The “Vuk Karadžić” Primary School in Podgorica is carrying out work on the “Eco Laboratory” project, which is progressing according to schedule. The project was made possible by the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System as part of the “Energy Underlined in Green” competition.
As one of the five best projects in the aforementioned competition, the “Vuk Karadžić” School was awarded €3,000 so that its schoolyard could be put to good use.
“In CEDIS’s ‘Energy Underlined in Green’ competition, an idea we believed was valuable and important for our school was considered good enough to be among the five projects awarded funding for implementation. We are therefore very proud of our team and grateful to CEDIS for confirming that the project is truly excellent. So far, we have completed everything as set out in our action plan. Earthworks in the schoolyard have been completed, structures for benches and tables have been purchased, and last week we finished assembling and painting them. Students, together with their teacher mentors, are working on a conceptual design for the mural and educational panels; the decorative greenery is currently being selected, and instruments for the measuring stations are also being procured. We have established cooperation with institutions in our city that are providing us with expert support during the work,” says Biljana Veličković, physics teacher and coordinator of the Eco Laboratory project.
Clearly delighted with the work completed, Professor Veličković introduced the public to the main objective behind their decision to create the Eco Laboratory.
“We wanted to promote the school’s educational role by helping to change students’ habits and values in the areas of environmental protection and healthy lifestyles. The priorities were to restore part of the schoolyard to make better use of the space for educational work with students, improve the teaching process in the fields of ecology and sustainable development, and promote the school’s role in the local community. The green classroom provides students in a class with the opportunity to hold lessons outdoors whenever weather conditions permit, in a pleasant space adapted for this purpose. The educational furniture and measuring stations will help students acquire knowledge using practical teaching aids. The mural that students will design and create in the schoolyard will also promote environmental protection and positive habits,” said Veličković.
In addition to building the Eco Laboratory itself, Veličković says she is especially pleased that the project has brought students, teachers, parents and representatives of the local community together to work towards the same goal, and she is certain that the Eco Laboratory will be a source of pride for them all.
As a reminder, the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System, in cooperation with the Institute for Education of Montenegro, which implements the international “Eco-Schools” programme, announced the “Energy Underlined in Green” environmental protection project competition on 20 September. Educational institutions implementing the international “Eco-Schools” programme—that is, institutions holding the international “Green Flag” award—as well as institutions that had applied to pilot the programme, were eligible to participate.
In the year marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration proclaiming Montenegro an ecological state, CEDIS sought to support this commitment through the “Energy Underlined in Green” project. The project aims to raise awareness among students, teachers and the community about the importance of the environment. By implementing projects, educational institutions enable students to take part in solving problems and contribute to improving the environment at a level where tangible results can be seen.
The partners in the “Energy Underlined in Green” project are the Association for Environmental Consulting in Montenegro (ECOM) and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which implement the “Eco-Schools” programme in Montenegro together with the Institute for Education. 
