History - milestones
1991 - 1997 – The American Foundation for The Marshall Fund of the U.S. with the support and cooperation of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Trust for Mutual Understanding, implemented a program to support environmental organizations "Environmental Partnership for Central Europe" (EPCE) (which the Environmental Partnership Foundation would become an offshoot of). The EPCE program played an important role in the development of environmental NGOs in the first half of the nineties in Poland and other Central European countries. Many environmental NGOs active in the country today received an important impetus to their development due to the EPCE in the nineties.Examples include: Klub Gaja, ProNatura Association, Institute for Sustainable Development and Ecological Foundation "Green Action".
1997 - Establishment of the Environmental Partnership Foundation as a non-profit organization, which continues a program to support EPCE environmental organizations in Poland in order to "promote and implement measures for environmental protection and support such activities undertaken by non-profit organizations and local communities, which are part of the promotion of the democratic development of the country. "As a self-governing organization the Foundation continues to work in Poland as part of a consortium of the Central Environmental Partnership for Central Europe (EPCE), consisting of four independent foundations supporting environmental projects involving local communities in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
1998 - The beginnings and development of the method and philosophy of the Foundation as a partnership. The Foundation acts primarily as a grant organization, supporting NGOs in environmental activities at local level. This year we launched the Polish-Slovak-Hungarian initiative – The Amber Trail Greenway, in collaboration with BP Poland (who is still supporting the project). Starting the same year, the Clean Business Program began propagating ecological activities of companies (especially SMEs) to increase their competitiveness. The British environmental organization Groundwork UK provided a special role in creating the Clean Business program, thanks to their previous knowledge and know-how. This year the Foundation organized the first street festival, Bracka (Earth Day), which took place in Wolnica Square, the festival still continues each year but now in Nowa Huta.
1999 – The Environmental Information Centre was set up, which to this day cooperates with the Foundation to organizations, institutions and companies, supported by advice on the wider environment. This year the Foundation also organised the Annual Meeting of the Clean Business Club in Tarnow, which was attended by companies (mainly SMEs) participating in the Clean Business Program.
2000 – The Foundation Partner Group introduced a formula indentifying the most important methods of their work, which gave rise to those carried out to date by the Group Partnerships Program, by supporting the cooperation between social, economic and public sectors. Since then, the Foundation has carried out many of its other flagship programs: Schools for Sustainable Development, under which we cooperate with schools working towards sustainability and Ecomuseums whose aim is to engage people to explore and present their region. The year also brought changes into the framework for international action - Romania became part of a consortium of the Environmental Partnership for Central Europe, under which the program established Central and Eastern European Greenways (CEG), through which the Foundation in Poland is developing the Greenways Program, by supporting the development of environmentally friendly tourism based on natural and cultural heritage.
2001 - Congress of Schools for Sustainable Development was held in Warsaw.
2002 - The Foundation joined as a member of the European Greenways Association (EGWA), which today consists of 35 members - national organizations and institutions which are all involved in the creation and promotion of greenways in Europe.
2003 – The Foundation’s trustee’s, decided that the Foundation set up Iso-Tech, which remains 100% owned by the Foundation. Iso-Tech specializes in the implementation of management systems in enterprises and environmental audits. The Foundation's grant function was taken over by a newly established legal entity – The Partnership Fund - which develops and continues the activities of the Foundation Grant. Also in 2003, the Foundation became recognized and appreciated by the chapter of the Competition Pro Publico Bono. These are awarded every year for the best civic initiatives. The Foundation was honored "for its contribution to building civil society through programs of environmental protection."
2004 -This year marked the Clean Business Programme's access to counseling, information, training and the ability to monitor its impact on the environment through the use of the Environment Manager Internet tool. BP (a long-term Strategic Partner of the Foundation) was joined by Toyota and Coca-Cola as strategic partners to the Foundation. In 2004 we started new projects namely "Green Office" (in cooperation with Ricoh) and "Clean Tourism", which issue certificates awarded by the Environmental Foundation - Green Office (for companies that use environmental solutions in their offices) and Pure Tourism (certificate for companies and organizations from the tourism industry, which include environmental protection in daily activities). Since 2004, the Foundation became the initiator and member of the European Network of Ecomuseums 'Local Worlds ". In January the National Assembly of Partnership Groups took place. In September The Foundation became a member of the International Association of Partnership for Sustainable Development (Environmental Partnership for Sustainable Development Association - EPSD), which is registered in the Czech Republic and combines foundations from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, and Bulgaria.
2005 – The National Network of Partnership Groups (KSGP) was formed consisting of 12 Partnership Groups. KSGP also signed a cooperation agreement with the network of the French Union Nationale des Centres Permanents d'Iniciatives pour l'Environment this year. The Foundation also joined in the activities of the Rural Development Forum, an umbrella organization comprising of over 60 organizations working for rural development, whose task is to indicate to government decision-makers the benefits of activities related to environmental protection and to involve local communities in development aid programs. (www.faow.org.pl)
2006 - Co-operating partners in the Programme for Central and Eastern European Greenways (CEG), including the Foundation, signed a declaration of SOPRON, which sets out common criteria and guidelines for greenways.
2007 - Schools for Sustainable Development Program becomes part of the International Programme for Eco - Schools run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) - (www.fee-international.org). Environmental Partnership Foundation is the only representative in Poland for the FEE.
2008 - The Foundation created a new “bike-friendly” certification scheme. This certificate is awarded to tourist objects to other objects promoting sustainable transport takes into account the specific needs of cyclists and cycling tourists. This year also gave rise to a new Foundation initiative called Partnership Academy, which aims to share knowledge and experience with building partnerships. Cadbury joins among the Strategic Partners for the Foundation, they are still involved, particularly in the Schools for Sustainable Development scheme.
2010 – The Partnership Academy was established as an initiative of the Foundation, along with The National Network of Partnership Groups (KSGP) and the Partnering Initiative of the International Business Leaders Forum. The Knauf Insulation group joins the Strategic Partners of the Foundation, which was launched in collaboration with the Foundation School Program for Sustainable Development. They form the outline of a new Green Building Initiative. The Foundation Board decides to resign from membership in the consortium of the Environmental Partnership for Sustainable Development - it no longer, in the opinion of the Foundation, meets the expectations or needs of the Environmental Partnership Foundation and its beneficiaries.
2011 – The Foundation celebrates the 20th anniversary of operations in Poland, and marked this occasion with a change of its logo. The form of the new logo is an abstraction of the infinity symbol representing balanced development, harmonious co-operation, partnership and action for the environment. The new logo embodies what the Foundation wants to deal with in the oncoming years - The "greening" of the Polish economy.
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