ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS
We reinforce ecological awareness in the community by setting an example, based on fundamental principles that respect all forms of life. We encourage good environmental practices in all our activities to reduce their impact on our small planet.
"Seeing the excitement in the children's eyes as they discover the secrets of the life that inhabit the School, is one of the most moving experiences I have had while sponsoring the environmental education. It has also been an eye opener to witness their fears and anxieties in the face of growing environmental issues. Supporting them by setting an example helps them to deal with these emotions. We sow the seed of ecological awareness, and try to help them discover their own way of caring for our small planet. LIkewise, to understand that everything is interconnected and to help them to find their role as agents of change; and to recognise that we still have time to act with respect and love for life, so that the fears of today do not become the reality of tomorrow."
Ana María Acosta-Environmental Consultant
Ecological Committee
This is the School's advisory body on environmental matters. It is made up of pupils (1st - 11th grade) who voluntarily apply each year to be on this committee.
Ecological Committee Projects
We are a Nature Reserve
The St. George's School is a Nature Reserve affiliated to RESNATUR (Asociación Red Colombiana de Reservas Naturales de la Sociedad Civil).
Our reserve consists of a savannah wetland with a lake (approximately one hectare), which is home to many species of birds, fish, frogs, algae, among others. The wetland provides us with services such as air and water purification and beautifies our environment, contributing to the well-being of the whole community. We are able to enjoy large areas of high Andean forest and gardens that provide food and shelter for many species of flora and fauna. We have identified 208 species of plants, half of them native, and 50 species of birds, including endemic, local and migratory species.
Get to know the species of flora and fauna of the School in our book:
La Argentina Nature Reserve
The School has a conservation project in the area of the Colombian Massif, in the Serranía de Minas, in the south-west of the department of Hulia, in the municipality of La Argentina. This reserve covers an area of approximately 400 hectares and is of ecological value because the Andean and Orinoco ecosystems merge here.
By monitoring the biodiversity, we have detected hundreds of bird species divided into 15 main groups. Using camera traps, tracking footprints and interviews with the community, we have also detected the presence of 15 species of mammals, including spectacled bears and pumas.
The forest in this reserve provides many benefits such as the uptake of carbon dioxide and the release of oxygen into the atmosphere, water regulation, maintenance of biodiversity, soil cover, and even medicinal plants.
PRAE-School Environmental Project
We are fully committed to environmental education that is an essential principle to be instilled in our pupils.
The environmental education carried out at the School is structured by PRAE and is focused on 5 main areas:
- Biodiversity
- Waste management
- Management and sustainable use of resources
- Health and Environment
- Environmental Education
COP in Bogotá
This project organised by 9th, 10th and 11th grade pupils, seeks to bring young people closer to international climate change negotiations and gives them the tools to be agents of change. Since 2015, we have organised an annual simulation of the Conference of Parties, or COP, in which dozens of schools from all over the city have participated. The results of COPinBogotá are submitted to the United Nations through CliMates.
Discussions are divided into 4 main themes (based on the structure of COP): Mitigation, Adaptation, Climate Finance and Technology Transfer and Capabilities.