Primary School No. 195 in Warsaw is a place where rainwater is collected, concrete is crushed and vegetables are grown. All this to educate and counteract climate change.
How it all started
It all started with an idea from people from the Sendzimir Foundation, which works for an ecologically conscious civil society. The Foundation decided to cooperate with the Wawer District Office in Warsaw and PS Paaby Process - Edu_Action from Norway and started the implementation of a two-year project in January 2022. The aim of this project is to deepen the knowledge of students and teachers about the effects of climate change and methods of adaptation to them.
Workshops with young people (photo: Tomasz Kaczor)
From concrete to rain garden
The project is called "Climate-friendly school" and is implemented at Primary School No. 195. in Warsaw. All project activities are consulted with students, teachers and parents.
In March and April 2022, the first workshops for school teachers were held to introduce the project. Then - in April and May - the entire school community was consulted on what the area around the building should look like, and then the design of the green educational path began. Finally, on October 28, 2023, the path was officially opened. The picnic organized on this occasion included many attractions, and the highlight of the program was a debate with the participation of Jacek and Kasia Sienkiewicz from the Kwiat Jabłoni music band.
Ultimately, a total of 45 structures were built around the school, including rain gardens in containers and in the ground, flower meadows, green walls and pocket parks. Previously, there was just a huge concrete square in front of this facility.
Educational picnic at primary school no. 195 (photo: Tomasz Kaczor)
Why all this?
This project is important for several reasons.
First, the educational aspect is crucial. The school community learns about climate change and how to counteract it, as well as the importance of blue and green infrastructure (i.e. water and green spaces). Moreover, it is not only about students of this specific primary school. The area of this school can be used to educate students of other Warsaw schools.
Secondly, the Sendzimir Foundation, which is implementing the project, hopes that other Polish schools will be inspired by the example of Primary School No. 195 in Warsaw. Therefore, in February and March 2024, it plans to develop educational publications and launch a training program for teachers from all over Poland to promote the introduction of ecological solutions in schools. The training program will consist of a monthly e-learning course and stationary workshops.
Thirdly, Wawer is the largest district of Warsaw. Flooding often occurs here as a result of heavy rainfall. The project is intended to solve the problem of flash floods in the areas adjacent to the school.
The special guest of the educational picnic at primary school no. 195 was the Kwiat Jabłoni band (photo: Tomasz Kaczor)
Natural air-conditioning
Finally, let's give the floor to Prof. Tomasz Bergier from the AGH University of Kraków and the Sendzimir Foundation, who shows in a figurative way how important trees are for the climate.
"An adult tree is able to evaporate 600-800 liters of water per day. And that is why, among other things, a tree is the best municipal employee - it works for free, without breaks and does a job that would be difficult to do technically" - this is the statement of prof. Tomasz Bergier can be found on the project website.
Trees cool us on warm days. On the one hand, they simply provide shade, and on the other hand, they cool the air by evaporating the water they pump from the ground. They are like air conditioning, only natural. Cities full of concrete would not be able to live without trees. Each of us can appeal to local authorities to green our surroundings.
The project was co-financed with over 478,000. euro from the EEA and Norway Grants under the Environment, Energy and Climate Change programme implemented by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
Visit project website.
Participants of the educational picnic at primary school no. 195 (photo: Tomasz Kaczor)