A Historic Commitment to Sustainability

For the first time in its history, a group of students at the European School of Alicante has taken the initiative to promote sustainability within the school. This effort has led to the creation of SAFE Academy, a group driven by the School Administration and a team of dedicated teachers, aligning with one of the key priorities of the school’s annual plan.

SAFE Academy is made up of 13 Secondary students who are deeply aware of the challenges posed by climate change and are motivated to make their school a more sustainable environment. Thanks to their dedication and commitment, they have been the driving force behind the school’s participation in the international Eco-Schools program, with the goal of obtaining the Green Flag certification to schools that demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

This achievement would not have been possible without the involvement of several teachers from the school’s sustainability team, whose support has been essential in making the project a reality.

Eco-Audit and Roadmap for Sustainable Transformation

As part of its commitment to sustainability, SAFE Academy has conducted an eco-audit to identify areas for improvement in the management of the five key sustainability topics within the school.

Following this work, the students developed strategic documents, which were presented to the School Administration Council to approve a roadmap that will allow them to further explore each of these areas over the coming semesters.

The work plan has been structured over four semesters, covering the following topics:

1. Waste (second semester of the current academic year)
2. Biodiversity
3. Energy
4. Water

Responsible consumption will remain a cross-cutting theme across all areas. Throughout this process, research and action-based activities will be carried out to engage the entire school community and establish connections with other schools to share experiences and learn best practices.

Next Steps and Creation of the Environmental Committee

Para continuar con este proceso, uno de los requisitos del programa Eco-Schools es la constitución de un Comité Ambiental, en el que participen 30 alumnos, profesores, 5 padres, y otros miembros de la comunidad educativa.

Este Comité Ambiental de la escuela desempeña una labor de planificación principalmente mediante reuniones. Cuando se hace una reunión del comité ambiental– ya sea física o virtual – se revisa el plan de acción, se debate lo que se desea hacer como eco escuela y se planifica para posteriormente poder implementar las actividades seleccionadas.

La primera reunión para la constitución de este comité está prevista el próximo 26 de febrero, un paso clave en la consolidación del compromiso de la escuela con la sostenibilidad.

La Educación Ambiental es en esencia colaboración en torno a conocer y actuar en beneficio del medio ambiente, por lo tanto, se transforma también en objetivo común y de unión para las familias. Adquirir una conciencia ambiental es un aprendizaje de por vida en el que todos somos maestros y aprendices y donde los hijos habitualmente enseñan a los adultos.