Students of Notre Dame Ipanema School in Brazil learn firsthand on the beach about marine life, ecosystem preservation, and the reality of environmental issues such as ocean pollution. The initiative is a part of the school’s innovative environmental education program.
Their school is located on the city’s tourist hot spot of Ipanema Beach and has just received a Blue School stamp from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This stamp of approval is given to programs globally with an aim to protect and sustain oceans.
With assistance from the Mar Urbano Institute, the school provides a variety of activities designed to create awareness among children of different ages about the importance of preserving urban beaches.
Students participate in interactive classes taught by marine biologists, cleanup activities, and studies on various sea creatures.
Director of Mar Urbano Institute, Ricardo Gomes, emphasized the program’s significance: “The main focus of this decade is the ocean. It is education, awareness. It is the formation of a generation that understands that we need the ocean to continue to exist as a species on this planet.”
One of the students, Maria Carolina Sampaio, shared her excitement about cleaning the beach: “I loved it because we cleaned up the rubbish on the beach and in the sea. The fish could eat the rubbish and die.”
Students were also intrigued by the artifacts and fossils brought by the educators. Student Arthur de Araujo Alves commented on a megalodon tooth he examined, “It’s the first time, and it was great.”
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