Fundacja EkoRozwoju (The Foundation for Sustainable Development, acronym FER)

Fundacja EkoRozwoju (The Foundation for Sustainable Development, acronym FER) was registered in 1991 and has since then been active in environmental protection, promoting sustainable development, open society, and social justice. Since 2013, we have been running EkoCentrum Wrocław, a unique ecological education hub in Poland situated in the heart of the city. Everyone is welcome to attend our many educational classes, meetings, workshops, and open events. We cooperate with schools, local NGOs, leaders, activists, and our neighbors. We believe that caring for our fragile and limited earth resources and facing the climate crisis, the biggest challenge in the history of civilization, requires connecting people, various scientific disciplines, and areas of social activity. The most dramatic effects of a distorted climate can still be stopped and we work towards it collaboratively in all branches of FER Main fields of our activities: CLIMATE CRISIS We carry out different kinds of activities aimed to disseminate reliable, current, and in-depth knowledge about human impact on climate change, as well as to promote the idea of the common good and various forms of active climate protection. EDUCATION Caring for nature, we do not forget about humans. We do not divide people into better and worse, ours and strangers. There is an urgent need for peaceful intergroup cooperation and solidarity to solve local and global problems. Cross-sectional education is a key point in achieving this goal. In our educational method, we integrate dispersed disciplines of knowledge: from natural and ecological education, through global and civic education, to anti-discrimination and intercultural. We support the idea of volunteering. Since 2014 we have been hosting volunteers from different countries under the umbrella of European Commission programs. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY With climate change, more than ever before, the issue of food is crucial. In collaboration with local producers and activists, we work to promote healthy and balanced lifestyles through spreading knowledge about healthy eating, sustainable and responsible production and consumption, self-sufficiency skills. FER is one of the partners of FoodSHIFT2030, which launches an innovative citizen-driven transition of the European food system towards a low-carbon, circular future, including a shift towards a more plant-based and low-meat diet. TREES & BIODIVERSITY Since the beginning, trees have been very important to our organization. They are one of the most important and yet underrated infrastructural elements. In the face of the climate crisis, which symptoms are already observable, we focus not only on new plantings, but we also care about existing trees. In light of Polish and EU law, we work for tree conservation by creating projects, monitoring related activities, and providing a help desk. We have planted more than 40.000 trees across Poland together with partner organizations, local governments, road administrations and local leaders. We have trained over 2000 officials and people dealing with the trees protection. More than 1000 people attended conferences about trees organized by us. SMOG Smog is a kind of intense air pollution, originally named for the mixture of smoke and fog in the air. It poses serious risks to public health and the environment. FER is actively working on solutions to improve air quality and counteract the climate crisis, co-creating and supporting the activities of citizen’ initiative - the Lower Silesian Smog Alert (Dolnośląski Alarm Smogowy). DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION We prefer the principle of cooperation over competitiveness, that is why we operate side by side with other social and ecological organizations. We cooperate with different stakeholders, like municipal authorities, local producers, consumers, schools, etc., we facilitate a mixed group open discussions full of a wealth of ideas for potential solutions.