World Environmental Education Day is celebrated every year on the 26th of January and its main focus is to promote greater awareness of environmental protection, alerting to the need for common principles to provide society with inspiration and a way to preserve and improve our environment, for the benefit of present and future generations, thus contributing to a more sustainable future.
For this reason, the Environment department developed an awareness-raising action among the school community, with the aim of encouraging recycling habits, especially among the youngest.
This initiative counts on the collaboration of the Education Department, as it is part of the Municipal Educational Project and in Baião’s positioning strategy in the adoption of policies related to sustainability and environmental protection.
The distribution of “Ecobags” (waste separation bags) is being carried out in the three groups of schools in the municipality, as well as in Kindergartens.
Children and the school community in general were made aware of the importance of recycling, as well as the different aspects related to environmental protection, namely the collection of domestic monsters and building materials, two free door-to-door collection services provided by the Municipality of Baião.
The importance of separating batteries and used cooking oil was also mentioned, with the school community being sensitized to use the “oleões” and “pilhões” available in all parishes.
At school, the “Ecobags” facilitate the separation of waste to the ecopoints located next to the educational establishment, as well as simplify transport from home to the ecopoint. Each set consists of three bags for different types of waste: a bag for glass (green), another bag for paper and cardboard (blue) and a third for plastic and metal (yellow).
Examples of materials that can be produced from recycled waste were given.
In the grouping of schools in Vale de Ovil, Eco-escolas students collaborated in the delivery of Ecobags and presented a text that they prepared within the scope of the project.
Henrique Gaspar Ribeiro, councilor responsible for the Environment department, was present and said that “this awareness action aims, above all, to make young people aware that it is very important to recycle everything and everywhere.
As part of the certification process for Baião as a sustainable tourist destination, one of the lowest indicators is precisely the separation of waste and we have been working to increase the number of people who recycle, not only for reasons of sustainability and environmental protection, but also because the more people recycle, the lower the waste management service fee.
Therefore, we believe that it is very important to develop this type of awareness-raising action among the youngest so that they start separating waste from an early age and so that they can also be agents of awareness among their families”.
ECOBAGS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT PARISH COUNCILS
The awareness-raising action launched in the summer of 2022, in which the Municipality of Baião and the Parish Councils of the municipality collaborate in providing sets of “Ecobags” that can be collected by residents, is still ongoing.
Contact your parish council to pick up your set.
These bags were made available by the entity responsible for Resinorte’s Waste Collection system to the Environment department of Baião City Council.
As Baião is the first Portuguese municipality to be recognized as a Sustainable Tourist Destination, it is very important not to forget that we can and must always do more and better.
– Get the “Ecobags” at your Parish Council!
– Separate the residues and deposit them in Ecoponto!
– Contribute to make Baião an even Greener and More Sustainable Municipality!
#VerdeeonovoDestino
#GreenisthenewDestination
