The welcome event for the new academic year is a space for acknowledging the educational world's commitment to the city's challenges in terms of environment, sustainability, and climate change.
The More Sustainable Schools programme, which this year reaches its 23rd edition, has today started the 2023-2024 academic year with the opening ceremony that takes place annually at the Saló de Cent in the Barcelona City Council.
A total of 381 educational centres in the city are part of the programme, which actively involves students in improving the sustainability of their school through projects on climate emergency, sustainable food, biodiversity, ecological gardens, composting, sustainable mobility, air and sound quality, responsible consumption, water and energy saving, among others.
This year, 14 centres are joining the More Sustainable Schools, and 35 are starting or renewing a three-year project. Over the 23 years of its journey, 510 educational centres have participated, representing more than 70% of the city’s centres.
This year, one of the key themes is drought, water saving, and decarbonisation as a tool to reduce greenhouse gases, challenges that the More Sustainable Barcelona Network has also set as common goals with different city agents, and educational centres.
Marta Villanueva, Councillor for Health, People with Disabilities, and Strategy against Loneliness, has emphasised that the fight against climate change must be carried out in the city and schools. Moreover, she has addressed the children to recognise their commitment and dedication.
Academic Year 2023-2024
For the first time, the program includes the initiative “Renew Your Clothes at School,” which aims to promote exchange spaces in educational centres to give use to clothes as a tool to reduce waste. There is also a desire to boost the “Cradles for Climate” strategy with new resources and training for Municipal Nursery Schools.
The centres participating in the programme develop a transformation project to improve sustainability at the school and its surroundings with the direct participation of the students and teaching staff, from diagnosis and exploration of problems to the development of improvement proposals, execution of specific actions, and evaluation of what has been done. In this context, 63 training sessions were held with more than a thousand participants last year.
The More Sustainable Schools are part of the More Sustainable Barcelona Network, which brings together 2,000 organisations, businesses, entities, shops, and citizens to extend the culture of sustainability throughout the city.