Energy and Equity in Focus for New School Year

78,000 secondary school students are starting the 2026–2027 academic year with a new edition of the Ecological Transition School Planner, distributed by the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona). The resource reaches schools in 149 municipalities that are part of the Network of Cities and Towns towards Sustainability. Alongside the secondary school planners, 8,200 classroom calendars are being distributed to primary schools. Both materials aim to strengthen environmental education and climate action in classrooms across the region. This year’s edition focuses on energy use and the transition to a sustainable, fair, and inclusive energy model. Through ten comic-strip stories, students follow young characters tackling real-life energy challenges, such as building an electric vehicle, coping with a household power cut, or launching a climate awareness campaign. The narratives explore themes including energy poverty, digital energy consumption, renewable sources, and community-led energy projects. The goal is to help students understand how energy affects daily life and how individual and collective actions can drive change.

Local Nature and Outdoor Learning

Separate editions of the school planner support two environmental education programmes: 'El Montseny a l’escola' and 'Viu el parc a l’escola'. These introduce pupils to the natural and cultural values of Montseny Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve, and Montesquiu Castle Park. This year, 850 copies are distributed to 13 schools in the Montseny area and 350 to sixth-grade pupils in four schools near Montesquiu Castle Park. The Montseny planner marks its 26th edition, while the Montesquiu version is in its 22nd year, both now established tools for environmental learning. The materials encourage students to explore less visible aspects of nature, such as fungi, underground life, animal tracks, and ecosystem connections. Content is coordinated by Associació la Sorellona, with technical support from both parks, and features cover illustrations by David Riera. All resources, including supplementary activities and digital materials, are available at agendaescolar.diba.cat, the official educational platform for the initiative.

Primary sources: agendaescolar.diba.cat. Reported by elplural.com.