The Bilbao district public school library in Bogota, Colombia, joined together with the school’s science teachers to develop an environmental education programme for children. Over the past two years, more than 1,200 students have participated in the library’s age-appropriate workshops, which are tailored to increase the students’ environmental and recycling awareness.
In February 2017, librarian Angela Guzmán Cardona began the programme’s development. Angela was inspired by both the Colombian government’s environmental policies and the goal of the natural science teachers to develop a recycling culture at their school.
The first step was to transform the library’s space into a greener and more accessible place for children. By collecting and reusing materials like old polystyrene, wires, and newspapers, the librarian built a tree in the middle of the library. The science teachers donated the polystyrene spheres they used in chemistry classes, which became the fruit of the tree.
To encourage children’s interaction, a recycling bin called“Chimarrufio the frog” became a physical representation of the library’s environmental program and commitment to social responsibility. Chimarrufio eats only recycled paper and plastic, and takes care of the environment by sleeping at lunchtime and asking the lights to be turned off to save energy.
Every year in August, the Bilbao School children participate in a week of special activities aimed at increasing environmental awareness. During this week, the library offers environmentally-focused workshops where students make handicrafts from recycled materials and create things like little robots from used yoghurt cups or flowers from disposable plastic spoons. These activities serve a dual purpose as they reuse waste coming from the school’s cafeteria.
These handicraft creations become part of a large gallery exhibition called “Recycling Culture” which is open to the school’s children and their parents. One of the students expressed his appreciation for the art exhibit: “In our school, we never had a gallery as pretty as this.”
One of the school’s science teachers, Lilia Sanchez Brochero, identified the benefits of this collaborative project: “We continue working with the library in organising workshops to raise awareness about the reusable materials not only among our children but also their parents. We involve them in events, and they help with providing materials for the workshop. The workshops have a positive impact on changing the attitudes and understanding of recycling, and we invite everyone to join us in this effort.”
The Library’s environmental workshops have become an integral part of the school’s curriculum and continue to contribute to improving students’ environmental literacy.
