The message has been spread so much over the last two decades that, for some, it has become inaudible, old-fashioned, a catch-all phrase... Yet the notion of sustainable development has all the makings of a good idea, because it encompasses more than ever all aspects of our daily lives and, above all, of the world that is being built before our very eyes. On Tuesday, the 5th Education Fair for Sustainable Development, held at the Geesseknäppchen Forum, had every intention of raising awareness again and again.

"We're no longer in the situation where sustainable development was a subject dealt with by one or two teachers at school. Today, the economics teacher is also involved, the idea is so transversal", reminded the Minister of National Education, Claude Meisch, on site. The stands fully reflected the idea that sustainable development is as much about international relations as it is about climate change and protecting our direct environment. With an array of initiatives already launched and others still to be built.

Chickens at school

"In our school, the children have their own hens, look after the eggs, have bees and grow vegetables in our garden", confided Joe Desbordes, teacher at the Uewersauer regional school in Harlange. A concrete, local example of an introduction to sustainable development. And the young people of 2024, who are often involved from an early age, are admittedly more receptive.

But the fair on Tuesday was wide-ranging. Because sustainable development sweeps wide for the future of our society. "We sometimes forget that human rights are an integral part of it," says Laura Heftrich of ECPAT Luxembourg, which works to protect children from sexual exploitation. Next to her stand was another from Unicef and Médecins sans Frontières. Further on, a stand for the ecological movement and another with agricultural producers. "The idea is to exchange, collaborate and develop joint projects that we can propose to young people and schools", Claude Meisch hoped, as he opened this 5th edition.

Source: www.lessentiel.lu/