Cents for greening 20 playgrounds

“A green environment to romp in, teeming with critters and plants, isn’t this something all school-going children and their nature-loving parents dream of instead of a gray hard concrete surface?” Demir says.

The initiative helps many school boards to continue their investment in challenging times. “That means 20 extra places in West Flanders where we make our environment more climate-robust so that water can infiltrate and trees and shrubs function as natural air conditioning. A win-win on many levels and the largest nature investment ever in school playgrounds,” says Demir.

The Sint-Franciscus-Xaveriusinstituut (or ‘de Frères’) in Bruges, among others, receives money. It is a large school with 900 pupils, located in the center of Bruges, between the Simon Stevin & Guido Gezelleplein and has remained unchanged for more than forty years in terms of its outdoor environment. With the launch of a Master Plan (2021) and subsidies, they are aiming for a green corridor in the city or an ‘urban’ green added value place for students and visitors.