Martes 09 de Febrero de 2021

A year of transformation towards a sustainable education

2020 was a year of challenges for the educational community that had to readjust its projects in a context of non-presence, prevention and mutual care.

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Virtuality was the predominant work modality during a special year that will remain in history. Humanity faced a reality that forced the transformation of processes, dynamics and customs in all areas. The covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the health impact, motivated us to reflect on our link with the environment and life in all its forms.

In this context, the objective at the educational level was to generate virtual meeting spaces between teachers and their students, through various digital devices, to learn about, discuss and agree on strategies, activities and experiences to be carried out in school. In this brief tour, it is proposed to relive some of the most outstanding experiences of 2020, where the values ​​of respect, resilience and commitment flourished in the face of the challenges that arose.

10 years of environmental education

2020 was the year in which the Green Schools program celebrated its first decade as a benchmark for sustained public policy to promote the cultural change necessary for the construction of a more sustainable present and future. On September 27, within the framework of the National Day of Environmental Awareness, monuments and emblematic buildings of the City, such as the Planetarium and the Torre Monumental, were lit up in green to celebrate this special anniversary.

As part of the celebration for these first 10 years, the "From garbage to zero" contest was held , aimed at all the inhabitants of the City. It consisted in the presentation of a graphic piece with the objective of representing some of the thematic axes related to the adequate treatment of waste in the City: responsible consumption, recycling, waste separation, reuse and repair.

Teachers, students and neighbors participated in this proposal that allowed them to share the perspective on waste and responsible consumption in the City of Buenos Aires through artistic expressions such as photography, drawing or collage. All the winning pieces can be viewed on the website, where you can also find the 2021 calendar for download .

Environmental commitment

The Recognition event, adapted in its 7th edition to the virtual modality, brought together more than 340 teachers within the framework of the 10 years of the Green Schools program. For the first time, families and the entire educational community were invited to follow the live broadcast of the event.

200 schools received the Green Schools recognition award for the development of environmental projects during the school year. The teachers representing schools that obtained the different awards told how they approached this year of distance work with their students, and the value of continuing their projects in this context, where it is necessary to reflect on the role of society in the preservation of the environment and surroundings.

Young people as protagonists

During the year various proposals were carried out where the students were able to demonstrate their knowledge, apply the learning acquired and explore various tools that allowed them to show their active commitment to environmental reality. "Sustainable Awakening" brought together students who are part of the environmental committees of their schools to share their experiences and their view on the relationship of the human species with its environment. The event included presentations by leading figures in environmental issues and the special participation of the comedian and singer "Kiki" Petrone.

This event was held within the framework of the Environmental Fair at «Innova» . Still in its virtual mode, this meeting space between schools was enriching due to the large number of school projects that were presented to provide possible solutions to various environmental problems. As part of the proposal, workshops and virtual talks were given to learn about biodiversity, recycling, the Sustainable Development Goals, among others.

"Young Reporters for the Environment" was an opportunity for secondary school students to take on a role as journalists to conduct research on various environmental issues, analyze the media and find the best dissemination channels for their school projects.

Bet on renewable energies

At the beginning of the year, Primary School No. 15 “Antonio Devoto” became the first public building in Argentina to inject into the grid the surplus energy it produces through photovoltaic solar modules installed on its terrace.

This school already had solar panels installed, and was chosen within the framework of the winning project of BA Elige (“Buenos Aires Chooses”) No. 12,535 "Commune 11 photovoltaic modules" that emerged in the Secondary School No. 3 DE 17 with whom it shares the property in Villa Devoto. The installation carried out complies with the provisions of the “Regime for the Promotion of Distributed Generation of Renewable Energy Integrated to the Public Electricity Grid” of the Distributed Generation Law (No. 27,424), which allows buildings and private users to generate their own energy and inject any surpluses. Currently, there are 7 schools in the City that have photovoltaic solar panels on their terraces with a total installed power of more than 200 kW.

Renewable energies were the axis of the 6th edition of the Seminar on Environmental Issues, one of the milestones of each year. On this occasion, teachers from the City interacted with specialized speakers who analyzed the current energy situation and reflected on the need to acquire new habits of responsible and efficient energy consumption. They provided tools for teachers to address together with their students a key issue for the sustainable development of communities.

Getting to know biodiversity

"Emblem Bird" was a project involving more than 11,000 students who chose their preferred bird species from an initial list of 14 candidates. Together with Aves Argentinas and the Legislature of the City, this initiative allowed them to learn about native biodiversity through citizen participation mechanisms. The common green hummingbird was the winning bird of this contest, which later formed part of a bill by the Buenos Aires Congresswoman Carolina Estebarena that was approved by the Legislature at the end of the year. Thus, the City now has its emblem bird.

Creativity and imagination made the «My tree, a mural» contest a wonderful opportunity to learn about the value of trees in an urban ecosystem through art. More than 400 graphic pieces were received from 28 schools with messages that conveyed the environmental, social and landscape benefits of trees. The winner was Luján Rodríguez Viglianco, from the Kindergarten Nucleado «A» DE, who was able to see her work reflected in a mural made by the artist Julio Gómez in Las Heras Park (Commune 14).

2020 represented a challenge that schools faced with the same commitment as every year. The 2021 that is just beginning, although it is equally complex, will have the educational community prepared and with solid tools to face a new reality.