Virtual Schools of Consumption
The Virtual Schools of Consumption (VSC) is an online educational tool that is based on three years of implementation of the Global Environmental Citizenship (GEC) project in Latin America.
A partnership with Consumers International gave birth to projects such as the VSC. As part of this movement, the Colectivo Ecologista Jalisco (CEJ), an environmental NGO that has advocated for environmental education in Mexico since 1986, has implemented VSC in Mexico in 2005.
These virtual schools are developed on the basis that everyone is a consumer and our habits matter. People are socially conditioned and influenced by many different factors to consume more than they need. Many have never been taught how to consume in a responsible manner. Seeking
to accomplish such a purpose, VSC provides an interactive learning platform.
The Virtual Schools for Sustainable Consumption were developed to deal with issues such as toxic substances and human health, solid waste, sustainable mobility, biodiversity protection and consumption, and consumer rights and awareness. The VSC guides the consumer through the following six topics:
i) how to become a responsible consumer;
ii) toxic products at home;
iii) waste management;
iv) biodiversity and consumption;
v) trees living in the city and
vi) urban mobility.
The section on toxic products at home, for example, covers subjects such
as how toxic products enter the human body through cleaning and personal care products, food and insecticides. It also educates about risks particularly relevant for children and provides alternatives as well as ways to find out about the level of toxicity in daily life.
Each of the virtual schools contains a self- assessment tool allowing the consumer to assess his or her level of knowledge. The website provides a powerful education tool for teachers, community organizers and parents. The educational material can be used for free by third parties within seminars, academic courses, blogs or other formats. In order to obtain feedback from users, a simple evaluation questionnaire has been designed in each of the schools asking users to give their opinion about the graphic design, content of the school, ease of navigation, usefulness of the information, the learning process and the willingness to spread and apply the concepts. Many websites now link to the virtual schools including Mexico´s Consumer Protection Ministry (PROFECO).
The Virtual Schools are a useful, attractive and technically simple tool that informs and entertains in order to facilitate learning. It now offers the user a glossary, links, statistics, actions and learning activities in each school. Humorous language and attractive illustrations are used to create interest and to ‘hook' the user. The schools now include ‘green washing' and labeling issues. For more information, please contact:
cej@cej.org.mx
External source(s)
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Project start date
01/01/2015
Project end date
01/01/2015
