Professional Environmental Education for Sustainable Development: Plugging the Hole

16–17 November, 2011

Birzeit University, Palestine

1.    Background

Water and environmental resources are suffering from poor management. Environmental protection and pollution control efforts are scattered and uncoordinated. Despite water scarcity in Palestine, many sectors of society have neither sufficient knowledge nor an awareness of environmental issues. The environmental situation has reached a stage that is threatening both ecosystem and public health. Water is essential for all life forms

Palestinian universities, as centres of knowledge and education, have a huge responsibility. Palestinian Environmental Law and the Palestinian Environmental Policies underline the promotion of environmental awareness and education to be at all levels in the Palestinian society. Universities therefore have to make tremendous efforts to cooperate with all levels of the Palestinian society, to develop solutions, to transfer their knowledge, to help in education and to offer the required training to change attitudes and practices.

2.     Objectives

The objective of the Conference is to start to join up the educational gaps between disciplines and organizations, and between all disciplines and the wider goals of sustainability. The conference asks what different disciplines can contribute towards addressing sustainable environmental development, how they can and should connect with related disciplines and how evidence-based environmental policy and educational practices might be developed and implemented.

The event offers all levels of professionals working in the field of environmental science, engineering and related topics a place where they can share effective ideas and methods for the teaching and learning of water and environmental disciplines at all levels. This ranges from practical case studies of community awareness raising to pedagogic studies, knowledge transfer techniques, dissemination or methods of assessing the impact of capacity building.

Environmental activities range from routine monitoring and evaluation to the introduction of recent contributions to the field, on subjects that can be applied widely and encourage active, independent or cooperative learning, from the perspective of national and international professionals.

The conference will have a twofold objective:

(1) explore and get advice on reforms of environmental higher education and development of partnerships with local enterprises and

(2) provide a space for dialogue between stakeholders, to discuss and explore new and innovative methods of treatment, better understanding and assessment of resources and their supporting ecosystems, proper management for conservation and approaches to achieve the dual aim of economic development and ecological sustainability.

3.    Participation

The conference will provide the opportunity to bring together scientists, engineers and practicing professionals from government departments, international aid agencies, private institutions, consulting establishments, research institutes and university organizations.

4.    Conference Topics

The conference topics will include the following issues dealing with water and environmental education at a broad level: 

• Environmental education policies and laws.  
• Reforms of environmental higher education
• Development of partnerships with local enterprises on environmental higher education
• Developments in teaching methods, networks and monitoring
• Technological innovations in environmental science and technology
• Interdisciplinary and sustainability concepts in environmental studies
• Climate change and society
• Trends in environmental education
• R&D dissemination - curricula and assessment development
• Networking, exchanges and partnerships for sustainable environmental education
• Higher education and environmental research: Industrial sector relationships
• Environmental science and technology under unstable political environment
• Environmental education projects-case studies
• Environmental education- ecology and health
• Environmental education for sustainable development
• Youth and the environment: attitudes, knowledge and behavior
• Young people and the environment: implications for educational reform

5.    Language

The official language of the conference will be English. Translation service will be available from English to Arabic and vice versa.

6.    Tours and Visits

The conference will organize social and technical tours if sufficient interest is indicated after the announcement of the conference. The tours will be for the whole day with lunch and refreshments provided. The technical tours suggested areJericho city and Bethlehem area.

7.    Venue

The venue of the conference will be at Birzeit University, Birzeit, West Bank, Palestine. There will be accommodation available in Ramallah, Al-Bireh and Jerusalem cities, all of which are within easy commuting distance to the University. Lunches and refreshments will be provided at the conference. There are excellent facilities for common sessions, parallel sessions, exhibitions and welcome reception at the campus of Birzeit University.

8.    Registration

The registration for the conference is free. However, participants should take care for their own travel and accommodation issues.

9.    Organizing Committee

The conference forms part of an EU funded TEMPUS project (http://home.birzeit.edu/iews/tempus) and is organized by representatives from the project partners and local water and environmental organizations. The Tempus Project Partners are:

•   Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine

•   Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine

•   An-Najah University, Nablus, Palestine

•   Ministry of Higher Education, Palestine

•   National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece

•   WEDC, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

•   Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

10.    Scientific Committee

An international and local Scientific Committee consisting of representatives from research development organizations, universities, water and wastewater authorities and professionals, will provide guidelines for the selection of papers to be published.

