TEHRAN – The first school in the country with zero energy waste was inaugurated in the city of Zanjan, aiming to promote energy management in the education sector.

In the country's first green school in Zanjan city, solar panels have been installed to generate and distribute 10 kilowatts of electricity, Hamidreza Eslami, director of the provincial organization for development, renovation, and equipping schools, said.

The surface water treatment and recycling system is one of the facilities used in this school, and in fact, the precipitation and rainfall will be collected in tanks to be recycled, he said.

A total of 32 green schools are being built across the country, aiming to promote energy management in the education sector.Referring to the installation of a green roof garden in this school, Eslami stated that the fire alarm system, smart heating system, and ventilation devices are among the other unique features of this school.

The insulation of this school is in accordance with urban planning protocols and we will not waste energy. Moreover, the country's first green school is in energy category A and will not waste energy during its lifetime, he noted.

Eco-schools, also known as green schools, bring a range of benefits, including waste management, waste reduction, biodiversity, energy, water, transport, health, global sustainability, healthy nutrition, citizenship, and climate change. Countries considering their own socioeconomic and cultural characteristics must be able to adapt these criteria to their own particular circumstances.

A total of 32 green schools are under construction across the country, aiming to promote energy management in the education sector, Mehrollah Rakhshanimehr, director of the Organization for Development, Renovation, and Equipping Schools, said in August 2021.

Earlier in March, Barekat Charity Foundation, affiliated with Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, inaugurated 100 nature-friendly schools across the country.

Current environmental problems are rooted in the lack of proper awareness and cultural weakness regarding the relationship between man and nature. 

Under such circumstances, environmental issues have only belatedly been recognized in school activities worldwide and led to the initiation of green schools. 

Effective school programs should not only help students to progress the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for responsible environmental behavior but also have the potential to spread awareness of the concept.

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