PLACES, SENSE OF BELONGING AND ENVIRONMENTALIZATION OF BRAZILIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This paper focuses on reflections upon the sense of belonging to a place, generated by a doctoral dissertation, and shows elements that may contribute to environmentalization of educational institutions in Brazil. Its origin is the experience of building and implementing a geodesic dome at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul-rio-grandense, located in Pelotas, RS, Brazil, to show one of the possibilities of environmentalization of educational institutions, mainly related to their facilities. The geodesic dome is seen as a sustainable building whose architectural characteristics trigger new ways of teaching, learning and sharing experiences, i. e., a privileged place where practices in Environmental Education can be developed. It defends that narrowing the connection between people and places where they live and share develops and enhances the sense of belonging, thus leading to care and protection towards the environment.