h4. For interviews about the worldwide movement of science centres and museums for environmental protection, contact:
**Catherine Franche, Executive Director**
Ecsite, the European network of science centres and museums
Brussels, Belgium
+32 2 649 73 83
info@ecsite.eu
**Walter Staveloz, Director International Relations**
Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc. (ASTC)
Washington, D.C., USA
Mobile: +1 202 492 8253
wstaveloz@astc.org
“Science – like music – is a global language. It´s a language that is spoken in 3,000 science centres and museums, actively engaging over 300 million people per year in over 90 countries.” These are the opening words of Science centres and museums: Public partners in Rio+20, a short film depicting the diverse ways science centres and museums guide the public to protect planet Earth.
The seven-minute film showcases scenes of environmental engagement in science centres and museums in eleven countries and spanning six continents. The film was initiated and coordinated by Ecsite, the European network of science centres and museums, and produced by Small World Stories (www.smallworldstories.org/).
View Science centres and museums: Public partners in Rio+20 now on YouTube where you may also access a short promotional version of the film:
The majority of environmental education occurs outside the classroom – a fact acknowledged by the UN Committee for Sustainable Development Education Group.
The UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability has also stressed the need for the average citizen – particularly young people – to understand the risks and implications of a planet under stress.
Science centres and museums are ready to drive public engagement in the Rio+20 process and the worldwide networks (detailed below) are pushing for a strategic plan that channels the energy of science centres and museums into a UN public outreach strategy.
Walter Staveloz, Director International Relations, Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc. (ASTC) presented the film in Rio de Janeiro at two lead-up events of the Rio+20 conference:
