During the 2025–2026 school year, the Eco-Patrol project is being implemented at Trstenik Elementary School in Split as an interdisciplinary program on sustainable development and energy. The project is led by geography and science teachers Nada Ugrina and Renata Duran, and it involves students in the 5th and 6th grades.

This is a school program that develops knowledge, skills, and attitudes about renewable and non-renewable energy sources, sustainable development, and responsible environmental behavior through investigative and collaborative activities. The activities are aligned with the nature and geography curriculum, for example, with outcomes related to understanding energy sources, pollution, and environmental protection measures.

As part of the Renewable Energy module, students participate in interactive tasks such as matching terms and explaining different energy sources, or discussing energy use in everyday life. Such activities encourage critical thinking, teamwork, and an understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between energy choices and environmental consequences.

We are especially pleased that the Eco-Patrol at Trstenik Elementary School is being implemented according to the methodology and educational activities from Argonauta's “Blue Eco-Patrol” manual, developed through the association's project of the same name. This example shows how materials created in civil society organization projects can be successfully integrated into formal education
the system as interdisciplinary content of sustainable development.

The Blue Eco-Patrol Handbook was created as the final result of the pilot implementation of the Blue Eco-Patrol educational program, which took place in 2019–2020. implemented in seven elementary schools of Šibenik-Knin County in partnership with the Argonauta association, the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, Murterski Škoji Elementary School, and LAG “More 249”. During the pilot phase, 56 extracurricular educational activities were designed and tested with a total of 162 students, and the experiences of the leaders and evaluations were systematically collected in order to improve the activities and shape the program
Methodological handbook. The final handbook covers eight thematic modules on sustainable development and is intended for schools, associations, and local communities to launch the Eco-Patrol program.

The Eco-Patrol is an example of how a local educational initiative can gradually grow into an internationally recognized methodology for working with youth. It originated from Argonaut's Blue Eco-Patrol project in the schools of Šibensko-kninska County, and was then transferred and adapted to several European countries through the Erasmus+ partnership Eco-patrols for environmental goals (E4E) (KA220-YOU 2023–2025) and developed as a model
of informal education for young people on the environment and climate change. Today, the methodology is further being developed in the international project Eco-patrols – Boost its Green Goals (KA220-YOU, 2025–2027), which is coordinated by Argonauta with partners from several European countries, aims to expand and digitally enhance the method and strengthen youth participation in local and European green initiatives.

Argonauta thanks Trstenik Elementary School and its teachers for recognizing the value of the manual and for applying it in their teaching.

We look forward to further cooperation and the expansion of the Eco-Patrol in schools across Croatia and Europe!