Environment

Fostering Hands-On Environmental Education Through Classroom Insulation

Children are participating in hands-on learning about climate change when insulating their schools, but costs remain a challenge at the national scale.

Published

10 months ago

December 29, 2023

The Sankei Shimbun

A child at Nagareyama Kita Elementary School in Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, receives instructions from a local construction company worker as they install glass wool insulation in the classroom ceiling in August 2023. (Kyodo)

Read the full story on Japan 2 Earth - Fostering Hands-On Environmental Education Through Classroom Insulation

Hands-on initiatives to involve students and parents in the insulation of school classrooms have been generating interest. Projects aim to convert classrooms, which suffer from excessive heat in the summer and cold in the winter, into more pleasant and energy-efficient spaces. Moreover, the renovations provide an educational opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of energy conservation and climate change mitigation.

Children at Nagareyama Kita Elementary School, Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, taking part in a workshop, where they learned how to install insulation materials alongside local construction workers in August 2023. (Kyodo)

The movement has now expanded to include more than 20 schools across the nation. However, many of these schools rely on donations from local residents to cover the costs, which means there is a limit to the number of retrofits that can be carried out. Experts involved in the endeavor emphasize the need for budget allocation and a unified nationwide effort, particularly in light of recent heat waves.

*Guided by workers from a local contractor, children insulate the walls of a classroom, Nagareyama Kita Elementary School, Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, August 2023. (Kyodo)*

Continue reading the full story on Japan 2 Earth to learn more about the hands-on projects happening at schools around Japan.

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