Opened on 29 February 2000, the Centre for Environmental Education and Sustainability (CEAS) at Lake Baratz of the Municipality of Sassari belongs to the National System for Environmental Education, Information and Training set up by the Ministry of the Environment. The Lake Baratz CEAS, established as an Experience Centre, organises environmental education activities centred on the direct exploration of particular ecosystems. It is also a meeting and exchange hub for teachers and pupils, resource for the entire province on sustainable development, and a centre for the collection of data, information and texts on environmental culture. The CEAS also hosts environmental-themed initiatives promoted by public bodies and associations.
The Lake Baratz CEAS is located in the north-western part of Sardinia, near the island’s only natural lake. Lake Baratz, in the Nurra region, lies at the bottom of a basin surrounded by a coniferous forest and is separated from the sea by a large dune system. The entire area has been designated by the European Union as a Site of Community Importance and is included in Area 5 of the Sardinian Geo-mining Park. It borders the Porto Conte Regional Nature Park and is not far from the Asinara National Park.
MAIN ACTIVITIES
From 2000 to 2006, the CEAS welcomed many local schools for educational activities concerning the lake, sea, dune and countryside environments. The Centre’s operators have also provided advice on environmental education projects to schools in Sassari and its province.
To support environmental education, based on the human-environment relationship, the Lake Baratz CEAS partners with requesting schools to help them implement environmental education in their curricula.
The Centre’s experts support the schools’ teachers, who play a central role in developing the teaching curriculum, in planning both classroom and field-based activities.
The main services offered include:
- supporting teachers in designing and delivering environmental education activities
- educational visits for kindergarten, primary and secondary school groups
- advice to public administrations on sustainable development
- collaboration with public and private universities and research centres
- documentation activities
- training and refresher courses
- summer recreational-educational activities for the summer youth programme, promoted by the Sassari municipal Administration.
In addition to its educational activities, from 2004 to 2006, the CEAS acted as the local node of INFEA (National Environmental Education Network), organising meetings between the Network parties and providing awareness-raising and advisory services to public bodies and schools.
