IES El Pinar embarks this year on the Comunidad de Madrid´s Eco Schools Programme. This programme, which takes place in many different countries aims to introduce and promote environmental education in schools.

Our IES resolves to be a sustainable school!!!

The programme involves everyone in our educational community, especially students, through activities about the following themes: water, litter and biodiversity (next year energy will be included).

We expect the programme to improve the school environment, to transmit values and to create civilized and supportive attitudes and behaviours, that encourage raising overall environmental awareness.

1st Stage: Inform teachers and students about the programme

Teachers explain to the students the project’s characteristics and the topics to consider.

2nd Stage: Carry out an environmental review

The first step towards achieving a sustainable school is to identify the current situation of the school and it surroundings with a survey elaborated by ADEAC. In this way, environmental problems can be detected and analyzed in order to design an action plan to resolve the problems considered.

The survey was completed by students, teachers and parents. All of them are concerned about environmental issues and, although they carry out actions related to the responsible use of water or the proper treatment of solid waste, they demand more accurate information.

3rd Stage: Make an Action plan

• Form an eco-committee:

Open to everyone in the educational community. The committee will meet regularly to discuss the activities and will keep the rest of the school informed about decisions and projects that will take place.

• Formation of eco-patrols:

To preserve and optimize natural resources, one important task is to monitor the use of them. The student volunteers who want to take part will organize three types of eco-patrols:

Blue patrol: They monitor and supervise all issues related to water.

Green patrol: They monitor and supervise all issues related to biodiversity.

Red patrol: They monitor and supervise all issues related to litter.

The functions of the patrols are:

1) To monitor and ensure the correct use of the highschool´s facilities and resources.

2) To notify appropiate staff in the case that something wrong is detected, within any sector.

3) To encourage other students to cooperate, monitor or improving their performance of responsible behaviors.

4) They can become part of the team work ot the eco-commite if they want to.

5) Suggest actions to improve sustainability.

6) Suggest, if neccessary, penalties for those who have irresponsible behaviors.

• Photo contest: “IES El Pinar and its surroundings”

From the 22th of March you can submit photos related to life in our highschool and its surroundings. The pictures can be sent by email: ies.elpinar.alcorcon@educa.madrid.org until the 14th of March.

An exhibition will be created with the photographs submitted, in the highschool´s main hall, during the third term. The winning photo will be the cover of the agenda next year.