Fruit of Earth, an environmental education program (Programa de Educação Ambiental Fruto da Terra) became, since 2003, part of the municipal public network in Atibaia, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Approximately 14,000 students and 400 teachers from primary levels have been benefiting with this programme. Since 2007, the programme has been part of the City’s Educational Plan and it is now a public policy.
The main objectives of the program are to:
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Contribute to the development of environmentally conscious citizens committed to the search of solutions to environmental problems in the place where they live, and
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Get involved in teacher training and stimulate them to built strategies and work with local and global realities in significant ways, taking into account the formative role of schools and their co-participation in the process of transforming society.
The Earth Charter has been an important instrument for the environmental education efforts of schools in this city. In 2007, a children’s version of the Earth Charter was distributed and a wide movement of raising awareness of the sustainability vision enshrined in the Earth Charter began. Primary schools were motivated to read the Charter and parents received the document for reading and reflection.
In 2009, the Earth Charter was again used in basic education. The analysis of the document provoked the production of projects and collective letters of “attitudes to be cultivated” as well as commitment from the children. Some of the work developed in the schools of Atibaia was shared in the journal that can be found through.