The Environmental Club that meets every week at Colegio Las Hayas takes action to benefit the nature that surrounds us. Every day the Earth is being harmed due to human actions affecting the planet and ourselves. The club is based on small projects that encourage consciousness throughout the school to enhance and implement the following objectives:
• Raise awareness among community members about ecological problems
• Conserve water and electricity
• Recycle
• Plant trees
• Improve the environmental conditions around the school
The world does not need people who act to get something in return. We each need to take courage and help where we can. Therefore, we believe that informing and being an example to society makes big changes.
• Raise awareness among community members about ecological problems
• Conserve water and electricity
• Recycle
• Plant trees
• Improve the environmental conditions around the school
The world does not need people who act to get something in return. We each need to take courage and help where we can. Therefore, we believe that informing and being an example to society makes big changes.
The club
In the city where we live, Xalapa, there is a great diversity of flora and fauna. However, many people do not know how to conserve it. Therefore, the club approaches the community in order to achieve the contribution of our "two cents". It works by helping the Earth in a fun way to protect and improve our surroundings. The guests and the community become aware of ecological problems. We learn to conserve water and electricity, recycle, and improve environmental conditions. Several projects such as recycling paper are carried out to create artwork. Also, we plant trees in small, deforested areas, produce compost, and create environmentally-friendly bags to encourage their use. Each of the actions serves to raise awareness not only among the guests, but also among the entire community.
Activities 2015-2016
- Place at the school trash cans with a basketball hoop. Thus, people are more attracted to throw trash where it should be and learn to keep it in one place.
- Create plastic bottles filled with dense plastic to build a home for rescued animals.
- Do makeup and cosmetics with organic substances.
- Use wastes as recycling to make art and expose it to everyone at the school.
- Create vertical gardens to decorate our school.
ACTIVITIES 2014-2015
- Make a video to attract more members of the community - mainly from elementary school - to join the cause of the club. Expose the video and posters. Organize the day we meet, inform the activities and receive more proposals of ideas to take care of nature.
- Integration: all members will be recognized. To introduce ourselves, everyone will create a recycled sheet. Then, it will be cut and a wooden stick will be added to make a flag. Everyone writes their name with ecological ink ("grana cochinilla") on their flag. Each one introduces themselves with the flag and will later take it home. Integration dynamics and traditional Mexican games will be held at the end.
- Inform the school community what we think that should be changed and why. Create and display posters, pictures and videos. Make presentations to share information about ''Reduce, Reuse and Recycle''.
- Create a broadcast group that sends everyday short and simple small steps that everyone can do in order to help the environment, the people and the quality of life. It can be created in a social network like WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter where members or authorized people can write a little message. We will inform about it to the interested community.
- Walk around the school on a normal school day and make a list of all consumers of electricity and water. Analyze each user and find out if they can be turned off when not in use (except faxes, telephones and printers). The same applies to all equipment such as monitors, computers, photocopiers, coffee makers etc. In addition, make new reminders after a while to draw attention again because people are often used to ignoring them.
- Develop a contest where the best photographs that portray ecology and environmental awareness win a prize.
- Create a design for a reusable supermarket bag. Get ink from coffee grains to paint the reusable bags and subsequently, give away.
- Adorn trash cans in a way that they look like a basketball net. This way, people are more attracted to throw the trash where it corresponds and will learn to keep it in one place.
- Recycle: make artworks and display them.
- Garbage: Investigate where the trash eventually ends and its environmental impact. Analyze the trash and determine what percentage could be reused or recycled. Then, share this information with the school administration and directors. Encourage more recycling within the school and sell the waste to some companies in Xalapa. Thus, we obtain funds for the club.
- Production of green cleaners: Learn about the chemicals in traditional cleaners and their impact on humans and the environment. Produce green cleaners for their use at school or home. Give them away to our guests at the Green Day.
- Preparation of the "Green Day".
- Use mathematical skills to calculate how much food is thrown away in the school cafeteria and find ways to reduce this waste.
- Clean some pathways and streets so the water can pass easily to avoid puddles. [Optional]
After the expected good results, we will go to other schools and present the projects to provide help and advice to make their own "green club". Also, we will write letters to the local newspaper or community leader about what we did and what we could accomplish more later.
NOTE: All actions are expressed in written form. Each of the projects are numbered in chronological order, but can be changed, removed or added over time. We already have the mode of preparation and development of the activities and actions. Although there seem to be few activities, we will spend a lot of time because we are going to work with young children and they have a slower pace.
"GREEN HELP" DAY
It is a day (a Saturday) where club members and their guests (parents, friends, school community, etc.) promote the club and awareness activities. We present some results and take home satisfaction and knowledge, as well as some products that protect the environment. There will be workshops where people participate and have fun learning. A small price will be charged in order to pay for the material.
ACTIVITIES OF THE DAY
- Integration: Introduction and presentation of the club. To introduce ourselves, everyone will create a recycled sheet. Then, it will be cut and added a wooden stick to make a flag. Everyone writes their name with ecological ink ("grana cochinilla") on their flag. Each one introduces themselves with the flag and later take it home. Integration dynamics and traditional Mexican games will be held at the end. (It's the same dynamic of the club, but now the club members attend with their guests) Duration: 45 minutes
- Give away the reusable supermarket bags to the community members in order to encourage the reusability of the bags. Members who win the bags will be selected through a game like "musical chairs (el juego de las sillas)". Ecological cleaners made by the club members will also be given. Duration: 20 minutes
- Some craft products made in the region will be presented to promote the environmental impact for transporting. Also, guests will understand the importance of the regional, artisan products. Everyone will be able to try some of these products and they will be a "snack" (i.e., things like honey, candies, cookies, etc.). Furthermore, the artwork created by the members will be exposed. Duration: 45-50 minutes
- The importance of compost will be informed by an interesting video. The waste generated during the exhibition of the products will be used in the compost. We will teach how to make one. Duration: 20 minutes
- Tree planting: plant trees near the school in pairs/trios/teams. Plant native trees to demonstrate their importance in society. [Optional for the day of the event, if there is not not enough time it will be held in a normal meeting] Duration: 1 hour
- Results of the photo contest. Conclusion. Duration: 10 minutes
CONTACT Information
COLEGIO LAS HAYAS
Km. 4 Carretera Antigua Xalapa-Coatepec, Potrero de Briones S/N, Coatepec, Ver., México
Km. 4 Carretera Antigua Xalapa-Coatepec, Potrero de Briones S/N, Coatepec, Ver., México