The "Environmental Workshop" is a Project of dissemination and awareness concerning the environment launched by the Park of Nations as a result of the environmental transformation brought about by the Parque EXPO 98 S.A. in the context of the preparatory works for the 1998 World Exposition.

It is aimed at schools in the public and private network of Primary and Secondary Education and professional schools, for students aged from 5 to 18 years old, divided into two sub-programs: The "Environmental Workshop" itself, intended for young people between 12 and 18 years old (3rd cycle and secondary school) and the "The Environment is Fun" aimed at children between 5 and 12 years old (pre-school, 1st and 2nd cycles).

• Visit to the Environmental Supervision Centre of the Park of Nations;
  The visit to the Environmental Supervision Centre is supported by a multimedia program which helps to understand the environmental transformation which took place in the Intervention Zone, what is today the Park of Nations. The following themes are proposed:

  - The move away from Industrialisation – the previous industrial occupation of the area and the deactivation of the petrol industry; the decontamination work of the soil under the petrol industry installations; the installation of supervision wells of the subterranean waters; the connection of the decontamination operation with the sealing of the Beirolas waste landfill and its respective integration within the Tagus Park.

  
  - Integration into the City – the integration of the Park of Nations within the existing city; the reallocation of families previously resident in the Park of Nations; measures to minimise the inconvenience created by the development of the work for the populations living near the Park of Nations.

  
  - Innovative Infrastructures – the redevelopment of the road network and its interconnection with the major transportation infrastructures, such as the Oriente Station and the Vasco da Gama Bridge; the technical gallery and the innovative infrastructures installed in it: the automatic system of waste collection, the distribution of heating and refrigeration, fibre optics, natural gas, etc. .....

  
  - The Redevelopment of the Riverfront – the emancipation and recovery of the riverfront; the redevelopment of the Cabo Ruivo Ponte Cais in the EXPO Marina; the closure of the Olivais Dock and the quality of its water; the transition of the controlled riverbank to the natural riverbank; the Tagus Park; the regeneration of the marsh; the settling of the banks of the river Trancão.

  
  - Environmental Supervision – the Environmental Supervision Plan of the Park of Nations and its various components; the quality of the surface and subterranean waters, the quality of the soil, the quality of the air and meteorology, noise, biological communities, socio-economic aspects and the particular case of the Beirolas Waste Landfill.

  Schedule:
  1st  Session: 09h30 - 10h30
  2nd Session: 11h00 - 12h00
  3rd Session: 14h00 - 15h00
  4th Session: 15h30 - 16h30

Maximum number of students: 15 per Session. Meeting point: Environmental Supervision Centre, Cabeço das Rolas.

• Activities of an Environmental Nature
  These activities take place in the shaded area next to the building of the Environmental Supervision Centre and try, by means of various experiments, to make the participants aware of some of the problems facing the environment, at the same time as making good use of the time needed to wait for entry to the Environmental Supervision Centre, where space is limited.

  The activities available of an environmental nature are grouped into 4 main themes, with various others already in the process of being implemented:

• The Atmosphere
• Pollution
• Water
• Biology

A practical part of these activities is carried out with the use of only everyday materials, such as bottles, food colouring, straws, etc.

Schedule:
1st Session: 09h30 - 10h30
2nd Session: 11h00 - 12h00
3rd Session: 14h00 - 15h00
4th Session: 15h30 - 16h30

Maximum number of students: 15 per Session. Meeting point: Environmental Supervision Centre, Cabeço das Rolas.

• Environmental Tour of the Tagus Park
  This is a visit to the Tagus Park where the main objectives are getting to know the eco-systems which it comprises as well as its importance and the alterations which this area underwent in terms of the redevelopment process of the riverfront. The tour is guided by monitors, and the students are provided with activity dossiers, field guides and binoculars.

  Schedule:
  1st Tour: 10h00 - 12h00
  2nd Tour: 14h00 - 16h00

Maximum number of students: 30 per Tour. Meeting point: Next to the Vasco da Gama Tower. The wearing of practical clothing and shoes is advised.

Note:
The realisation of the activities set out in respect of the Environmental Workshop Project is subject to climatic conditions.

For younger children the Children’s Environmental Workshop is operational – "The Environment is Fun".
This branch for the younger people amongst us consists of the various games, fun pursuits and activities which are always directed at environmental awareness and education.

Activities:

• Environmental Experiments

The holding of environmental experiments for younger children aimed at getting to know nature, some of which use the environmental education Kit "Learning to Love the Oceans" and others, namely concerning water, the wind, orientation, energy, etc.

• Games – Learn as You Play

The acting out of small environmental games such as track games, the use of water games, the pedagogical adaptation of traditional Portuguese games, group games based on aspects of nature, etc.

• Recycling Workshop

The manufacturing of musical instruments, recycling of paper, compost stacks, etc., using waste which can be collected by children during their visit. The musical instruments can be used on the tour in the Musical Garden.

• Environmental Tours (to be implemented)

The students, in groups of 25 / 30 take these tours, accompanied by monitors and with the help of appropriate pedagogical documentation. During the visit fun and pedagogical activities of an environmental nature take place, namely drawing, texts, games, etc.

• Tagus Park
• Garcia de Orta Gardens,
• Water Gardens
• Musical Gardens
• Pedagogical Kitchen-Garden (to be implemented)

Planted by the students themselves, there will grow a Pedagogical Kitchen-Garden on one of the platforms of the Cabeço das Rolas Garden where the students can come into contact with leaning experiences in the area of agricultural production.

Operation:
The students in groups of 25 hold these activities, accompanied by our monitors and, at lest, two teachers (a larger number of people accompanying the group is advisable in the case of Pre-School and Primary School groups up to the 3rd year of the 1st Cycle). Documentation is currently being prepared so that, in the near future, the teachers themselves will conduct these visits so that their number can be increased.

It is planned for the products arising out of the activities of the "Environment is Fun" Program (texts, musical instruments, drawings, etc.) can be disseminated by means of publications of a infant-juvenile nature, with presentations in the Cabeço das Rolas amphitheatre (theatre, music, dance, puppets, etc.) or even displayed in their own space, perhaps a future gallery of the GIL.

Location:
These activities will take place principally in the Cabeço das Rolas Garden, which is located in the southern quarter of the Park of Nations, with the Southern Gate (of the Refinery Tower) therefore being the most convenient access. In certain cases the Children’s Workshop may begin with one of the Environmental Tours (see point 4) and end with the activities in the Cabeço das Rolas.

Schedule:
1st Children’s Workshop: 09h30 - 11h00
2nd Children’s Workshop: 11h30 - 13h00
3rd Children’s Workshop: 14h30 - 16h00

Inscription:
Inscription can be made by filling in the inscription form or by telephone: 21 891 91 51 – Cristina Ribeiro or fax 21 891 94 02.

The document called VISIT CONFIRMATION will only be sent after the prior confirmation of the availability of the date. Forms can also be requested by the fax number: 21 891 94 02, or by telephone: 21 891 91 51 – Cristina Ribeiro.