Klabin held two important meetings this week to commemorate the success of its initiatives in environmental education in the town of Telemaco Borba. On Tuesday the 8th of December the Caiubi Program, a partnership with the municipal secretary of education, held its end-of-year workshop with presentations of the projects and activities run by 33 teaching institutions throughout the year. Students from the 3rd Class of the Junior Green Force Program, an initiative run in conjunction with the Environmental Police of Parana, held their graduation ceremony on the evening of last Wednesday, 9th of December.
After a whole year dedicated to work, teachers and students from the 10 CMEI’s (Municipal Centers for Child Education) and the 23 schools from the municipal public network exchanged the results of their socioenvironmental projects at the 2009 Workshop of the Caiubi Program, held in the CAMA (Monte Alegre Athletic Club). Among those actions presented which deserve special mention are: cultivation of vegetable gardens in schools, handicraft workshops, activities involving selective waste collection, recycling and composting, accompanied visits to Klabin’s Ecological Park and the Tibagi River, as well as essays and drawings made by students and lectures given by partners on the importance of reducing waste and water and energy consumption.
According to Carlos Mendes, Klabin’s manager for forestry planning and research, an important goal of the workshop is to encourage integration among schools and an exchange of experiences. “Each school makes an important contribution to the fun, didactic way in which ecological concepts are divulged. The results shown make us very proud, since they prove that we are on the right track with our policy of exercising social responsibility in the communities where we operate”, says Mendes, in reference to Klabin’s Sustainability Policy.
Partnership is another vital element contributing to the success of the program, according to Claudia Maria da Cruz, Telemaco Borba’s secretary of education. “We plan environmental education actions within the pedagogical scope of the secretary and with the support of Klabin. That way, we achieve good learning results and bring up our children with a conservationist culture”, states Claudia. At the end of the event, the Leopoldo Mercer municipal school was drawn to take part in the next class of the Junior Green Force Program, which starts in March.
The graduation of the 3rd class of the Junior Green Force Program assembled about 120 people in the Casa de Cultura (Culture Center). Among those present were the secretary for the Environment and Water Sources, Rasca Rodrigues, who declared the event open, the vice-mayor of Telemaco Borba, Edemilson Pukanski, the municipal secretary of Employment and Standard Industry, Joalmir Pucci, Lieutenant-colonel Rosa Neto, commander of the Environmental Police Battalion of the State of Parana, Carlos Jose Mendes, Klabin’s manager for forestry planning and research, as well as other professionals from the company, friends and relatives of the 35 students.
The graduates of this class are students from Conselheiro Zacharias Municipal School, which was represented by its director Silvana Maria de Oliveira Bilik. They were presented their diplomas by Ivone Namikawa, Klabin’s coordinator for forestry R&D, quality and environment, and by Corporal Alexandre Ribas, from the Green Force Environmental Police battalion.
The Junior Green Force is a pioneer project to train environmental agents to disseminate ethical, civic, social and environmental concepts. Students get theoretical and practical training in nature conservation, environmental legislation, aspects of local fauna and flora, first aid, civism and morals. Members of the Green Force Environmental Police conduct practical activities in the community and can also count on Klabin’s Ecological Park for the classes of environmental education.
As environmental agents, the students can penalize violators in accordance with a “Notification of Environmental Infraction”, a make-believe fine which may be applied to anyone who commits small acts of aggression against the environment. “This is a fun way to show that any form of disrespect to nature should be penalized, since it causes damage to society as a whole. We believe in education to ensure that conscientious and well-informed citizens are being prepared and that we won´t need to apply this kind of penalty”, explains Lieutenant-colonel Rosa Neto.