"Shape the future, learn and win!" - Chemnitz Environmental Award 2022

The Chemnitz Environmental Prize for Children and Young People is awarded annually by the city's environmental department to mark Environment Day. Children and young people up to the age of 20 can now apply for attractive prizes with their individual or joint projects. The starting signal for the next environmental prize has been given. Schools, daycare centres, youth facilities and working groups will receive the call for entries by post in the coming days. All participants have the opportunity to use their knowledge, skills and interests in the scientific field or in practical environmental protection and to work on creative and interesting topics to protect our environment with commitment.

The City of Chemnitz has been organising the environmental prize for children and young people for over 30 years. During this time, over 750 projects have been submitted by individual participants, school classes, working groups or sports clubs. Over 75,000 euros in prize money was awarded. All of the projects dealt intensively with environmental protection issues. Well over 5,000 participants worked on topics that met their high quality standards. Children and young people were very successfully introduced to topics such as waste avoidance, separation and recycling or the protection of our natural environment such as forests, insects and birds. In schools, topics such as noise protection in the school environment, questions about radiation protection when using mobile phones or projects to protect trees or other landscape elements were addressed. The use of solar energy, also in connection with electromobility, the use of electronics to survey the population of animals in a certain area, environmental protection as a requirement for the preservation of the rainforest and its biodiversity in developing countries, and the study of endangered species were analysed using scientific methods.

The application deadline for the Chemnitz Environmental Award 2022 is 15 April 2022. Information on the conditions of the award can be found at www.chemnitz.de/umweltpreis.

Projects can also be submitted online. Project components such as models, handicrafts, posters etc. can be supplied as informative photos.

For further information, please call 0371 488-3601 or 0371 488-3649 or e-mail umweltamt(at)stadt-chemnitz.de.

The Chemnitz Environmental Award is organised by CVAG. KG, Südsachsen Wasser GmbH and the waste disposal and city cleaning company of the city of Chemnitz (ASR).

Examples of suggested topics are intended to serve as inspiration for future projects. However, any project on other topics can be submitted just as well.

Water:

• Economical use of water
• Reducing and avoiding pollution in wastewater
• Reuse of wastewater and rainwater
• Stream sponsorships

Waste:

• Waste avoidance
• Reuse of waste (extension of material cycles)
• Recycling of residual materials (packaging, etc.)

Nature conservation:

• Creating habitats for small creatures
• Keeping the environment and nature clean
• Species protection measures in the vicinity of daycare centres and schools
• Preservation and use of old plant species (fruit trees, herbs, cereals) in the school garden
• Amphibian protection
• Dealing with neophytes
• Beneficial organisms in the school garden
• Upgrading gardens with nesting and hibernation aids for specially protected species

Pollution control:

• Noise protection in everyday life
• Avoidance of air pollutants

Climate protection:

• Rational use of energy
• Utilisation of alternative energies (solar, biomass, water, wind, geothermal energy)
• Avoidance of climate pollution
• Ecological transport models (e-mobility, solar, bicycle, sharing models)

Soil protection:

• Preserving soil as a basis for life
• Use soils sparingly
• Reduce or reverse soil sealing

Sustainability:

• Minimising the consumption of resources
• Longevity of products

Resource balances