[Smoke-free school environments: between health protection and health promotion]

Tobacco control policies have undergone a major boost in terms of protecting people from involuntary exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, but less progress has been made in the denormalization of smoking behaviour. We describe an experience focused on the educational environment, which included marking the waiting areas (streets) of primary schools in the city of Terrassa as «Smoke-free environments». We placed a placard with the inscription «Smoke-free environment. We educate together» on the front of 50 out of 54 primary schools in the city. The proposal was well accepted. Our experience highlights the possibility of carrying out actions, based on local initiatives, that help to denormalize smoking without the need for legislative enforcement.