Students at CEO Tunte propose measures to reduce the carbon footprint of their school

 

The 3rd year ESO students of CEO Tunte have carried out an environmental audit of the facilities of their educational center in which they conclude that its carbon footprint “is moderate”, and where they reflect that they can “reduce it significantly”, along with the effects of climate change that also concern them, “with the collaboration of the City Council and the involvement of the educational community itself”.

 

The evaluation of the facilities and collection of environmental indicators has been a field investigation carried out by 17 students over several months during this course, in which they have had as monitors of the work their Physics and Chemistry teacher and an expert from the Escoescuelas project of the Biosphere Reserve of Gran Canaria.

 

The report outlines the positive and negative aspects of the CEO (Centro de Educación y la Educación - Center for Educational Innovation) and the improvements needed to reduce its carbon footprint and environmental impact. Last Thursday, at a relaxed meeting held at the Pancho Guerra Cultural Center, the report was personally delivered to the Councilor for Education, Esther Delgado Sánchez, and the Councilor for Parks and Gardens and municipal supervisor for the mid-altitude areas, Eduardo Armas Herrera. The report requested that the document be considered in future improvement plans for the center.

 

Speaking on behalf of the students were José Antonio del Toro Suárez and Eduardo Antonio Rodríguez Santana, both 14 years old. They explained that the project had allowed them to identify the strengths and weaknesses in their school's environmental footprint and to gain insight into improvements that could be made "to continue improving and achieve a more sustainable balance."

 

 

Among the proposed improvements, they highlighted the installation of timed taps in the bathrooms to avoid wasting water; repairing the drinking fountain to prevent the use of plastic bottles; replacing the lighting with LED lights; replacing damaged electrical outlets; replacing windows and blinds in poor condition to improve thermal insulation; replacing old computers and photocopiers with more efficient ones; conducting awareness talks and projects; and improving the living conditions of the center to reduce the drastic temperature changes between summer and winter with low-consumption fans and heaters.

 

Positive aspects

 

In the audit's financial report, students also highlighted the use of paper, despite recycling, and the considerable amount of waste generated during recess that doesn't reach the recycling bins as negative factors impacting the school's carbon footprint. Positive aspects included the shaded area in the playground, "which promotes student well-being and reduces the impact of high temperatures"; the green spaces and native vegetation within and around the school, "which helps regulate temperature and reduces visual pollution"; the availability of recycling bins in classrooms; the use of reusable water bottles and containers by students at breakfast; the existence of a school garden with a compost bin, "which promotes a circular economy within the school"; the recycling awareness of the cleaning staff; and, among other things, the good air quality the school enjoys due to its location and the surrounding natural environment.

 

“We were surprised by how eco-friendly our center is compared to what we imagined,” the students remarked at the meeting with the two councilors.

 

CEO Tunte created its own 'Environmental Committee' in November 2016. Since then, the students and the entire school community have been carrying out all kinds of awareness-raising activities to mark international celebrations such as Tree Day, World Water Day, and World Environment Day. Notable examples include the phenological monitoring of plant species they conducted in the school's green areas and surrounding neighborhoods using a mobile app, and the exchange of experiences they held with CEO Tejeda.