“The future will either be green or not at all.”
– Bob Brown
Environmental Education
With protection of the environment as one of the founding principles of our school, environmental studies form an integral pillar of the education students receive at Futuro Verde. Our students in all grade levels are fortunate to have classes in their schedule focused on environmental education, classes in which they learn to respect and care for the environment and participate in community and school based projects. Furthermore, each classroom teacher assures integration of environmental themes into their specific subject areas and interdisciplinary units of study. These efforts combine with school initiatives focused on the following important aspects of environmental stewardship and protection to make Futuro Verde truly an environmental school of the future:
- 5 star Green certification of the school through Bandera Azul Ecológica
- A school-wide recycling center open to the community
- Regular beach clean-ups in our surrounding beach communities
- School-wide digital initiatives to reduce our use of paper
- Development of our school as a Permaculture campus, in collaboration with Escuela de la Jungla and Green Wave
Green Certification
A committee of teachers, parents, students and administrators forms the team that has led our school in securing the prestigious designation of Bandera Azul Ecológica with an impressive 5 out of 5 stars. The process requires a series of commitments on the part of the school: water conservation, energy conservation, clean bathrooms and school beautification, among others.
Recycling Program at FV
We are currently collaborating with a recycling initiative out of Paquera in order to assure our recyclables complete the full circle of being recycled, from collection to the recycling plan. The following materials are able to be recycled at school: Tetra Pak, glass, plastic, aluminum, paper and paperboard.
Specific Environmental Projects by Grade Level
First grade:
Guardians of the domestic animals – the worm bin and the chickens
Second grade:
Guardians of the plants
Third grade:
Guardians of the soil
Fourth grade:
Guardians of the air
Fifth grade:
Guardians of the wild animals
Sixth grade:
Guardians of the water
Seventh grade:
Guardians of the Biodiversity
Eighth grade:
Guardians of the Green Spaces
Ninth grade:
Guardians of the recycling center
Tenth grade:
Guardians of the food forest and banana circles
Eleventh and twelfth grades:
International Baccalaureate Group 4 project connected to IB Biology
Beach Clean-ups:
With the focus on community service, FV participates in regular beach clean-ups. Our environmental community partners help us in these efforts: ICE, Water Keeper and Estación de Montezuma, among others. We invite all to collaborate with us, to enjoy a fun filled morning with school friends and community partners and to do your part to care for our beautiful, local beaches.
Farm to Table:
Farm to Table is an initiative Futuro Verde strives to achieve. Each year, our students of all ages work with farmers and individuals committed to sustainability in our community, with our school environmental education teacher and in their science classes in order to explore different ways to make our school more sustainable. As budget and weather permits, our students engage in vegetable, fruit and chicken farming in order to make a direct connection to the food that can be grown and produced in our own school yard.
Environmental Education Blog
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