Ações e práticas extensionistas de educação ambiental na comunidade Vila da Paz, Capanema, Pará

Abstract

Brazil's current reality is one of unbridled consumerism, which increasingly drives the acquisition of new, often unnecessary products. This reality directly influences the generation of tons of waste disposed of every day in open dumps. Those who sort and sort out materials for recycling are the collectors of materials, which, in turn, are the result of a harsh reality of the country, which is social exclusion. This work aimed to apply and evaluate extension actions and practices, involving environmental education, in the context of a community located around the dump of the municipality of Capanema. Emerging themes were identified for extension actions and practices and the perception of community actors on these themes was analyzed. The themes for extension actions and practices pointed to the importance of political, social and environmental aspects, involving, for example, access to basic public services, such as educational and health services. It is concerned that the community has no concrete dimension about the risks it faces when dealing with waste on a daily basis, nor how they should proceed in their daily lives to avoid contamination, for example in their food. It is worth mentioning that collectors of recyclable materials play an important environmental role, although they are invisible to society and public policy. Thus, the problems of the community involve the ineffectiveness of public policies, the right of all, which could be remedied through stronger action by the public authorities in the community and surrounding areas.