Abdelkader Laarabi, Mohammed V Agdal University, Morocco

Abdelrahman Tamimi, Palestinian Hydrology Group, Palestine

Amer Kanaan, Al-Qudes University, Palestine

Amer Marie, Al-Qudes University, Palestine

Assimacopoulos Dionysis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Alfred Abed Rabbo, Bethlehem University

Brian Reed, WEDC, Loughborough University, UK

Dima Nazer, Palestine Technical College Arroub, Palestine

Fahoom Shalabi, Ministry of Higher Education, Palestine

George Kurzom, Ma’an Development Center, Palestine

Hafez Shaheen, An-Najah University, Palestine

Hammou Laamrani, IDRC, Egypt

Hilmi Salem, Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie (PTUK)

Henk Lubberding, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Netherlands

Ibraheem Attyia, Ministry of Health, Palestine

Issam Al-Khatib, Birzeit University, Palestine

Jamil Harb, Birzeit University, Palestine

Jan-Erik Gustafsson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Jawad Shqerat, Al-Qudes University, Palestine

Jene Helal – Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, Palestine

Joachim Paul, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, , Palestine

Khaled Qahman, Environmental Quality Authority, Palestine

Maher Abu Madi, Birzeit University, Palestine

Maria Mandaraka, National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Mark Zeitoun, University of East Anglia, UK

Marwan Haddad, An-Najah University, Palestine

Marwan G. Ghanem, Birzeit University, Palestine

Michael Mason, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Mike Smith, WEDC, Loughborough University, UK

Mohamad Al-Masri, An-Najah University, Palestine

Mutasem El-Fadel, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Nabeel Al-Jolani, Palestinian Polytechnic University, Palestine

Nidal Mahmoud, Birzeit University, Palestine

Numan Mizyed, An-Najah University, Palestine

Omar Zimmo, Birzeit University, Palestine

Ralf Klingbeil, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

Rashed Al-Sa`ed, Birzeit University, Palestine

Salah Yasin, An-Najah University, Palestine

Saed Khayat, Ministry of Higher Education, Palestine

Samah Jabarie, Palestinian Polytechnic University, Palestine

Sameer Shadeed, An-Najah University, Palestine

Subhi Samhan, Palestinian Water Authority, Palestine

Uraib Sayrafi, Birzeit University, Palestine

Walid W. Sabbah, Utah Geological Survey, USA

Yousef Amro,  Hebron University, Palestine

Zaher Barghothi, Ministry of Agriculture, Palestine

11.    Publications

Papers received will be reviewed and only accepted ones will be presented at the conference. The conference proceedings will be published in a special issue of Birzeit Water Drops.

12.    Important Dates

First call for abstracts: 12 November, 2010

Abstract submission: 10 March, 2011

Notifying accepted abstracts: 10 April, 2011

Full papers submission: 15 July, 2011

Notifying accepted papers: 15 August, 2011

Papers presentations: 16-17 November, 2011

Printing conference proceedings: 01 June 2012

13.    Invitation to Submit a Paper

Papers are expected to make an original contribution to the conference topics. Authors who are interested in presenting a paper should send an abstract for refereeing. Received contributions will be selected by the Conference Scientific Committee to cover different areas, methods, approaches and cases. Abstracts should have a maximum of 300 words. Each abstract should incorporate the following information: Title; author’s(s’) full name(s), affiliation, address and  means of contact (phone, mobile phone, fax, E-mail).

Abstract submission form including all specifications and guidelines can be downloaded from the (Call for Papers) menu at the Conference website (http://home.birzeit.edu/iews/tempus). Abstracts and later paper submissions should be sent by e-mail to the following address: environmentalconference@gmail.com 

For further information please contact:

Dr. Ziad Mimi, Chairman of the Conference, Institute of Environmental and Water Studies, Birzeit University, Palestine
Email:  zmimi@birzeit.edu, Telephone:  +972-2-298 2120 (or +970)