Eco Schools

One of the most effective ways to preserve the planet for future generations is to educate children on environmental issues since they are the main stakeholders of a sustainable future. Initiatives known as Eco Schools seek to help school communities develop ecological literacy and environmental practices so that school children become environmentally responsible citizens. Eco Schools programs also reduce the footprint of the schools where they are implemented. The project is an initiative by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a non-governmental and non-profit organisation who works to promote sustainable development through environmental education. Eco Schools is one of their five main education programs, which also includes Blue Flag, Young Reporters for the Environment, Learning about Forests and Green Key.

There are 46 countries around the world that run the Eco Schools program, linking more than 40,000 schools – from the UK to France, from Morocco to South Africa. Once registered, schools follow a simple seven-step process which helps them to address a variety of environmental themes, ranging from litter and waste to healthy living and biodiversity.

Eco Schools are driven by children. They are the ones who lead the eco-committees and help carry out an audit to assess the environmental performance of their school. Through consultation with the rest of the school and the wider community it is the pupils who decide which environmental themes they want to address and how they are going to do it. Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco Schools programme, providing schools with all the evidence they need to really shout about their environmental success.

The Ontario province in Canada is one of the places where Eco Schools have been put in place. The Ontario EcoSchools initiative is an environmental education and certification program for grades K-12. It was created in 2002 by a consortium of education stakeholders to address environmental issues in the formal education system. Seven school boards, York University, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority collaborated to adapt and expand on the work of the Toronto District School Board, developing an environmental education program that can be used province-wide. Scotland has also embraced the Eco Schools project in a big way and is now one of the world's leading countries in the Eco-Schools program. The country has over 3,600 schools registered with the Eco Schools program, which includes over 98% of Scotland's local authority schools, as well as independent and early years establishments. Over 38% of local authority schools - as well as many more independent and early years providers - have attained the highest award level: the Green Flag.