On August 30th, ICLEI South America, in partnership with the City Hall of Canoas, awarded the "Canary of the Earth" seal to 8 schools, as part of the Sustainable Schools Certification Program in Canoas.

About the Certification Program

The Certification Program is an initiative that inspires and recognizes sustainable practices in schools, attesting to good practices and innovations in sustainability at four levels of complexity. Its approach is based on the integration of all school stakeholders and the inclusion of all areas susceptible to change with an impact on the local community. The Program unfolds in four certification phases, each representing a significant step forward in the schools' journey towards sustainability in the short, medium, and long term. Below, we present the four certification seals:

About the Event

The closing event of the first phase of the Certification Program was marked by the certification of eight schools with the "Canary of the Earth" seal. This seal symbolizes the schools' commitment to taking the first steps towards Sustainable School Certification. It represents the enthusiasm to achieve numerous possibilities, even with limited resources, drawing inspiration from the resilient nature of the canary of the earth.

The eight schools certified in this phase are:

• EMEF Arthur Pereira de Vargas;
• EMEF Jacobi Longoni;
• EMEF Nelson Paim Terra;
• Paulo Freire Elementary School;
• EMEF Rio Grande do Sul;
• EMEF Santos Dumont;
• EMEF Sete de Setembro;
• EMEF Thiago Wurth.

The Sustainable Schools Certification project has had an implementation trajectory that unfolded over time, culminating in this closing event for the first phase.

In this initial phase of the program, we can highlight the following numbers and statistics:

8 highly engaged schools;

7 models and support materials provided to schools;

More than 76 documents produced by the schools;

63 people involved in the schools' sustainability committees;

A total of 99 planned sustainability actions.

During the event, a space was reserved for schools to express their perspectives and experiences. One of the testimonies that stood out was given by Fernando Lazzaretti, director of the EMEF Rio Grande do Sul school: “Sustainability has ceased to be a topic of the future and has become a matter of urgency. And we, schools, were and are agents of this change in thinking. Addressing sustainability and giving it due importance is our role as citizens, but especially as educators.”.

The event was attended by participants including Jairo Jorge, Mayor of Canoas; Beth Colombo, Secretary of Education of Canoas; Bernardo Carron, Secretary of the Environment of Canoas; and representatives from the schools' sustainability committees. In addition, representatives from ICLEI South America were also present: Armelle Cibaka, Coordinator of Planning, Management and Knowledge, and Marcus Soares, Knowledge Management Assistant, who emphasized our commitment to building a more sustainable future.

The Sustainable Schools Certification Program is part of ICLEI South America's strategy to contribute to the training of future leaders through the engagement of youth and the school community, encouraging practices related to circular development, low carbon emissions, prioritizing nature-based solutions and presenting elements of resilience, always focusing on improving people's quality of life.

Your city can also participate in this movement! Contact our team: [email protected]