Child Protection Mexico Project #19117

Education to Protect our Natural Heritage

by Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda I.A.P

Project Report | Mar 13, 2017
Earth Festivals

By Olivia Perez | Environmental Education Program Coordinator

Earth Festival in Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro

Every year during February, March, April, and May we organize 40 Earth Festivals with the support of teachers and educational networks such as CONAFE and Initial Education.

They are cultural events whose purpose is preservation, pride and demonstration of the Sierra Gorda’s roots and traditions, and its growing environmentally-conscious culture. Above all, Earth Festivals celebrate Mother Earth by involving everyone across institutions and generations, including educational institutions, fathers and mothers, and the general public. In order to reach out to the most extensive portion of the public within the 1 million acre Biosphere Reserve, the Earth Festivals take place in the larger communities to attend to the smaller villages and ranches.

Throughout the year, the local population is involved in a series of activities led by the Community Environmental Education staff, in addition to the two half hour radio shows on the regional radio channel each week. The presentations by the students, teachers and parents reflect the culmination of the multiple activities and educational sessions that raise awareness thanks to the support of donors like you.

During January and February of 2017, 20 Earth Festivals took place in 39 schools. They attracted 89 teachers, 1,401 students, 382 children, and 867 parents from 20 communities.

Our team developed a culturally-rich program which consisted of original theater pieces, poetry and Huapango verse, songs, exhibitions of the school children’s conservation-related work, and a display of the culinary wealth inherited from great grandmothers. The mothers and women who participate proudly tell the stories of the dish and often admit they no longer prepare it if not for the Earth Festivals. We want to promote rescuing the regional cuisine and the use of local ingredients.

The promoters of the Environmental Education program also staged a play entitled Guardians of the Planet Earth to inform local communities. The play emphasized the environmental problem that is currently prevailing at a global and local level: Climate Change. It demonstrated examples of immediate solutions including cleaning campaigns, separation of solid waste, reducing the waste of water and electric energy, and local production of vegetables.

These events have a high environmental impact because they promote community participation and use communication to encourage replication of the demonstrated activities in the communities and schools.

Between February and April the PET plastic collection marathon is also taking place. It involves students of the Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro (Jalpan Unit) that promote collection of recyclable materials amongst the population of the main localities of the region.

Thank you for your donations and interest in our on-going activities.

Gastronomic Show

Collection of PET plastic bottles

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Dec 20, 2016
Education to Rescue our Natural Heritage

By Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda | Education to Rescue our Natural Heritage

16 December 2016

GlobalGiving Report

In order to strengthen and enrich the knowledge of sustainable practices among the youth that participate in the Sierra Gorda-Localiza Project, two Ecological Leaders Camps and two Environmental Awareness Workshops took place.

The camps were held at the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda’s facilities in October and November and were attended by 181 students from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí Zona Media, the Jalpan’s UTSJR unit, and the Jalpan’s ITQ unit.

We screened the National Geographic documentary, Before The Flood and presented topics related to the proper solid waste managment. During the field visits to Rancho Tonatico and Casita Ecológica, students were able to practice holistic and regenerative soil management and prepare bio-fertilizers. They also participated in the practices that focused on ecological alternatives for sustainable life.

A total of 62 people that belong to the health network and the field of environmental engineering participated in the Environmental Awareness Workshops in November. Discussed topics included healthy diet, waste management, and documentaries that address climate change and its consequences.

Additionally, we delivered environmental awareness sessions in 12 middle and high schools and achieved participation of 787 students. Seven exhibitions of the students´photography projects were also set up in the schools promoting the results of the research they did about clean food sources produced and consumed in these mountains, and communicated viasually in the artwork about the sustainable projects they documented in the Sierra Gorda.

Lastly, we distributed forest tree species such as jacaranda, rosewood, trueno, ash, palm, and white cedar. In total 4,500 trees were distributed in eight communities. They will be planted in schools and community spaces.

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Sep 19, 2016
Summer with the Environmental Education Team

By Olivia Perez Jimenez | Environmental Education Coordinator

Students unloading tree seedlings

While local students have been on summer vacation for a good part of the last three months, all of us in Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda’s environmental education team have been hard at work organizing tree planting projects and preparing for next school year.

At last count, we have handed out 9,100 tree seedlings in 18 communities throughout the Sierra Gorda to be planted around schools and public areas. These trees, including species such as jacaranda, Mexican fan palm, poinciana, and Mexican white cedar, will provide shade, bird habitat, and aesthetic beauty for the communities of the Sierra for years to come.

In preparation for the coming school year, we are working with administrators from 10 preparatory schools and colleges to implement two environmental education projects. The first project, titled “The Environmental Outlook,” will raise awareness of today’s most pressing environmental issues, with a special focus on the Sierra Gorda, through dynamic presentations, participatory discussions, and documentary movie screenings. We will emphasize solutions to these problems and discuss the environmental services and benefits provided by the forests and other ecosystems of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve.

The second project, titled “Healthy Food” will teach students the importance of healthy eating and sustainable lifestyles. We will discuss how to establish a diet incorporating large amounts of vegetables and avoid consuming highly processed “junk food” high in sugars and fats. As part of the learning experience, students will have the opportunity to join us for an “Environmental Retreat” where they can learn the basics of a sustainable lifestyle first-hand and put them into practice.

Now, at the end of another busy summer, we would like to thank you, our donors, for helping us carry out these projects. Your support is absolutely crucial in our efforts to “re-green” the landscapes of the Sierra Gorda and educate its communities!

Olivia Perez Jimenez presenting to local educators

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