BIOMASA, Association of Legal Entities with the seat in Kysucky Lieskovec has organized “Summer Biomass Camp” for children visiting primary schools. Summer biomass camp is one of the promotional and dissemination activities of the CHEFUB project, which are aimed also to activities for schools and increasing awareness among children and youth. Summer biomass camp 2010 was held from 19 July to 26 July 2010 in Cicmany.

The camp was organized in accommodation facility heated with biomass technology – wood pellets, because of environmental intent of the camp – use of biomass in practise. The place of biomass camp organization – The House of St Bystrik, has been selected by tender. The House of St Bystrik is a building heated with renewable energy source (pellets) and it served as a demonstration facility during the summer camp activities. The camp activities were focused on environmental education of Slovak youth, because they create very important group who will soon decide on heating of their own houses or business. Environmental education of the children in nature was focused on efficient and effective use of biomass for heating in practise. The meaning of realized summer camp activities was pointed out to children that heating with renewable energy sources is environmental friendly, ecologic and it doesn’t contribute to many of today’s environmental problems such as global warming. The part of camp educational activities were lectures, presentations, workshops with biomass – pellets, hiking, competitions, visits of biomass facilities etc.

During the visitation of biomass facilities children have been informed on current technological possibilities for using renewable energy sources in private objects and for hot water preparing. They were able to see in practise the way of installation, operation as well as using of facilities dedicated for heating with biomass.

Another activity was the lecture on renewable energy sources, environmental impact of all kinds of energy sources consumption on environment and on renewable energy sources using especially using of solar energy, hydro power, wind power, geothermal energy as well as biomass.

Children and youth visited The Roden’s House in Cicmany - exposition of Povazske Museum, which consists of two objects of folk architecture. These expositions are devoted to folk customs, jobs, folklore as well as to typical embroidery of Cicmany and peddler trade which was typical for Cicmany, especially slippers making.

Another very edifying lecture was focussed on biomass heating where children became familiar with modern automatic biomass heating which could be installed in ordinary family houses for heating and for hot water preparing. This form of heating and hot water preparing is very clean and environmental friendly and it can save our environment for future generations. The lecture was supplemented by demonstration of automatic pellet fireplace in practise.

An environmental background had the competition “looking for treasure”, too. The aim of the competition, besides the finding the treasure – sweet rewards, was also to get together all indications and create one environmental slogan.

Very interesting activities were workshops with biomass – especially with wood pellets (product made from pure natural material without any other additives). During the workshops children created folk costumes, bags and cottages from Cicmany village with typical ornaments of Cicmany.

Following the previous lectures next activities were prepared, such as various competitions and quizzes aimed at verifying of children knowledge about renewable energy sources using. While walking and making trips into the nature children learned about different types of forest and agricultural biomass.

Reporters of Top news of Slovak television were also interested in activities of summer biomass camp and they have made brief report which was broadcast in Top news of STV on 25 July 2010.

The aim of BIOMASA Association as organizer of this summer biomass camp, is to spread the information and raise the awareness about clean and economic way of heating among young people because our experiences have been showing that we have to start to instil the bases of environmental behaviour to our children from young age. This summer biomass camp aims to show our children and youth that we can use other media for heating besides natural gas or another medium which is not very environmental friendly. Environmental footprint that we leave for future generations depends mostly on us and on our approach to the environment and to our descendants.

“Summer biomass camp for children” has been organized thanks to the financial instrument of the European Community Program LIFE+ and Ministry of agriculture, environment and regional development of the Slovak Republic.

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