The school is one of the main social environments where we can reimagine how humans perceive themselves in the world—not as the center of all knowledge, but as part of a network of interconnected factors (environment, economy, society). Understanding and renewing this network requires a systemic, rather than sectoral, approach.
ECHOES – Educating Adolescents to an Ecosystemic Vision is a project that brings workshops, walks, and talks into schools to move beyond an anthropocentric perspective. It trains students to adopt an ecosystemic vision in which people and nature, technology and culture coexist in harmony and collaborate for the well-being of ecosystems themselves.
The training program
The Echoes Lab training program combines adventure learning and outdoor education, using creative educational tools such as ecosystem mapping, scenario building, and the sustainability matrix. These methods encourage participants to challenge traditional perceptions of the environment and develop innovative, sustainable solutions.
Echoes Labs offer two key activities:
Exploring and rethinking a place – Students first engage in an online exploration using an AI system that reveals active sustainability best practices. They then physically experience the local ecosystem, mapping it through direct interaction with its inhabitants, sensory perception, active listening, and attention to all living and non-living elements. This process follows an inquiry-based learning approach, where context, personal experience, and collaboration play a central role in knowledge acquisition.
Developing a project for the regeneration of the mapped place – Students design a project that goes beyond the four pillars of sustainability—economic, social, environmental, and technological—to propose innovative and regenerative solutions.
The talk
What cognitive models does the plant system adopt to find innovative and sustainable solutions?
Stella Saladino, author of Think Like a Plant, offers students a talk on plant communication and vegetal intelligence.
The walks
“Ecosystemic” Walkscapes open to everyone, exploring places and routes that raise awareness of the relationship between nature, humans, technology, and culture.
The walks are organized and led by Legambiente Marche in collaboration with the Il Pungitopo circle in Ancona.
Credits
ECHOES – Educating Adolescents to an Ecosystemic Vision is a project by Sineglossa, in collaboration with Legambiente Ancona – Circolo il Pungitopo and IIS Volterra Elia, supported by Fondazione Cariverona.