Schools promoting everyday 'green' lifestyles and strategies for all

Preserving the Environment of Europe - Now and in the Future' is a Comenius 1 project that Maria Regina Girls' Junior Lyceum, Blata l-Bajda, is co-ordinating with four other European schools, with the primary aim of making the school communities aware of the impact that individual lifestyles have on the environment and promoting environmental conservation strategies that anyone can follow in everyday situations.

The project has just completed its first year. Over the next two years, the schools will focus on implementing an energy conservation policy and undertake research on alternative renewable energy sources. Each school will also establish a nature conservation area.

During the past scholastic year the schools' science and art teachers have guided various clubs and activities related to this topic. As this year's final product, exhibitions were held at the schools featuring information and research findings about waste management and sculptures and crafts made out of reject materials.

The local school's overseas partners are Rugby High School in England, Paul Claudel College in France, 2nd Gymnasium of Kilkis in Greece and Zespol Szkol No. 1 in Poland. All the partner schools also run the EcoSchool programme.

Students and teachers from the partner schools held the second meeting from May 7 to 11 to evaluate the project's first year. The meeting was hosted by Paul Claudel College in Wassy, in the region of Haute-Marne.

The Maltese school's participation in these project meetings is made possible through funding allocated for mobility by the Maltese national Socrates agency under the European Union Comenius programme.

Concurrently, our head of school, Maria Debono, attended a headteachers' study visit to discuss four themes: the set-up of the national educational system in each country; the organisation and running of secondary schools; the teaching profession and teacher-training; the students' course of study and general school life.

Each head of school gave a presentation featuring an overview of these four themes in their respective countries, stressing topics that are central to the Comenius programme such as learning and practising foreign languages, and developing learning techniques that utilise ICT and environmental education across the curriculum. The school heads' conclusion was that the countries have more similarities than differences.

During our stay in France we also visited nearby Giffaumont, St Dizier and the Blaise Valley. This region offers unique natural environments, vast expanses of forest and rolling hillsides covered with crops and vineyards. Lake Der is a huge artificial lake, a veritable showcase of nature and a hosting sanctuary for hundreds of migratory birds. We also visited the city of Reims, renowned for its 13th century Gothic cathedral.

This project is of great benefit to the students. It is a learning experience outside the classroom environment. It enables them to meet their peers from foreign countries and experience a different way of life, especially since the students were living with local families. Undoubtedly, long-lasting links were created between students.