Part I

Class 6C 

 Agrumpamento de Escolas Pintor José de Brito

It was a normal Monday morning at Green School. The hallway was noisy, students were talking about homework, football, and weekend plans. 

In Class 6C, Ms. Silva walked in with a large cardboard box covered in green leaves, recycled paper labels, and drawings of animals. On the front, the sentence:

"PROJECT EARTH: ACT NOW ”

The class slowly got quiet. “Good morning,” Ms. Silva said with a smile. “Today, we are starting something different. Something important.”

She placed the box carefully on her desk. Inside there were notebooks of recycled paper, each with a different cover image: forests, oceans, animals, wind turbines, and recycling symbols. Above the pictures was the same title: Eco-Agent Journal. One by one, she handed them out.

“From today,” she continued, “you are not just students. You are Eco-Agents. Your mission is to observe, investigate, and protect the environment around you.” At first, some students smiled and whispered. It sounded like a game. Then Ms. Silva turned off the classroom lights and turned on the projector.

On the whiteboard, a video began to play: images of melting ice, polluted rivers, burning forests, and animals struggling to survive. Then suddenly, the screen went black. A single sentence appeared:  “Your world is changing faster than you think.”

The class stayed silent. When the lights came back on, something strange had happened. The windows of the classroom no longer showed a normal schoolyard. Instead, the view looked… different. The sky outside seemed slightly grey, and the trees looked less green than before.

“Is that… real?” whispered one student. No one answered. Then, inside each Eco-Agent Journal, the first page slowly revealed new writing, as if appearing by itself:

                                               MISSION 1: THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Observe your surroundings carefully. Something in your school is affecting the planet more than you realize. Check waste bins (Are they being used correctly? Look for signs of energy waste (lights, computers, water taps)

To be continued...

Class 8B 

Agrupamento de Escolas Pintor José de Brito  Portugal

No one moved at first. The classroom felt different now—quieter, heavier, like something important was about to happen. “Okay… this is getting weird,” João said, standing up slowly. Ms. Silva didn’t laugh this time. She pointed to the door. “Eco-Agents,” she said, “go and investigate.” The class looked at each other, then grabbed their Eco-Agent Journals and stepped into the hallway.

The First Clue: The Bins

Their first stop was near the school cafeteria, where three large bins stood side by side: paper, plastic, and general waste. But something was wrong. Inside the paper bin, there were plastic bottles. In the plastic bin, there were food leftovers.

And the general waste bin was overflowing, with trash falling onto the floor. “That’s not right,” Sofia said, covering her nose. “People are mixing everything.” As they wrote notes in their journals, the page suddenly updated again. “Problem detected: Incorrect recycling.” Under the message, a small symbol flashed—a green leaf turning grey.

The Second Clue: The Bathroom

Next, they checked the school bathrooms. Drip… drip… drip… A tap was leaking water non-stop.

Another sink had been left running, even though no one was there. The floor was wet, and water was slowly going down the drain. “That’s a waste of water,” said Tiago, quickly turning off the tap. As soon as he did, the journal changed again: “Problem detected: Water waste.” Another symbol appeared—this time, a blue water drop fading.

The Third Clue: The Classroom

When they returned to their classroom, they noticed something strange. The lights were still on… even though the room was full of sunlight. Two computers at the back were also on, with no one using them. “And look!” said Maria. “The window is open, but the heater is on!” Everyone started talking at once.  “That’s wasting energy!”  “We’re using too much!”

“Problem detected: Energy waste.”

A yellow lightning symbol appeared—and then flickered.