Regional Information: Positive effects of plants
Related matters in other countries
AUSTRIA
Various school greening schemes have been successfully implemented both indoors and outdoors, within the framework of projects such as GRÜNEzukunftSCHULEN in Austria. Furthermore, guidelines for the maintenance of greenery in schools, financing models, teaching materials and construction manuals have been developed.
The aim is to improve the quality of stay in school buildings, where children and young people spend most of their days, as well as the usability of school open spaces, in order to create a good teaching and learning atmosphere. The different types of greenery range from raised beds and vegetable / snack gardens, to green pergolas and vertical green walls indoors and outdoors. Check the images to see an example.
The joint planning, implementation and maintenance of greenery in schools makes it possible to build a bridge to the theoretical subjects taught and to connect them in the sense of active, understandable knowledge.
Experience shows that the commitment of the school management and teachers is essential for successful and sustainable school greening and thus long-lasting “greenness”. The pupils also play a central role in this. Involving them already in the planning and implementation phase motivates them to support the maintenance and to take the positive effects and experiences back to their personal environment.
GERMANY
Text here
SPAIN
In Spain, more and more schools are transforming their schoolyards.
Often, schools are hostile places, with hardly any nature. In these environments, any small intervention, such as planting a tree or creating a small garden, can bring a touch of nature fulfilling essential functions, such as producing oxygen, absorbing polluting particles, improving water drainage or improving the landscape.
The CSIC has published a guide for school greening through an educational project that aims to help improve schools through the creation of a sustainable and educational garden that involves the participation of students and the rest of the educational community.
This project is carried out through the didactic sessions described in the guide. Each session includes content and theoretical-practical activities to develop together with the students.
The chronological order of the sessions is the same as that used for the creation of a garden. The first step is to plan. This implies observing space in a critical way and making a joint reflection on it. After this step, we can decide which areas we want to green. It is time to work on the fundamental elements for plant life: soil and water. Subsequently, it is the time for the selection of species adapted to our climate (in general, Mediterranean) and their planting. Finally, we will work on the animal life that appears after the creation of a sustainable garden, the biodiversity of insects and birds that appear in the new space. Finally, a series of educational activities are proposed that will help not only the maintenance of the garden, but also strengthen the link of students towards the new space created.
All didactic sessions can be integrated into the Primary and Secondary school curriculum, respectively.
Source: http://libros.csic.es/product_info.php?products_id=1637
Country specific information
