the Czech Republic: Experience from the implementation process of an earth education programme (Reviewed Paper) by Jan Činčera and Bruce Johnson. ‘Earthkeepers’ is an earth education programme developed by the international Institute for Earth Education. The authors report on the implementation and subsequent evaluation process of this programme for the first time in the Czech Republic – in the Bohemian Paradise Ecological Education Centre (Středisko ekologické výchovy Český ráj). The results of the study suggested that participation in the programme had a positive impact on pupils’ ecological knowledge and attitudes, and the authors discuss the potential for further dissemination of the programme in the Czech Republic. 2) LET’s start a new LETS: Learning from a case study in Brno, Czech Republic (Reviewed Paper) by Lukáš Kala. The article introduces us to the so-called Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) and the system’s recent history in the Czech Republic, and then reports on RozLEŤSe – a LETS system in the city of Brno, Czech Republic. The authors specifically examine the socio-demographic characteristics, motivations and organisational operations of the group and focus on the potential threats to the continued work of the LETS system. 3) Ethics and Ecoethics by Josef Petr Ondok: Between the Sciences, Philosophy, and Theology (Reviewed Paper) by Zuzana Svobodová. This philosophical text analyses the work of Josef Petr Ondok – Czech theologian, philosopher and biologist – from the perspective of ethics and ecoethics. 4) The Purpose of Education: Australian and Slovenian perspectives in Education for Sustainability (Inspiration) by Phil Smith and Majda Naji. The authors present their view on the purpose of education in the context of sustainable development and include examples of education for sustainable development from their countries – Slovenia and Australia. 5) Environmental mining limits in the North Bohemian Lignite Region. Book review: Říha, M., Stoklasa, J., Lafarová, M., Dejmal, I., Marek, J., Pakosta, P., Beránek, K. Environmental mining limits in the North Bohemian Lignite Region. Společnost pro krajinu, Praha 2005. Translation: Petr Kurfürst. This book review written by Andrew Barton looks at the issue of mining limits in the region of North-West Bohemia in the Czech Republic and briefly summarises from the content of the book originally published in 2005 (in Czech, but later translated into English) supplemented with the most up-to-date information on the current situation. 6) Informational texts: A very interesting article on environmental literacy by Petr Daniš, originally published as a reviewed article in Czech (Envigogika 3/2013), has been translated into English and is now available to our readers. School teachers might be interested in the announcement of a school essay competition run by The Living Rainforest, a UK-based charity. 7) Related announcements: As we feel that dialogue on environmental education and ESD related issues in CZ should be promoted nationally and internationally, this time we are publishing two issues simultaneously (for the content of the Czech issue of Envigogika, see here). We wish you inspirational reading and a peaceful Christmas holiday, as well as a successful New Year. The Envigogika editorial team In Prague on 20. 12. 2013