The "Our Common Home" project, a partnership between the Municipality of Loulé and the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation, was awarded third place this Tuesday in the "Best Green Library Project" award by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The award ceremony took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, during the organization's International Congress.
“Our Common Home” is a small library that engages with the themes of the Manuel Gomes Guerreiro Eco-Botanical Trail and the cultural activities of the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation, created in 2020 from donations of children's books.
It was conceived from the perspective that humanity shares a common home with all other living beings: Earth. To this end, the book paths displayed on open-access shelves invite young readers to learn about, share, create, and care for our planet's biodiversity.
This documentary resource from the Foundation supports reading activities and mediations that seek to awaken in children a fascination for nature, curiosity about the world and the beings that inhabit it, individual and collective responsibility for the sustainable use of natural resources, the preservation and promotion of biodiversity and human knowledge and culture.
Two groups gravitate most regularly toward this collection: The Little Naturalists of Querença (the focus of the nomination for this award) and the Readers of Bem-Querença. The library also hosts Animal-Assisted Reading, the LER Cãofiante project. These initiatives are developed throughout the school year in partnership with the Loulé City Council and the Querença EB1/JI, part of the Padre João Coelho Cabanita school group in Loulé.
It should be noted that this was the only Portuguese representative to receive this international distinction.
Education for Sustainable Development is UNESCO's response to promoting the personal and social transformation necessary for a successful future. Libraries and librarians are well-positioned to drive these necessary educational processes. Initiatives like Querença's "Our Common Home" are good examples of sustainable development and serve as an inspiration for the world.
