The Ekoetxea Red of Euskadi Environmental Centers is made up of five spaces Ubiquados trails in Euskadi: Urdaibai and Minezaldea, in Bizkaia; Txingudi and Azpeitia, en Gipuzkoa, Y Eco house Añana-Obron in Araba. Each center offers activities adapted to its environment, such as exhibitions, workshops, guided routes and educational programs.
For 2024, more than 140,000 people visited some of the Environmental Centers of the Ekoetxea Network, which has meant a record figure. Of these, 28,000 have been schoolchildren from educational centers throughout Euskadi. Highlights the high satisfaction by the visitors, who score the experience with a 9.3 out of 10.
World Water Day 2025 and Ekoetxea Network
The network Eco house From Euskadi Environmental Centers, managed by the Basque Government through the IHOBE Public Society, adds a new space in the municipality of Lanton, the first in Araba, under the denomination Eco house Añana-sobron.
This center, which will have water as a central thematic axis Due to its location in the old water museum, it adds to the four centers that already integrate the Ekoetxea network in Euskadi, and which are the Ekoetxea of Urdaibai and Metzaldea, in Bizkaia; and Azpeitia and Txingudi, in Gipuzkoa.
Soon, a new space in the Salado Valley will be added to this network, the future Eco house Añana-Salt Valley, which will complete this new Ekoetxea-Sobron centerin such a way that it will be a single Ekoetxea in the Añana space with two venues, in Sobron and in the Salado Valley.
The Deputy Minister of the Environment, Josu Bilbao, the Director of Natural Heritage and Climate Change of the Basque Government, Adolfo Uriarte, the Deputy of Economic Development and Sustainability, Saray Zarate, the president of the Cuadrilla de Añana, Rubén Torremocha, and the mayor of Lantarón, Francisco Javier Uriarte, will inaugurate the new Ekoetxea on behalf of the entities that promote this center. Saturday, March 22, coinciding with World Water Day.
These entities will visit the facilities and know the experiences that can be enjoyed from that date. Given this new opening, Deputy Minister Josu Bilbao, highlighted the Good collaboration shown by all the institutions involved in the project.
In addition, he has assured that “with the opening of this Eco house We ensure a balanced presence of environmental centers in the three historical territories. Eco house Añana-Obron is a unique access door to a natural environment of great natural and hydrological value, which gives us the opportunity to provide an offer of experiences of Singular environmental education related to water and its importance in the environment”.
Josu Bilbao has specified that the new Eco house “He wants to be an essential travel companion in changing the way of thinking and acting in a more sustainable way of the citizenship of Añana, Araba and Euskadi as a whole.”
For its part, deputy Saray Zarate has declared that “this space, which is the result of a close inter -institutional collaboration, starts practices aimed at saving and reducing water consumption. This action adds to commitments acquired by the Provincial Council in Sustainability“.
The opening of the new Eco house It has been possible thanks to the agreement reached among all promoting entities, in addition to the Basque Water Agency, Ura. The management will be carried out by the IHOBE Public Society in collaboration with the Añana Gang, the City Council of Lantarón and the Provincial Council of Araba. Ekoetxea Añana-Obrón Se It will benefit from the Integral Management Model of the Ekoetxea Networkbecoming a key instrument for the promotion of environmental education and sustainability among Alava society.
Following the model of the Eco house Meatzaldea, Ekoetxea Añana will have two operational venues: that of the Salado Valley and that of Sobrón. Once the construction of the future Ekoetxea-Gatz Harana is finishedwhich will be tendered soon, it will be managed jointly together with Ekoetxea-Obron as if they were a single unit.
Eco house Añana-Obron will keep its doors open to the public every day of the week and will be attended by specialized personnel in environmental education. From this moment, All the activity that takes place in this center can be consulted on the Ekoetxea network websiteas well as in social media profiles.
A very special programming
Coinciding with World Water Day, and without forgetting that the new Eco house It is located in the former Water Museum of Sobrón, the new Environmental Center of Araba has a special schedule for March 22 and 23.
For Saturday, March 22, special activities designed for all ages have been organized. The day will begin at 11:00 with “Water is not just water”, a tasting of waters directed by the sommelier Israel Gómez. During this session, attendees can taste waters from different places and learn about their different degrees of mineralization, flavors and medicinal uses. This activity is aimed at adults and is totally free.
In the afternoon, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., families are invited to participate in “Water memories”, a family yincana. The participants will become “Water Guardians” and enjoy an exciting and incident through the territory modeling by the water and the history of the Sobrón spa. This activity is free and is aimed at families with children from 3 years.
On Sunday, March 23, activities will continue. At 12:00, children can enjoy Kantu Kantari, Ura Dantzari, a storyteller designed to hydrate the soul of the little ones and make them aware of the importance of water. This activity is free and is aimed at a children’s and youth audience up to 12 years.
Finally, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., a sensory trip will be offered by the Sobrón gorge with the Lady of Lake Neønymus. Attendees can enjoy the Neønymus polyphonies in a unique natural environment. This activity is also free.