Winning students from the Barnim Gynmasium Bernau (Brandenburg, Germany) at the cheque presentation. The class will use the prize money for research and water quality tests.

Watering the athletic fields in a sustainable way and exploring the Danube back to its origin – these are two project proposals submitted by schools from all over Germany as part of a nation-wide competition launched by Coca-Cola Germany in September 2009. Students and teachers were invited to create proposals for day or week-long projects inspired by the Danube Box materials, promoting water protection.

Under the slogan ‘Wasserschutz macht Schule (Water protection goes to school)’, ten schools were selected and awarded with a prize of €1000 to implement their ambitious projects. Excursions to a waste water treatment plant and to the origin of the Danube, constructing a solar powered watering system in the school yard, creating interactive exhibitions on water use and water protection, animation with water songs and stories, and research on species diversity in the Danube will be on the lesson plans of the winning classes in spring 2010.

Youth competitions are popular in Hungary, where the third online Danube quiz competition, supported by Coca-Cola Hungary, goes to its final round in May. The competition will go international in 2011, accompanied by an international teacher’s workshop to share experiences on the Danube Box teaching materials.

For more information see: www.danubebox.org

Doris Gfrerer is an environmental education expert and ICPDR consultant on the Danube Box.