BC3 publishes a new book about the life cycle of products
24th October 2024 – To mark World Day Against Climate Change, BC3 publishes the “Ilargiker eta lurraren zaintza” book. This is the third volume in the children’s publication series “Ilargiker, klima-aldaketaren ikertzailea”, aimed at bringing climate science closer to primary school students in the Basque Country.
Following the 2023 release of the second book, “Ilargiker eta bero-boladak hirian”, BC3’s associate researcher Iratxe Rubio, and Amelia Benito del Valle, a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Education in Bilbao, UPV/EHU, introduce the concept of the life cycle of everyday consumer products in their new work. Their aim is to raise awareness among primary school students about reducing pollution linked to such consumption and, consequently, improving environmental care. Moreover, this story integrates a mathematical-technological component to support the development of pollution-reducing strategies, highlighting the greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout the products’ life cycle.
The integration of technology and scientific modelling plays a key role in supporting decision-making to develop climate change mitigation strategies. For instance, at BC3, the ARIES project provides advanced tools to map and assess natural resource flows, helping to optimise environmental policies based on robust scientific data.
In this third book, the characters of Ilargiker and the primary school class remain the same protagonists from the previous two stories, “Ilargiker eta izotzaren misterioak” and “Ilargiker eta bero-boladak hirian”. It’s also important to note the lead character, Ilargiker, not only because she represents BC3’s researcher figure, but also because she highlights the role of women scientists. This time, Ilargiker invites the primary school class to take part in a technology workshop at BC3. In this workshop, the students will learn about solutions for reducing pollution linked to the production and consumption of apple juice.
It’s also worth noting that “Ilargiker eta lurraren zaintza” is part of the scientific outreach initiative “Training Caravan Txiki,” which falls within the Responsible and Innovative Science Programme (RRI) of BC3, aimed at primary school students. This project offers scientifically rigorous answers to key questions about climate change, providing children with the best current scientific understanding. At the same time, it introduces primary students to research careers to spark their interest.
Lastly, during the 2024-2025 academic year, the “Training Caravan Txiki” initiative will be implemented in around 60 primary schools in Bizkaia. Students from the Faculty of Education in Bilbao, UPV/EHU, through the AGIS programme (Loud Voice Readers Network), will read this third book aloud in classrooms. Furthermore, to improve reading comprehension, a series of educational activities will be carried out before and after the reading to help contextualise the story’s theme and ensure primary school students understand the content presented by BC3.
