School
Yuverta mavo Nederweert
WSA section
Building and operations
Involved
All students, school administration, Biology and Green teachers, municipality of Nederweert
Good Practice
From gray to green paradise: creating a green school environment.
Our school has transformed from a gray mavo to a mavo in green in just a few years. By doing! Not writing big plans and policies, but just starting, taking small steps and involving as many students, parents, local residents, vendors and teachers as possible in the various projects. We removed all the tiles and worked to create a green paradise with several wadis, a panna cage, ping pong table, outdoor classroom, an aviary and vegetable gardens. The rainwater that falls on the school building has since been drained on our own property and no longer enters the sewer system. During the realization we could also count on the help of the municipality of Nederweert, which subsidized the disconnection of the rainwater, and Waterklaar, which gave us advice in determining the various in- and exfiltration possibilities.
In the meantime, we have not been idle. For example, our greenhouse in green paradise houses a plant shelter and students grow sedum to create a green roof for the outdoor classroom. Recently, a local resident donated four mature sycamores (trees) to us. These will provide shade for the green paradise in the summer. In addition, several fruit trees will also be planted in the near future.
Undergraduate students take green subjects with us and are closely involved in the green paradise for maintenance, development and ideas. We also work with curriculum from Planet in Action. Outside of classes, we have an Eco-team that, despite the very sustainable nature of the school, still comes up with and implements good green ideas. During activity weeks, our Eco-team works with Global Exploration Foundation to organize various sustainable workshops, games and other activities.
Students enjoy being taught in the outdoor classroom when the weather permits, but just as much as they enjoy working on assignments at the picnic tables in the green paradise, of course, taking breaks and chilling outside is even more fun! Teachers experience the school as a pleasant workplace, applicants who visit this school for the first time are charmed by the environment, therefore there is no teacher shortage! It doesn't hurt anyone to be confronted with greenery, and most of the teachers and students even find it very pleasant.
Benefits of a green school environment:
- Encourage more outdoor time: green schoolyards can have a positive effect on problems such as lack of exercise and concentration. Both students and staff enjoy getting outside more.
- Water storage: greening the schoolyard makes the neighborhood less vulnerable to extreme precipitation. Run-off rainwater no longer ends up in the sewer but in the immediate environment. Runoff rainwater should preferably end up locally in the environment and not in the sewer because it is clean water.
- Cooling: our green paradise also contributes to the heat resistance of the environment. The temperature in the city is up to 10 degrees higher than outside because of the petrified environment. Well-chosen greenery provides cooling and natural shade on hot days. The right tree in the right place protects against too much sunlight in summer. Under the crown of a tree, the temperature is up to 15 degrees lower than a little further away.
- Biodiversity: in our green paradise, birds, butterflies, aquatic animals and numerous insects find their food and shelter. With the right choice of flowers and plants, animals come naturally. The more variety in plants and shrubs, the more nature and the environment are also helped. This in turn increases biodiversity in the environment.
Stay tuned!
The green school environment of Yuverta mavo Nederweert is one of the good practices of the SustainaBul VO. Do you also want to take sustainable steps at your school? Join the SustainaBul VO network via the website or contact project manager Eline Koopman. Stay updated on learning for sustainable development in secondary education? Sign up for the network VO voor Morgen!
