World Environmental Education Day

Jan. 26, 2026

World Environmental Education Day, celebrated annually on 26 January, highlights the importance of environmental awareness and knowledge in building more participatory, informed and sustainable societies. This event, created following the United Nations Conference on the Environment (Stockholm, 1972), remains a key milestone in reinforcing the transformative role of education in protecting the planet.

Reinforcing this commitment, the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action aligns its mission with promoting a society that is informed about environmental issues and guided by sustainability values. Through public policies, strategic partnerships and awareness programmes, the Secretariat seeks to ensure that environmental education is more than just a concept, transforming it into a concrete practice that preserves natural heritage and ensures the future of forthcoming generations.

As a direct reflection of this line of action, the 2025/2026 School Environmental Awareness Activities Offer (OASAE) stands out, with a proposal for 65 free activities for all levels of education throughout the Region. This offer includes interpretive trails, practical actions to control invasive species and plant native species, educational games, recreational-educational sessions, activities organised by the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark, Biosphere Reserves and LIFE projects, as well as visits to the Environmental Centres of the nine islands.

The effectiveness of this commitment is evident in the results achieved. In 2025 alone, under the OASAE, the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action organised more than 1,000 awareness-raising sessions, involving 23,360 participants in activities dedicated to biodiversity, geodiversity, climate change, the circular economy, water resources and nature conservation.

Consult the 2025/26 Educational Offer at: educarparaoambiente.azores.gov.pt.