The Specialties of Professional Technical High School of the Centro Educativo Salesianos Talca promote Environmental Education for Sustainability

With the objective of installing an environmental culture in the Educational Community, and after having achieved the Environmental Certification, granted by the National System of Environmental Certification of Educational Establishments (SNCAE), of the Ministry of the Environment, the High Technical Professional Education modality of the Salesianos Talca Educational Center (CEST) has strengthened the work of raising awareness of the care of the Planet, the Common Home, with students and educators, either with the use of sustainable materials in the different specialties, or in the organization of hazardous and non-hazardous waste that must be recycled.  

Luis Saavedra, coordinator of the Professional Technical Area of CEST, pointed out that including the values of recycling in the educational work means a job for everyone.  This is why each specialty has been implementing the use of sustainable equipment and materials, as well as the organization of hazardous waste.  

"In the Industrial Mechanics Specialty, in addition to encouraging student participation, through the development of a recycling system, with the installation of waste reception containers, emphasis is being placed on compliance with environmental safety and hygiene standards, and thus contribute and educate for the decontamination of the planet, considering that in this career we work with reusable materials such as steel, polymers, lubricants, coolant, papers, etc.," said the coordinator of the TP Area.

He also added that this principle has been instilled and worked on in all the specialties.  The Electricity Specialty, together with the Automotive Mechanics Specialty, acquired an electric car in 2020, "since electromobility technology eliminates one of the gases that produce greenhouse effects, which is carbon dioxide (CO2), thus contributing to improve the quality of life and care for the planet," said Mr. Luis.

In the Graphics Specialty, in order to continue updating the students' learning, and to continue with the modernization of the career, equipment with a digital printing system was acquired. "It is a new hp latex335 printing plotter, which is a zero hydrocarbon emission water base, which has given a new impetus to the industry, due to its zero emission of pollutants and the number of applications, from paper to PVC fabrics, including all kinds of vinyl, cellophane and synthetic materials, which were previously printed with solvent inks", said Professor Saavedra.

In the Electronics Specialty, and in accordance with this purpose of environmental education for sustainability, we are working with computerized numerical control (CNC) machines for the elaboration of electronic circuit boards, leaving behind the most harmful techniques for the environment such as the use of ferrous acid, due to the challenges that are presented today to reduce pollution.  "For this reason, a battery container has also been implemented in the Electricity and Electronics workshops, where batteries are accumulated and then removed by a company certified in the safe treatment of these materials," explained the teacher.

Finally, in the Automotive Mechanics workshop there is a container for hazardous waste, called RESPEL, whose objective is to reduce and mitigate the risk factors to which students, teachers and the educational community in general are exposed, as well as to make students aware of environmental care and the importance of recycling and reusing hazardous materials, such as car batteries, contaminated guaipes, oil filters, among others.  

"The concern for the disposal, accumulation and final destination of this hazardous waste made it necessary to purchase this RESPEL warehouse, where the waste is sorted and classified according to its hazardous characteristics, for subsequent delivery to companies authorized by MINSAL for transport and final destination", said Mr. Luis. 

In short, the Industrial Mechanics, Automotive Mechanics, Electronics, Graphics and Electricity specialties have been advancing and strengthening the work of minimizing the generation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, as well as its integral management, promoting the innovation of processes, methods and technologies that promote environmental education for sustainability in students and the educational community in general.