Brazil unveils program to boost green education

Brazil’s Ministry of Environment launched today (14) the Escolas +Verdes program, aimed at promoting environmental initiatives in schools, such as waste separation and treatment, recycling, reverse logistics, reuse and efficiency in water use, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. The plan will be implemented in two stages, with investments adding up to some BRL 300 million.

Escolas +Verdes is carried out in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Education. The decree outlining the program and the criteria for the projects was signed Wednesday by the Environment Minister Joaquim Leite and Education Minister Victor Godoy. The first public notice will select 200 schools to join the initiative and already been published.

In the first stage, BRL 100 million should be allocated for the installation of digesters in public schools, enabling the production of biogas from organic waste. The digester is an equipment that produces liquid bio-fertilizer, in addition to bio-gas.

“Thus, peels, seeds, fruit bagasse, and vegetable waste are no longer sent off as regular waste. Instead, they generate the fuel used to prepare school meals, which makes the purchase of bottles redundant,” the note from the Environment Ministry reads. The equipment can also be used in sewage treatment in schools lacking in basic sanitation.

For the second phase of the program, BRL 200 million is expected to cover further sustainable initiatives.

Public or private schools that adopt sustainability practices will also be able to request the initiative's special seal. “The certification is a recognition from the Ministry of the Environment and another way to stimulate environmental education inside and outside the classroom,” the statement adds.