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| EcoSchools | |
|---|---|
| Name | EcoSchools |
| Type | International educational programme |
EcoSchools EcoSchools is an international school-based environmental award programme linking sustainable practice, curriculum and student leadership. The programme operates through national operators and coordinating bodies across continents, collaborating with organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme, UNESCO, World Wildlife Fund, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and European Commission. Schools participating engage with frameworks established by bodies including Sustainable Development Goals, Convention on Biological Diversity, Paris Agreement, Green Schools Alliance, and Forest Stewardship Council.
The programme certifies schools for environmental management, outdoor learning, biodiversity projects, energy reduction, and waste minimization while aligning with standards from ISO 14001, Environmental Protection Agency initiatives, and guidance from International Union for Conservation of Nature. It integrates student councils, teacher training, and community outreach, often connecting with networks like Commonwealth of Nations, European Union, African Union, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and regional ministries such as Department for Education (United Kingdom), Ministry of Education (Singapore), Department of Basic Education (South Africa). Recognition pathways include awards influenced by RSPB Big Schools' Birdwatch, Blue Flag, and national sustainability awards such as Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative.
Origins trace to national pilot schemes inspired by environmental movements and policy shifts following events like Earth Summit, Rio+20, and legislation such as the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Early adopters included schools in countries linked to Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF-UK, and municipal programmes in cities like Copenhagen, Reykjavík, and Vancouver. Expansion occurred through partnerships with organizations including Keep Britain Tidy, Sustrans, Eco-Schools Scotland, and networks fostered by agencies like UNICEF and USAID.
Frameworks require schools to form eco-committees, perform environmental reviews, and produce action plans, referencing guidelines from IPCC, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Royal Society, British Council, and curriculum frameworks of Council of Europe. Assessment criteria cover energy audits, water conservation, waste audits, biodiversity surveys, and sustainable transport plans, often benchmarked against protocols from Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and certification schemes like LEED, BREEAM, and Green Flag Award. Teacher professional development is supported via workshops from institutions such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and national teacher colleges.
Implementation methods range from student-led campaigns to infrastructural retrofits guided by funders like European Investment Bank, Global Environment Facility, UNDP, and philanthropic actors including Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Evaluations measure reductions in energy use, carbon footprint, and litter, referencing methodologies from Carbon Disclosure Project, World Resources Institute, and case evaluations in journals such as Nature Climate Change, Environmental Education Research, and Journal of Environmental Management. Reported impacts include increased student engagement, improved attendance, and enhanced biodiversity on school grounds with links to initiatives by RSPB, National Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and municipal green infrastructure projects like London Mayor's Greener City Fund.
Notable participating schools have been profiled alongside projects associated with Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, King's School (Canterbury), St Paul's School, London, Voices of Nature Academy, and municipal programmes in Bogotá, Cape Town, Oslo, Helsinki, and Singapore. Examples include biodiversity corridors coordinated with WWF, rooftop gardens in cooperation with Royal Horticultural Society, solar installations funded through partnerships with Siemens, Schneider Electric, and community composting programmes modeled on Waste and Resources Action Programme initiatives. International exchanges and twinning projects have been brokered via Erasmus+, Fulbright Program, British Council and city-to-city links like Sister Cities International.
Critics highlight uneven resourcing, disparities tied to funding from entities such as World Bank and national education budgets, and variability in monitoring comparable to concerns raised in reports by OECD, Transparency International, and Amnesty International. Other challenges include greenwashing risks noted by commentators at Friends of the Earth, measurement limitations compared against standards like IPCC protocols, and dependency on short-term grants from corporations including BP, Shell, and Tesco that invite scrutiny from academics at University College London and advocacy groups like Corporate Europe Observatory.
Related initiatives include collaborations with UNESCO Associated Schools Network, Green Flag Award, Living Schoolyards, School Garden Programmes, and citywide schemes like EcoDistricts, Transition Towns, and programs coordinated by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. Partnerships often involve conservation NGOs such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, BirdLife International, and educational institutions like Teachers College, Columbia University and University of Melbourne.
Category:Environmental education