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Environmental issues are at the heart of global concerns today. Aware of our role as a transmitter, we wish to raise awareness and enable children to engage in an eco-citizen approach from an early age. This year, the school is making a long-term commitment to sustainable development by joining the Eco-Ecole program.

On the way to get the Eco-Ecole label

• What is the Eco-Ecole project?

At École M, raising our students' awareness of sustainable development, ecology, environmental preservation, recycling and eco-gestures is a priority so that they become aware of their impact on the planet from an early age and become eco-citizens. We have decided to support our environmental approach by joining the Eco-Ecole program, an international program of education for sustainable development (ESD), supported by the French Ministry of Education.

As early as October 2019, with the help of parents, we are committed to becoming a clean and responsible school.

Our objective is to firmly and lastingly engage all the actors of our preschool in sustainable development: children and teachers, management, staff and parents, as well as all our partners. Together, we wish to be actors of the ecological transition and to transmit to our students sustainable citizenship values in terms of ecology. Issued by the association Teragir, the Eco-Ecole label seems to us the most suitable approach to meet the 17 sustainable development objectives set by the UN in the framework of Agenda 2030.

• Our school project for the 2019-2020 school year: waste

As part of our sustainable approach, this year we have collectively chosen the theme of waste. After a diagnosis of the current state of our school in the 19e with volunteer parents and the teaching team, the steering committee met three times to set up and follow up an action plan to improve the ecological footprint of école M and its community.

Since January 2020, we have:

• Purchased waste recycling bins and set up waste sorting rules including the recycling of organic waste in the classrooms and in the school kitchen area.

• Defined the school's sustainable development policy, which details the rules and eco-gestures to be applied within the school and at home.

• Trained our team in ecology and sustainable development rules.

• Carried out pedagogical sequences around the theme of waste with the children.

As soon as confinement ends, we will organize two events around the theme of waste. The first event will take place on Friday, June 5, 2020: the entire school's community will be invited to pick up waste with the children on Allée Darius Milhaud.

Later in the year, as every year, we plan to organize a picnic before the summer holidays. This year, we have decided to challenge the families who will have to bring with them a Zero Waste meal, i.e. without any disposable packaging. These days will be organized by the teaching team in close collaboration with the children and their families.

Ecole M: a clean and committed educational community

In order to be able to coordinate our actions within all école M schools, we have defined a common sustainable development policy for all of them. This policy will be applied to all the parties involved in the schools and will evolve over time in line with advances in the field of ecology.

Our sustainable development policy was drafted by representatives of the educational community of the école M, who drew inspiration from current best practices (especially from the Guide des Familles de France, EDF gestes éco-citoyens à l'école, les explorateurs de l'énergie).

For a concrete action, we have grouped together the good practices called "Ecogestures" to be applied on a daily basis by children, teachers, parents and the school management within the school. These eco-gestures can and must also be applied at home!

• Save water by washing your hands.

• Finish your plate at noon to avoid food waste.

• Use scrap paper to do the different activities.

• Sort the class rubbish into the different coloured bins.

• Respect the vegetation in the park during and outside school time.

Our environmental approach will evolve according to the different projects.

Convinced of the infinite potential of children, at école M, we transmit daily knowledge and values that can enable everyone to be an actor and committed to the ecological transition. Through the Eco-Ecole program and thanks to the commitment of all the project's actors, many changes have been made this year and new initiatives will emerge in the years to come!

"Unleash the child's potential and you will transform the world with them. Maria Montessori