▲ Cheongwoonji, being used as a venue for ecological health and education

Cheongwoonji is a pond in front of Changwon University's dormitory. The name of the pond means a place where "very high and big dreams come true". This pond has been reborn as a venue for ecological health and education. Cheongwoonji is a local attraction where not only the campus population, but also Changwon citizens can visit and enjoy. Changwon University recently signed an urban biodiversity agreement to preserve urban wildlife in Changwon. Changwon University created a toad movement path so that baby toads living in Cheongwoonji can grow and move to the forest easily for urban environmental conservation. It also put up temporary traffic-restriction banners and signs so that citizens walking around Cheongwoonji will be able to notice and recognize the toads. In the process of participating in the protection and conservation of toads, Cheongwoonji has continued to develop as a place for urban environmental conservation.

Students from Changwon National University are participating in the Urban Biological Monitoring Team to improve the conservation of environmental resources and to preserve the value of Cheongwoonji in the region. The Department of Early Childhood Education has developed an adventure design education curriculum that preserves urban wildlife in Cheongwoonji. It is combined with early childhood education to observe amphibians and reptiles living in school forests and ponds. It is a program that invites children from nearby kindergartens to participate in field classes to observe the movement of toads into the forest. In addition, Changwon University students plan to develop a convergence education program that allows them to share their observations and experiments using QR codes and chroma-key. CWNU is also carrying out a campaign to inform locals about the toads, which are a protected species, so that they can move around safely.

Changwon University also opened a sustainable development center last month to become a platform for solving regional-linked social problems. These include topics such as sustainable development education and research, gender equality, social inequality, the environment, and climate change. In addition, it will use university resources to preserve urban biodiversity and provide high-quality education to local communities. These programs are being developed in order to implement the UN's goals of sustainable development, sustainable cities and communities, and the conservation of land ecosystems. Yoon Hyun-kyu, head of the LINC+ business group at Changwon University, said "Changwon University will continue to promote conservation and awareness not only through education but also through the protection of local natural resources, and by cooperating with local communities to solve global problems".

The transformation of Cheongwoonji showed the true value that comes with environmental health, and the benefits of education about the Changwon University pond, which was just beautiful. The toad move project, which is co-hosted by K-ECO, CCSD, LINC+ and Early Childhood Education departments, has been a success. It has also played a role in revitalizing not only conservation of the local environment but also programs for residents to participate in. Starting with this, many are looking forward to Changwon University's future plans, not only for the development of the school, but also for the community and the earth.

By Jung In-hee, cub-reporter  sugar3870@naver.com

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