Learning with Nature

Saving raw materials and energy and regenerating natural resources are keystones of the National Strategy for Environmental Education, namely its thematic axis of the Circular Economy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

With this assumption, LPN, through its Training Center and in partnership with SPEA - Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, organized a training course for teachers on Circular Economy - Learning from Nature, which highlighted the role that composting and vermicomposting have in improving soil and combating Climate Change.

Given the growing amount of organic waste produced and the need to recycle it, the action had as trainers teachers seconded by LPN and SPEA, who shared motivating and differentiated teaching strategies. The increase in the practice of home composting and vermicomposting at school, in addition to being one of the processes of waste reduction, promotes soil recovery and represents one of the strategies for increasing carbon in soils because the application of organic waste (manure, compost and vermicompost) enables an increase in organic matter and increased soil fertility.

Vermicomposting allows the increase of biodiversity in the soil and allows the design of a process that not only prevents the formation of waste, but also reduces the pollution of the natural system. The Circular Economy is a very pertinent theme and home composting and vermicomposting has an easy applicability being motivating and facilitating learning.

The training session was attended by teachers, other education and environment technicians, and people interested in the subject, enabling participation and interaction among the participants.

After the training course, participants were surveyed, and 78.3% considered it excellent and 21.7% considered it very good, which showed a high level of satisfaction and drives us increasingly to actions that encourage the development and practical experimentation of solutions leading to the valorization of soil and waste, contributing to the improvement of educational practices and compliance with national and European Union targets.