Who We
Are
The Danish Outdoor Council is an umbrella
organisation with focus on outdoor recreation, nature and environmental issues.
The council seeks to influence decision-making and to raise public awareness and
enjoyment of nature through campaigns and projects. The Danish Outdoor Council
comprises about 90 non-governmental organizations and groups, all of which have
a stake in how the nature of Denmark is used and managed.
The Danish Outdoor Council is governed by a General Assembly of member
organizations. The General Assembly elects a Board of 11 members, chosen from
the member organizations. A secretariat with a staff of 25 services the Council.
In addition, the Council has some 1100 volunteers, members of the organizations
of the Council, who are active at the local community level. Fifteen regional
Council representations bring these volunteers together in county-based
groups.
Campaigns and
Projects
Campaigns and projects are significant
means for the Danish Outdoor Council. The Council rarely undertakes a project
alone. Instead, collaborative efforts are preferred and the Council often
co-ordinates campaigns. Current campaigns and projects
include:
Eco-Schools
targets students, teachers and administrations of primary and secondary schools.
Not only the students but the whole school become involved in reducing resource
consumption as the school develops and implements an environmental plan of
action. Eco-Schools is a FEEE-project and the European Co-ordinator is Tidy
Britain Group, United Kingdom.
The Blue Flag
Campaign awards the Blue Flag as an
environmental prize to European beaches and marinas that are managed with
careful consideration for the local environment. The Campaign has four
cornerstones: Environmental education, Environmental management, Water quality,
and lastly, Safety and facilities. The Campaign celebrated its 10th anniversary
in 1997. It is also a FEEE project and the European co-ordinator is the Danish
Outdoor Council, Denmark.
Green Places - Green
Pleasures was launched in the autumn of 1996. It is a 10
year campaign, aiming to encourage Denmark's 275 municipalities, housing
administrations and individuals to enhance public green places in our cities and
urban areas. In order to become a recognized "green place" an area must have or
develop qualities to enhance the experience of the place and its
ecology.
A Policy for Outdoor
Recreation
The Board has begun to formulate an
extensive policy for outdoor recreation as well as an action plan for the
Council. In April 1997 a comprehensive policy covering all issues of concern for
the Council was presented.
Local Agenda
21
Local Agenda 21 is a new dimension in the work
of the Danish Outdoor Council. The purpose of this initiative is to ensure
sustainable development. The role of the Danish Outdoor Council is to promote
and support networking and initiatives concerning local Agenda 21 among member
organizations, other relevant NGOs etc.
International Affairs
The Danish Outdoor
Council also maintains international relations. The Council is part of
organizations and networks such as FEEE (Foundation for Environmental Education
in Europe), EEB (European Environmental Bureau) and FICC (Federation
Internationale de Camping and de Caravanning). FEEE is an environmental
education organisation.
The aim of FEEE is to
promote environmental education not only in the forum of primary school
education, but also in the training of professionals and general awareness
raising. FEEE's activities include: the Blue Flag Campaign, taking place in 18
countries, Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment. In the latter
project, high school and college students research and report on global
environmental issues. The students communicate via Internet and produce an
international "Student Magazine".
Naturally, the
Danish Outdoor Council has close relations with the other Nordic countries
(Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland). The council
works to develop a Nordic network of outdoor recreation organizations. The
Council would also like to develop similar contacts in the Baltic area and
elsewhere in Europe.
Information
Source
Prepared by ...
Mrs
Ida S. Bonnevie
Head of Information,
The Danish Outdoor Council / Friluftsraadet
Scandeagade 13, DK 2450 Copenhagen SV,
Denmark
Telephone
+45 33 79 0079 Facsimile
+45 33 79 0179
E-Mail
[email protected]