NEWS
Vendas Novas is "acting today for the future"
Published on the 8th of march 2017
The Inter-school Group of Vendas Novas (AEVN) is implementing the climate change adaptation and mitigation measures envisaged in the "Acting today for the future" project, winner of C category of the "Climate Change" contest organized by Clima@EduMedia project.
The school is applying the € 40,000 prize in three main objectives: to promote water saving, to provide thermal comfort in buildings and in the surrounding area, and to increase areas of infiltration into the soil.
Alcides Dias, a member of the Inter-School group's direction, said in an interview with Clima@EduMedia that "replacement of taps and showers for water saving is already concluded".35 non-mixer taps for cold water were installed, with a 6 to 15 second timer and a flow reduction to a maximum of 6 liters per minute; 14 shower taps; 34 sink faucets in kitchens, toilets and laboratories; 14 wall showers; and 46 flow reducers on installed faucets and showers. [see image gallery "Before and After"]
Alcides Dias, a member of the Inter-School group's direction, said in an interview with Clima@EduMedia that "replacement of taps and showers for water saving is already concluded".35 non-mixer taps for cold water were installed, with a 6 to 15 second timer and a flow reduction to a maximum of 6 liters per minute; 14 shower taps; 34 sink faucets in kitchens, toilets and laboratories; 14 wall showers; and 46 flow reducers on installed faucets and showers. [see image gallery "Before and After"]
It has also been planted "strategically selected vegetation to enhance thermal comfort in buildings and outdoor spaces". Among the selected species are cork oak (quercus suber), holm oak (Quercus ilex), Portuguese oak tree (Quercus faginea), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus') [see images gallery “Before and After”] Alcides Dias reveals that "more species were introduced than was anticipated in the initial project." "This change happenend to compensate the fact that it was not possible to install the irrigation system on the west side of Primary School No. 1, due to the existence of tree roots on the site" he explains. Students are the project reporters The next step will be to proceed with the intervention that will allow to increase the surface of permeable soil and the requalification of the waste space in the end to the west of the school headquarters of the Inter-School Group. Once the project is finished, will be followed by the phase of "dissemination of the results thorugh the Inter-School Group and County media. Students in one of the 12th grade classes are monitoring the implementation of the measures with multimedia journalistic work, continuing the work initiated by the colleagues who participated in the initial phase of the project and, meanwhile, have finished high school. These, even though they are no longer in school, "informally when they pass by, come in to observe at the implementation of the project, which is also theirs." In addition to the direct impact that the project results will continue to have on the school community, AEVN intends to organize regularly "sessions and activities to promote ecological behavior aimed at reducing consumption and promote concern with the problem of climate change," says Alcides Dias. The "Climate Change" school competition aimed precisely to put pupils and teachers from schools that took part in Climate@EduMedia project to think about the importance of mitigation and adaptation to climate change, challenging them to think of concrete measures to implement in their schools. The winners were announced in March 2016 and may implement the proposed measures until the end of March 2017. By: Isabel Pereira |