The National Environment Commission (CONAMA) of Santiago is premiering on Oct. 29 the first manual for environmental education for kindergarteners and first and second graders. The manual is divided into sections about plant and animal species, practical activities and lesson planning, Daniel Vicente, in charge of CONAMA's eco-education for the metropolitan region, told Tierramérica.

The objective of the text is to inculcate the importance of environmental care and healthy living at the earliest ages, he explained. If people learn these values as children, they will carry them for the rest of their lives, Vicente said.

The book is intended for nurseries, kindergartens and the first two grades at more than 1,000 schools accredited by the National System for Environmental Certification of Educational Establishments.