Cinco escuelas de Zaragoza participarán en programa de renovación de patios

The Zaragoza City Council will intervene this year in the depths of five schools in the city as part of the «Adapt Terrace» program. This initiative, which started last year as a pilot project in two schools, has expanded this year to five centers in special education and has a total budget of 250,000 euros.

The list of selected centers, chosen by a jury composed of technical representatives from the environmental office, climate action, and public health, as well as two representatives from Cermi, was made public this afternoon during an informative day where specialists also discussed renal issues and the fight against climate change.

The winning centers are Ceip Domingo Miral and Ceip Joaquín Costa; in category B, Ceip Marcos Frechín and Ceip Emilio Moreno Calvete; and in category C, Cee’s Albrada. This year, there were a total of 63 applications from 15 different districts and 3 rural districts.

Tatiana Gaudes, the Municipal Minister of the Environment and Mobility, mentioned «the municipal commitment to create more friendly and healthy spaces throughout the city, including schools. This is another line of action in the city’s naturalization strategy that we promote and the municipal plan to adapt to climate change.»

To select the five centers where the environment and mobility department will intervene, a public call was launched that, as a novelty, included a new category specifically for special education centers due to the individuals they serve.

Three ways have been established to ensure equity and allow different types of centers to participate in the program. Two public schools considered «vulnerable» were selected based on climate and social criteria and for not having any projects to adapt their premises under category B.

For example, criteria included being located in a particularly hot area in the urban grid, the student profile, or the lack of vegetation in and around the center.

Two other public schools were selected based on having a specific need or project for their terrace, with defined goals and proposals, and not having received funding from another institution or entity to carry it out.

To assist in carrying out the projects, schools were provided with tables of tree species and shrub elements, shade or sidewalk options, installation or planting costs, and maintenance, among other aspects.

Now, following the selection process, the Municipal Office of Environment, Climate, and Public Health Action will collaborate with the Centers to identify needs and solutions or adapt the project accordingly.

For this purpose, each school will have a steering group composed of the management team, the Parent-Teacher Association (AMPA), and non-teaching staff who will carry out the intervention. This process will be participatory to involve the entire educational community in the project.

The goal, as explained by Gaudes, is to «start work in July, taking advantage of the school holidays, although plantings will likely take place in winter when vegetative growth is more suitable.»

These five new schools will be added to CEIP Hispanidad and Ceip José María Mir, whose premises were transformed earlier this year.

In both cases, the actions incorporated nature-based solutions, using sustainable and low-impact materials that benefit not only the educational community but also the environment. This includes not only vegetation but also permeable sidewalks, wood, sand, and floaters.

FUENTE