Today, January 26, we join the celebration of World Environmental Education Day. At the Water School, we believe in the importance of environmental education to build a better future, and on this significant day we want to reflect with Eire Ruiz, environmental education coordinator, about our commitment to the well-being of the environment through education environmental.

 

Eire, How would you describe the importance of environmental education in the mission of the Water School?

Environmental education is essential for accompany and guide people in the challenges that climate change and pollution they are presenting. Furthermore, it is part of our purpose, promoting the group's commitment to become a benchmark in ecological transformation. At Escuela del Agua, we not only seek to transmit knowledge, but also inspire people to know and connect with their environment. It is an essential tool for form conscious and responsible citizens with their environment and its preservation. In general, we carry out pedagogical work with impactful, significant and transformative experiences.

As you mention, the Water School actively participates in various environmental education programs. What are they and in what different contexts do they intervene?

Diversity is the key. The Water School actively participates in different environmental education programs that cover a wide variety of contexts, with programs, activities, informative campaigns and museum projects that we carry out in facilities, treatment plants, educational centers, in nature or from the other. side of the screen we raise awareness and sensitize citizens. Currently, we have programs in place for different audiences (schoolchildren, general citizens, professionals...), in different places, with different themes (comprehensive water cycle, biodiversity, protection of natural resources and climate change) and methodologies but Our objective remains the same, to serve as a tool for change in the current environmental situation.

Since 2014 through Aqualogy program, which we update with the latest trends, AGBAR makes a teaching tool available to the educational community with activities that bring the water cycle and awareness of environmental problems closer. We carry it out throughout the territory and every year more than 7,000 schoolchildren participate.

In Logroño every weekend you can find us in La Grajera, managing the teaching classroom of the Logroño City Council, where we carry out environmental education workshops with guided tours to learn more about biodiversity, the challenges and the solutions we can provide. 

A little further north in Artikutza within the Artikutza Natura program of the San Sebastián City Council We tour the forests and valleys and cross the rivers and regattas to better understand the importance of conserving natural spaces. We also tour the rest of Navarra with the NILSA educational program, visiting water treatment plants, ideal places to convey to schoolchildren the importance of protecting water, a resource that increasingly presents more challenges. 

We also carry out other programs, master's and postgraduate degrees, activities, informative campaigns and museum projects for environmental education, as well as sessions with professionals in the sector. In the last 10 years, more than 230,000 people have participated in one of the programs!

Eire, How would you encourage people to take those small steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle?

The first thing is finding the motivation, the reason why we must reduce our impact, that is what will make the difference. From there, setting goals and achieving objectives is easier. Start with small daily actions and gradually include sustainability criteria in all fields. From reducing daily water consumption to supporting local initiatives. Every small gesture adds up and helps build a more sustainable future for our planet. It's about adopting conscious habits that, over time, become powerful tools.

In summary, the Water School is proud of its commitment to environmental education, reflected in programs such as Aqualogy, the Grajera Didactic Classroom, Artikutza Natura and the NILSA educational program. These initiatives aim to inspire thousands of people each year to understand and value the importance of preserving our environment. 

So now you know, join the green wave with the Water School and let's celebrate this special day together!