Environmental sustainability has gone from being a subject taught in the classroom to an integral priority for many schools. Faced with the urgency of the climate crisis and the inspiration of their own students, determined to take care of the planet, many educational centres have taken direct action. This is the case of El Limonar International School, Villamartin which, together with El Limonar de Murcia, works under a protocol of responsible measures from the environmental point of view, with solar energy.
With the installation last year of 330 solar panels on the roofs of its facilities in San Miguel de Salinas and its Buenavista and Montevida (Murcia) campuses, they generate 150,000 kWh per year with pollution savings equivalent to planting nearly 2,000 trees.
No less than 37 tons of annual CO2 emissions have been avoided from the skies of the province with their transition to this clean energy, in a measure that has also allowed a significant reduction in their electricity bill and the energy self-sufficiency during many times of the day.
After a detailed study carried out internally among the entire school community by a specialised environmental consultancy, the words ‘worried’, ‘sad’, ‘scared’ and ‘disappointed’ were among those that most defined the state of mind of students, families and workers regarding climate change.
This served as a starting point to establish an ambitious action plan, through the creation of an Ecological Leadership Team that includes the directors of Infant, Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate, as well as six staff members, all of who have made a commitment to help students so that their contribution in this regard is positive.
The students have reviewed the current waste situation and have made recommendations on how to reduce waste and improve recycling. For example, the students of the Infant and Primary Eco Team have proposed a ban on the use of glitter throughout the school, using paper on both sides and reducing the amount of plastic wrap, in addition to other measures such as using only reusable bottles, carrying lunches in lunch boxes or bags instead of wrappers, or placing a multitude of recycling containers in strategic places.
By mid-June, schools will have halved the total amount of waste.
Pedro Rodríguez, a coordinator at ELIS Murcia aid that “Each quarter 300 kilos of plastic caps are collected, which are donated to SEUR’s “Caps for a new life” foundation so that they can be turned into money for research into childhood diseases”.
In addition, throughout the academic year the schools carry out visits to natural areas such as forests or surrounding beaches with the aim of collecting as much waste as possible, often collaborating with local charities.
