State schools celebrate World Environment Day with actions for environmental awareness, youth leadership, and sustainable projects
Discussion circles on environmental themes, exhibitions of projects that combine technology and sustainability, and even an ecological parade engaged the school units of the network
To stimulate student leadership and broaden discussions on sustainability and climate, schools in the state public network of Pará carried out a series of educational activities in celebration of World Environment Day, celebrated this Thursday (5). The actions also aim to promote awareness both inside and outside the school environment.
As a reference in environmental education, the Joaquim Viana State Full-Time School, in Ananindeua, in the Metropolitan Region of Belém, organized a diverse program with lectures, discussion circles, photographic exhibitions, presentations of projects integrating technology and sustainability, as well as an ecological fashion show and debates on climate justice.
Professor Regianne Lopes, responsible for the Environmental Education subject, highlights the importance of practical actions that connect pedagogical content to students' daily lives.
“The purpose of this event is to bring everything we already work on here at the school, which is a reference for sustainability in the region. In our daily activities, we already work with recycled materials, reused oil, and supply our kitchen with ecological soap. The importance of this mobilization is that they [students] take this knowledge home, to the community. This is the idea, that is, to work on sustainability here so that they can reproduce it and take it into their lives. Our World Environment Day was very productive; we had huge projects, in the area of robotics we had the smart trash can, ecological fashion show, we talked about eco-anxiety, eco-finance, which, from the production of products made from recycled, reused materials, they made from jeans that would be thrown away and many others,” she reported.
Student Hélida Magno, from the 2nd year of high school, participated in the production of one of the dresses presented in the ecological fashion show, made from newspapers, cardboard, and other recyclable materials.
“This definitely encourages us to think about environmental causes because with recyclable products, we were able to see that we don’t need to buy many things from outside, spend a lot of money to make something beautiful and be aware of the environmental impacts of that. We used things that we recycled here from school, from home, and saw that it is possible to transform something that many people throw away into something very beautiful and even stylish,” she shared.
Environmental education throughout the network
Other schools in the state network also engaged in the celebrations. The Professor Maria Helena Valente Tavares State School, in the Industrial District of Ananindeua, held a fashion show with clothes made from recyclable materials and exhibitions of projects developed by students focused on sustainability.
In Belém, the Regional Education Directorate (DRE) Belém 6 promoted the “II Environmental Showcase” at the auditorium of the Professor Temístocles de Araújo State Full-Time School, in the Marambaia neighborhood. The three-day program included lectures, debates, and exhibitions of pedagogical practices that value the diversity of the Amazon in its biological, social, and cultural aspects. The showcase reinforced the environment as a fundamental human right and a legacy for future generations.
In the municipality of Santa Bárbara, the Dr. Pádua Costa State School carried out the action “Re-architecting the school space: sustainability and landscaping,” with workshops on producing ecological soap made from used cooking oil, environmental scavenger hunts, documentary screenings, discussion circles, and quizzes on climate and sustainability-related topics.
Mandatory curricular component
Since the first semester of 2024, the State Department of Education (Seduc) has implemented the Environmental Education curricular component as a mandatory subject at all stages of education in state schools. The measure is part of the Environmental Education, Sustainability, and Climate Policy and can also be adopted by municipalities.
The inclusion of the subject makes Pará a pioneering state in implementing a mandatory curricular content focused on sustainability. The initiative reinforces student engagement in strategic themes for the future of the region, especially with the approach of COP 30, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which will be held in Belém in November 2025.
