(15.8.2008)

Funding from CO2 compensation from FEE flights and other users of the FEE CO2 Fund system is now being used.

 

Back in 2007 the school began to build an outdoor eco-classroom to use as an educational tool for the school and community.  With the major infrastructure finally completed we could finally turn our attention to creating green spaces and to utilize them for teaching.  Together, with one class of fourth graders, we planted a few varieties of trees around the front of the school.  The children will be involved in their care and maintenance and once the trees are established they will serve as educational tools for them.

We had planned and planted more trees and built a bush and tree green fence which will protect the school and the children from the noise and the automobile gases. This was held on Earth Day.

The “Green Area” project was a big success. The area of the center courtyard of the school looks wonderful and has 5 large areas for planting and environmental education for the students. The project encouraged much commitment from students and their families, school staff, and the community.

This outdoor classroom helps to peak the interest of the students in the world around them and the importance of nature.  The major purposes of this “Green Classroom" are:

1.  To welcome students, families and individuals from the surrounding apartment complexes to spend time in and to enjoy nature.  It helps to raise the awareness of the benefits of preserving and enhancing green spaces at home, work and play.

2.  The "outside classroom" is a place where students can put into practice what they learn about plants, gardening and earth friendly practices.  There are "garden areas" where classes are responsible for planning, planting and caring for them. 

3.  Create a center area of the school with "green habitat" both surrounding and embedded within that will decrease noise and dust pollution within the area and school.  Strategies to decrease pollution level of noise and dust are discussed within the curriculum and students are involved in measuring and comparing differences before and after the project.

4.  Encourage community members to be involved in education and the environment through the donation of labor, material, specific instruction and financial support.

The school organized a big event “What does Climate Change Mean to Me, My Family, My World”, and the local authorities, the press and the community were invited.

Environmental education activities took place during the project and will continue to take place as we use the eco-classroom as our outdoor learning center. Sixteen classes from the school (there are 24 classes with 600  children) attended three forty minute sessions on green house gases, their individual CO2 footprints and the consequences of global warming. Just three classes were involved in the process of planting the trees, which served as an education activity since many of them had not had the opportunity to do this before. They were able to link the process of planting trees as a way to combat global warming. Ultimately we see the care for the green spaces as the responsibility of all the children and they will participate and learn about it’s maintenance and care throughout the year. In addition to the environmental education they have already received, we have developed an accompanying curriculum to the eco-classroom and we use it to teach classes on why green spaces are important, the life cycle of the tree and tree identification in addition to many other environmentally related topics. We have collaborated with experts from Stranja Nature Park, the closest park to the city, who participated in the project with lectures and activities, related to the tree and animal species.