“5 Days, 5 Changes”

“5 Days, 5 Changes” Campaign to Meet New EU Energy Targets

Preparing each student to become a global citizen who can shape the world is put to the test in no better way at the moment than with the pressing global need to reduce energy consumption, to save the planet. Along with all Eco-School Councils in Globeducate schools in 10 countries, our students have launched a mission to help conserve energy by changing behaviour in seven simple steps – and everyone is invited to join in, at school and at home.

Agora Portals International School is a proud member of Globeducate and shares the group´s commitment to addressing the United Nations sustainable development goals. With the hope of reaching carbon neutral status by 2050, the EU has set a new target of 19c maximum heat.

Students across the year groups in our school are going to make seven positive changes over seven days of the week. Together, we will work on the challenge of conserving energy so that we can leave a lasting positive impact.

From Pre-School to Sixth Form, students and teachers, everyone will be set the challenge of conserving energy so that we can leave a lasting positive carbon footprint.

Eva Letzerich from first of IB, a member of the Agora Portals International School Eco-Committee , said: “I am very proud that our school promotes this type of campaign, I have been in the environmental committee since it started three years ago, we were already promoting responsible energy consumption. Now that it is being done globally is great. They are such simple actions, it doesn’t cost anything, and if everyone does a little bit the total sum will be greater. We have asked our primary students to make a play list with songs that last, no more than 4 minutes, to listen while showering, to promote shorter showers!”

What are we going to change?

• Monday – Switch games consoles and devices to energy-saving mode!
• Tuesday – Unplug fully charged devices!
• Wednesday – Switch off lights!
• Thursday – Have a shorter shower and turn off taps!
• Friday – Play traditional games as well

Eco-School Coordinator Teacher Natalie Solà said, “Responsible consumption, in all aspects, has always been one of our messages from the Eco-School’s environmental committee and it is wonderful to see how many of our students are already integrating it, although we still have a long way to go. And this campaign is a great opportunity to expand our message. Our high school students have self-evaluated their habits with an Eco Energy Audit, which has made them think about some of their actions. In addition to a mural with paper mills to promote the use of renewable energies.”

Monica Fontán, Assistant Education Director and Eco-Schools Lead, said: “Our students  have demonstrated their commitment to tackling climate change and to conserving the environment through their amazing efforts in their Eco-Schools action plans and how they have worked with their peers and their school communities to educate and inspire them. The sense of urgency that is felt by many since our involvement, through WWF-UK, in COP 26 in Scotland last year, has prompted this call for immediate action.”

About Ecoschools

Agora Portals School obtained the Eco-School certification in 2022. It all started, like almost everything, with a small action, the reading of a text about the excess of single-use plastics, during a Catalan class with Srta Yern. From there it spread like wildfire, along with her colleague and biology teacher Miss Solà. Between the two of them they started the green revolution of the school, involving more and more classes and thanks to the support of the school management they have been able to do great things.

Our first goal was to raise awareness of the importance of our actions, and the effect they have on everything around us, especially on the environment, every action has a reaction.

Responsible consumption at all levels, promoting a model of sustainable development, one that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future ones to meet theirs.

The reduction of waste has been carried out at various levels, installing garbage cans for proper recycling, the weighing of these wastes by classroom, in kindergarten and primary school it is mandatory to bring snacks in a Tupper and water in reusable bottles.

We try to make our excursions “zero waste”, one of the three that we do throughout our academic year includes a beach clean-up, closely linked to our educational project – Agora Posidonia Experience – and the creation of our Sea Classroom in 2021. This classroom aims to bring the whole community closer to this precious environment, the sea, to raise awareness of its fragility, the importance of its care and conservation. The sea is life and without it we would not be here.

We want our students to leave with a good environmental education to ensure a better future.