School-Based Education on Natural Hazards, Human Impact and Earth’s Resources

With the desire to increase students' interest in the environment and to raise their awareness of the challenges that humanity must face, the "Vasile Conta" Secondary School in Iași implemented the "Be Smart, Be Green" project. It was an initiative that combined theoretical knowledge with practical activities in nature, project-based learning, data collection (mini scientific research), the development of posters and video materials.

It was a project with an interdisciplinary approach: geography, biology, fine arts, literature, technological education and which used a wide range of learning methods: project-based learning, experiential learning, community service learning, Design Thinking, etc.

Students worked in teams, learned to collaborate and cooperate, and had joint activities with parents and community members, thus bringing information related to environmental issues (resource consumption, climate change, natural hazards, biodiversity conservation, etc.) to the local community.

Among the activities with a very high impact on students were: Consumer Diary: students, together with their families, monitored the consumption of resources at home and proposed a reduction plan.

The Action Plan activity consisted of developing an action plan to reduce the consumption of resources in the school. After a meeting with the management team and an analysis of the school's resource consumption (paper, water, electricity, etc.), the students proposed and popularized concrete actions to reduce consumption in the school.

The Old Seasons activity aimed to raise awareness about climate change. The students conducted interviews with older members of the community about the seasons of the past. Thus, they managed to identify together the changes that global warming has brought to the local community. The conclusions of these interviews were expressed in the form of literary creations (essays, poems, etc.) collected in the book Nature in words.

A very complex activity was the development of the film What if...? Under the guidance of teachers, students analyzed weather websites that predict the evolution of global temperatures in the future and assumed what humanity would look like if society did not intervene proactively and anticipatory.

The Natural Disasters – Nowadays and Future Scenarios activity involved analyzing various natural disasters that occur today (landslides, floods, wildfires, etc.) and presenting them in the form of posters or simulations, but also imagining future disasters that may affect humanity as a result of climate change (melting of ice caps, rising sea levels, the disappearance of local communities in coastal areas, the disappearance of some plant and animal species).

The Natural Virtual Museum activity involved analyzing local biodiversity and identifying endangered plant and animal species. Students made films, posters or drawings to raise awareness about the need to protect them.

The students carried out selective collection campaigns in the local community, information and awareness campaigns about environmental issues (both in the community and online), because environmental protection, reducing resource consumption and a responsible attitude must be a permanent concern for everyone to ensure a sustainable future.