Our school is part of the Green School network and we wrote about several initiatives in our articles before. But we had a will to create an action group of motivated students, where students take in charge and lead initiatives to make our school more sustainable.
Teachers and the school management fully supported this idea and so we all have met for the first meeting of students' action group on the 21st April 2021. It was an opportunity to meet students that are interested in making our school more sustainable and to listen to teachers who are in charge of different pillars for updates from the ongoing initiatives. Finally, we all brainstormed on concrete ideas that could be impimented.
We are so happy to inform you that the school's director Mrs Ariane Farinelle and the school's Deputy Director for the Finance and Administration Mr. Fabrizio Cattari were present and fully supportive. We also got a promise of some money allocation for the immediate action on water fountains at school.
What is next?
We will pick up several actions that can be implimented right now and we will start working on them. Even if you were not present, feel free to reach out to teachers or students from CS that you know and join us. You can also propose new ideas and take full charge to implement them: you are the leader! And we hope that lots of motivated students will join the Membro Ecologico committee of CS next year. Students from different grades are invited. It actually helps because we all have exams on different weeks, so having students from different grades allows to swap roles. Suggest and implement: it's an action group!
What was presented at the meeting?
ENERGY (prof. Dell'Uomo)
S4-S5 are taking part in integrated physics renewable and sustainable energy project with prof. Dell'Uomo. It is done in collaboration with the JRC (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission).
The school is working to install solar panels on the roof of the school (90 KW)
With prof. Osborne there is an ongoing awareness rising campaign at school among students to know how to save energy at school.
The school has some energy consumption data which would be expanded later.
WATER (prof. Paliaga)
Water filters and water fountains: the school is looking for this sustainable solution to replace the use of plastic bottle waters. Prof. Paliaga says that there is a need to start looking for the price offers. This could be very concrete contribution now.
The Deputy Director for Administration suggested that students help to find offers. The school is ready to dedicate a certain amount of money to this.
Among the options there is a possibility to lift higher the taps, so that it would be possible to fill in bottles with water. But the problem remains that this water wouldn’t be filtered. Alternative solution would be to install water fountains.
To save water, it is important to: or install water taps with the pedal or the taps that stop automatically. This would help to save running water from “forgotten” taps that are not properly closed.
In Mensa to have “carafe” and to install fontanelle instead of having bottles. But there would be a need to cover for hygiene reasons.
Where to put water fountains?
Suggestions: - to put water fountains near mensa so that students who bring lunch from home would have easy access,
- to put one fountain per corridor, so that between classes one could right away fill in the bottle,
- to put water fountains in mensa, and to replace current bottles; instead of bottles we should use "caraffas" and have water fountains, but we should mind hygiene for this,
- to put water fountains in the courtyard.
How many water fountains do we need?
Suggestions: 4, 5, 8.
Prof Paliaga suggested 8 at least for now.
TRANSPORT This point was not touched, but our Transport Committee has assured us before that our school bus trajectories are very well planned as buses are nearly full. It means that our school is sustainable by using common transport and buses. BIODIVERSITY and WASTE
Suggestion to create a communal garden for primary and secondary. This could be a learning space for biology and ecology, and also to grow few things a “kilometro zero” close to us.
Suggestion to create a composte, where wasted food from mensa could be composted as a natural fertilizer for the garden.
WHAT’S GOING ON:
Awareness rising through social media, Instagram and the School’s online magazine ESV News
Taking part in various events and celebrating international days (like the day of the Earth, etc).
“Writing on the wall”: It is a project proposed by European School of Brussels II and which reached as through CoSup. Our Student Committee Presidents have reached to Arts teacher to check how to impliment it. Deputy Director suggests to prepare and send him estimate of costs for colours, time planning etc.
We have suggested through CoSup to make a joint proposal for the Board of Governors of the European Schools to create optional course in S6-S7 about sustainability, so that those who are interested in interdisciplinary approach could deepen their knowledge and to have dedicated time to take part in various initiatives and projects.
"Dreaming Green": The art teachers are also organising an art-science competition.
OTHER POINTS:
The school gives extra food, which was cooked but is still good, to the poor through agreed organization in Varese.
Students would like to see less plastics in the Mensa. Our Cooperativa Mensa is already using biodegradable glasses etc, but we should aim to become plastic free.
