Everything we do during our life has to do with the experiences we bring from our childhood or we situations which we are involved.
I am of the generation that traded old aluminum pans for chicks or lollipops, erasead the books for the younger brother use it next year. Coca-Cola in the 70's was taken only on Sunday accompanied by pasta and the bottle was glass! Indeed, at that time, nobody knew what it was a plastic bottle.
Time passed and much has changed even our habits, we take a lot more soda and we consume more products. Those "90 milion in stock" as sung here in Brazil in the 70's, nowadays are around 190 milion people who consume products and produce too much garbage.
The increasing population and changing habits has caused some problems. One is that the recyclables end up in bringing many environmental problems. The most common are blockages of culverts and ditches, water pollution and spread of diseases.
Some time ago, some biologists also noted that the death of some marine animals off by asphyxiation due to ingestion of plastic bags.
And that garbage has to do with students that go throught my life?
It was to answer this question that started in 2006 the Project Viva-Verde with students of infant education at the Municipal School Jardim Rio da Granja, in Bertioga City, northern coast of São Paulo in Brazil.
The city is composed of 85% of the Mata Atlantica. It is an area with very rich biodiversity, a nursery of various species of fauna and flora. One of the rivers passing through the city is Itapanhau River, surrounded by mangrove areas.
Despite all the natural beauty, the School was located in place lacking in resources. There was lacking basic sanitation services health care and community centers that would allow children acess to culture, sport and leisure.
That year during the environmental study with children of infant education, together with a teacher Cristina dos Santos, noticed the presence of too much garbage on the streets, in the mangrove area and the Itapanhau River. There was glass and plastic bottles, milks cartons, plastic bags etc..The scene was shocking!
When I returned to the room, intentionally I tell the history O Menino Que Quase Morreu Afogado No Lixo (The Boy Who Died Almost Drowned In Garbage), written by Ruth Rocha. We made the oral interpretation along with children and think of some actions that the domiciliary recyclables were not stopping the local environment. One of these actions was that the recyclables were taken to School clean and separated for resale. Conclusion: in that year, we avoid that 487kg of recyclable materials to end up in the environment.
In 2007 due to this action, I did the inscription of Project Viva-Verde in the Concurso Cosipa Boas Ideias e Boas Ações (Contest Cosipa Good Ideas and Good Actions) in Category Social Conscience which received the 1st place.
Later this year, Project Viva-Verde gained force, because students from other rooms started to bring reciclable materials. There were more than 10 classrooms involved. We avoid that 3.983 kg of recyclable materials domiciliary or almost 4 tons would stop in the city dump or in the local environment. The sale of reciclable materials gave us about US $ 250,00.
I developed with my students teaching activities in the areas of oral and written language, mathematics, history, science, geography, art and music.
In December, I did the "Feira Ambiental" (Environmental Fair), a kind of small market with food, toys and clothes. There the children used their credits acquired with the exchanges of recyclable materials and they could make their purchases.
In 2008, Project Viva-Verde has been expanded. I started making composting plant, with the remmants of food for school meals and the vegetable garden so the children could observe the development os plants and the decomposition of remains of food and understand that the remains of food decompose more easily the recyclables. We avoid that 4.500kg recyclable materials to end up in the environment.
That same year I entered the Project Viva-Verde in Prêmio Ecopet (Ecopet Prize) of ABIPET (Brazilian Association of PET) in the Category Environmental Education and it got the 1st place and Prêmio Professores do Brasil - MEC ( Prize Teachers of Brazil) 3rd edition in Category Early Childhood Education to which was selected among the eight best experiences of Brazil.
Trophy Prize ECOPET
Trophy Prize Teachers of Brazil
In 2009, Project Viva-Verde was developed in School Municipal Vereador Afonso Nunes (classroom attached at the State School Philomena Cardoso) in the city of Guarujá, south coast of São Paulo, in the area of Canal do Estuário, left margin of the Porto de Santos with the students of 1º ano A and were avoided that 789kg of recyclable materials to end up in the environment.
In 2010, Project Viva-Verde was developed with the 1º ano C, in the Municipal School Herbert Henry Dow in Guarujá.
In August, I was invited by the team responsible for Patrimônio Ecologia to record a television commercial about the Project Viva-Verde that was airing on TV Tribuna de Comunicações for approximatily 15 days.
In December of 2010, we realized the V Feira Ambiental do Projeto Viva-Verde (V Environmental Fair Project Viva-Verde) where the children could make their shopping with credit cards "Caranguejo's Card" ("Crab's Card") and still avoid that 400kg of recyclable materials domiciliary to end up in the environment.
Iam grateful that the Creator put in our minds ideas that can make a difference in our life, in the life other people and the planet!
If you want you can follow the green footprints of Project Viva-Verde, we will be very happy for you to join us!!!
Sueli Silva Souza and Collaborators
In construction...
