Mexico City Students Win Multiple International Awards
As environmental challenges become increasingly urgent, many schools proactively educate and inspire the next generation of eco-conscious citizens. Enter the concept of “eco-schools” that integrate sustainability and environmental responsibility into their curricula, operations, and daily practices.
Designed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Eco-Schools started 30 years ago to introduce youth to the practical skills they can use to make their schools and communities more environmentally friendly. More than 104 member schools in over 83 countries participate in FEE programs today. Eco-Schools focus on leadership, innovative thinking, teamwork, environmental sustainability, and making a tangible impact—locally and globally.
“Creating change is like climbing Kilimanjaro,” says Susana Ugalde, principal of the award-winning Eco-School Colegio Contadero in Mexico City, Mexico.
“Creating change is like climbing Kilimanjaro,” says Susana Ugalde, principal of the award-winning Eco-School Colegio Contadero in Mexico City, Mexico.
Ugalde explained in an interview with The Earth & I that she has an open-door policy for students to freely come to her office with their personal questions, concerns, and ideas. She and the teaching staff then work with students to find answers and implement their ideas.
Eco-School Framework
Schools like Colegio Contadero follow the Seven Step Eco-Schools methodology that includes the entire school community—from teachers to students to the cleaning staff—with students playing a primary role in the process. The seven steps are:
Formation of an Eco-Committee: A group of students, teachers, and other stakeholders lead the Eco-School's activities.
Environmental Review: The Eco-Committee assesses the school's current environmental performance and identifies areas for improvement.
Action Plan: A detailed plan outlines the actions needed to address the issues identified in the environmental review.
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress: Regular progress checks, including necessary adjustments, are made.
Link to the Curriculum: Environmental education is integrated into the school curriculum, which ensures all students are engaged and learning about sustainability.
Informing and Involving: Eco-School leaders regularly communicate the school’s activities and progress to the student body and the wider community; participation and support are encouraged.
Eco-Code: A statement is prepared that reflects the school’s commitment to environmental sustainability and guides the behavior of the school community.
Ugalde gave an example of a student activity that was widely shared. A 7-year-old girl created drawings about recycling and maintaining a clean environment, which she posted around the Contadero township. Now, at age 9, she has transformed her family’s garage into a recycling drop-off site, and once a week, she collects recyclables and delivers them for final processing.
Passion for Environmental Awareness
Ugalde founded Colegio Contadero in April 2010 with a strong passion for environmental awareness and to promote inclusiveness for children, including those with disabilities. Initially, the school operated with support from local organizations. However, in 2012, a key supporter had to drop out, putting the school’s future at risk.
Fundación Televisa invited the [Colegio Contadero] to participate in its Olimpiada Verde (the Green Olympics) competition. … This led [the school] to become Mexico’s first Eco-School.
Unexpectedly, Fundación Televisa invited the school to participate in its Olimpiada Verde (the Green Olympics) competition. Fundación Televisa is a Mexican organization that supports cultural and educational programs for Latino children and funds the Green Olympics as a way to combat climate change.
Colegio Contadero won first prize—a free mentorship from the FEE. This milestone led Colegio Contadero to become Mexico’s first Eco-School. Fortuitously, Ugalde had already developed an environmental curriculum, and this helped FEE enhance its educational materials for the Spanish-speaking community.
Community Collaboration
Like Eco-Schools worldwide, Colegio Contadero actively collaborates with communities to promote environmental development and protection. The key to its success lies in student ownership and community involvement. Students research environmental issues, develop and implement action plans, and then work with teachers to integrate these efforts into the school curriculum.
One student, for example, questioned a local community’s water treatment practices. Through his research, he became concerned that the recirculated water might negatively impact another nearby community. He raised this issue with the authorities, asking who was responsible for monitoring the situation. However, his question was ignored.
Encouraged by his teachers, he persisted in seeking an answer. In doing so, he learned to advocate for accountability and to challenge governmental administration. Ugalde highlights that in Mexico, as in many other countries, environmental issues often receive the least funding.
Public spaces, like local parks, also provide an opportunity for the Eco-School's environmental projects. For instance, a partnership was created between Colegio Contadero and Desierto de los Leones, a national park and federal reserve known for its rich history, monastery, greenhouse, and natural beauty. El Desierto has more than 1,800 hectares of coniferous forest, divided into parts by trails for cyclists or for those who wish to walk. The park collaborated with the school to create meaningful projects for student involvement, such as repairing the park’s greenhouse. Students took great pride in taking on this project and restoring the greenhouse’s function.
Green Flag Award
After completing this joint restoration project, Colegio Contadero received a call from FEE CEO Daniel Schaffer to tell them the school had earned the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, the highest honor granted by FEE.
Eco-Schools Green Flag with Merit/Distinction awards are given to preschools/kindergartens, schools, and colleges that go beyond the Eco-Schools Seven Step criteria as determined by an FEE onsite visit. The school has proudly received a Green Flag every year for 10 years.
Colegio Contadero’s 110 students, teachers, and administration staff take pride in winning international recognition for receiving these Green Flag awards. Today, tourists to the Contadero township often stop by to see the school.
Liliana Zepeda Zepeda, a teacher at Colegio Contadero, explains, “I have been teaching first and second grade … and in my experience working on environmental projects, I have learned along with my students the importance of modifying … habits to be more conscious of my actions towards the care of our Planet. I … have been able to transmit to my students interest, love, respect, and care towards everything that surrounds us, modifying habits that are implemented within the school community and in their homes.”
María Olivia Pérez Esquivelis has been teaching at Colegio Contadero since 2017: “During all these years … I have realized my responsibility towards the planet and the environment, … to generate a significant change in kids. … [W]e have learned about oceans, corals, forests, and when students learn about the problems we are generating and facing, they plan strategies, actions, and they lead changes, first in their habits, then in their houses with their families, and finally in their communities.”
Ugalde has inspired her teachers as well as encouraged students to share the message of ecological responsibility, saying that even if only two people respond out of 1,000 people, the students have fulfilled their duty.
Ugalde is equally active in promoting public awareness of environmental responsibility and eco-education. She believes that in a time when environmental challenges are more pressing than ever, Eco-Schools offer a way to educate, engage, and create a new generation of leaders who will be ready to tackle these issues head-on.
*Carol Pobanz is a freelance writer and advocate for eco-peace and peace within us and with our surroundings. She has co-directed several projects at the Leda Settlement in Paraguay, a pioneering project embodying the pursuit of peaceful coexistence, environmental sustainability, and community development.
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