NEW IDEAS SUGGESTED BY STUDENTS DURING THE MEETING:
Participants very much liked the idea to have an optional academic course in S6-S7. Deputy Director suggested to proceed fast as these issues require time, to check with the Joint Teaching Committee in Brussels and to contact a person in the Central Office of the European Schools in Brussels. The School Director also supported this idea and suggested to check with Brussels. She also mentioned that there are a lot of initiatives by the European Commission to promote education for sustainability, so the school will look at it too.
Younger students in the meeting enthusiastically stepped in saying that even if they are younger, they would be interested in helping. They also liked the idea about the dedicated course. There was a suggestion for the course even for S4-S7. Italy is the first European country to integrate environmental education in the school curriculum (we can see benefits of it through the Green School partners in Varese and in Italy).
Students and teachers suggested to have also more integrated approach and to touch environmental issues in other lessons. Students liked also the idea about shorter courses or initiatives at lunch time, but in this case the number of participants would be much less.
Suggestion to play a “journalist” and to ask other students at school on what we could need, and in this way we could gather lots of interesting ideas.
There is a survey from mothers in primary school, which could be sent wider to more students asking to fill in and to receive opinions and ideas from teachers and students.
Fight against food waste in Mensa: to encourage students to take only as much food as needed; it’s about awareness rising and education for good habits.
It is important to educate students in primary and to grow them continuously about sustainability. We, as elder students, could do it through games and awareness rising dedicated to younger. There is also a possibility to jointly develop school garden project.
To create the a garden at school for educational purposes but also as a possibility to grow something close “kilometro zero” (as aromatic herbs, or other) near ourselves. This would help to create a sense of community for a joint goal and doing something together between students of different ages. It is important to protect this area to avoid vandalism.
To create the cycle of re-using and to use wasted food as compost; to create compost which could be used for the garden as fertiliser.
We should think about possibility to regulate the heating, to adapt the room temperature as needed and to reduce our impact on climate change.
To extend the “Writing on the Wall” project by allowing more students to paint on extra sheets so that these paintings could be also displayed somewhere at school, because the wall is limited.
To use painting as advertisement to raise awareness among the students and what we as what we aim to do.
To have plants in the classroom so that ambiance would be nicer and to create green environment. It would be nice also to have plants that purify the air in the school.
To make that each class, and especially in primary school, would have a plant to take care: it’s beauty and education at the same time.
To have a school science contest for sustainability: for example, to invite students to create an invention to make our school greener or anything else, to have judges, to give a prize, etc. To have it as a real well-known initiative within the school community.
We could think about making energy consumption report about the energy consumption at school, which would help us to identify areas where to make a difference.
There is a European project to monitor quality of air: schools are invited to participate, and we could request a kit, so each student becomes scientific data collector and takes part in citizens science. European Environment Agency in Copenhagen is coordinating this project in many European countries, and we could reach out to them and ask to join; or even to continue ourselves. It teaches data collection, data reporting and sensibilizes students on climate around us.
Butterfly monitoring project: it is a wide European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme to help to preserve biodiversity. It is a simple app so that every citizen could use and collect information to preserve biodiversity through scientific data collection. Students could be involved through biology or integrated science project as everybody has a mobile phone.
Sustainable fashion: we could think about making used cloths market and to have a day at school to swap cloths instead of new shopping.
Plant a tree day: to dedicate one day per year to plant trees. This could be done together with Varese commune and with other Green School members and other partner schools. This could be a day when all teachers, school management and students gather for a concrete action for the environment.
Whom to contact if you wish to join?
Current members are all in S7 and will be leaving the school at the end of the year. In fact, the purpose of the action group was to bring interested students together, so that you all could meet, get to know names of students and teachers and could start now and follow in September right away.
Ask a teacher or a councelor for names! They will put you in touch with the right student group on whatever issue.
The counselor Graziella DIGANGI is a coordinator of the Green School. Different teachers are in charge of different pillars. Do not hesitate to ask any of them and you will be put in touch with others:
NÜNNINGHOFF Maria Angelika,
CHRISTENSEN Susan Bettina,
PADINGER Bettina,
PALIAGA Paolo,
DELL'UOMO Stefano,
ESPOSTI Michele Ongaro.
If interested, you can follow Membro Ecologico Instagram account for updates.
Join us for a concrete action to make our school more sustainable!
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