About Eco-Schools
Eco-Schools is one of the largest global sustainable schools programme.
Eco-Schools is a growing phenomenon which encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it.
It starts in the classroom, it expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large. Through this programme, young people experience a sense of achievement at being able to have a say in the environmental management policies of their schools, ultimately steering them towards certification and the prestige which comes with being awarded a Green Flag. The Eco-Schools programme is an ideal way for schools to embark on a meaningful path towards improving the environment in both the school and the local community while at the same time having a life-long positive impact on the lives of young people, their families, school staff and local authorities.
The focus throughout is on the process and on education, however, many countries also combine it with other programmes, as it provides an integrated system for environmental management of schools based on an ISO 14001/EMAS approach. Hence the programme’s great advantage is its flexibility.
A programme that...
- Engages students about the environment
- Develops responsibility and care in staff and students
- Invigorates teachers in the teaching of environmental topics and methodologies
- Transforms the school to be a sustainable school
- Lowers cost and saves resources
- Affects communities around your school
- Combines learning with hands-on experiences
GGAF's Vision
Includes Everyone
The Programme is run according to a whole school approach, involving students, teachers, parents, school management and the local community at large.
Improves School environment
The Programme helps reduce the environmental footprint of a achool and improve its social environment, through the Eco-Schools values and ethos. This inevitably leads to a more green, less costly, and more responsible school environment.
Improves School environment
The Programme helps reduce the environmental footprint of a achool and improve its social environment, through the Eco-Schools values and ethos. This inevitably leads to a more green, less costly, and more responsible school environment.
Motivates
Eco-Schools challenges students to engage in tackling environmental problems at a level where they can see tangible results, spurring them on to realise that they really can make a difference.
Improves Learning, Skills & Attitudes
Eco-Schools helps improve learning through curriculum integration, looking at the Eco-Schools themes through different subject lenses. It helps develop problem solving, leadership, communication and team-building skills. Eco-Schools instills in Students a sense of responsibility and equips those involved with the drive to really make a difference, and to spread such proactive behaviour amongst family and friends, ultimately passing it on to future generations.
Involves Communities
Eco-Schools involves the local community from the very beginning. It is an intentional goal that lessons the students pick up are transferred back into the community to develop sustainable, environmentally responsible behaviour patterns.
Connects Globally
Eco-Schools facilitates contact between participating institutions nationally and globally through Eco-schools twinning! Not only do these links provide an opportunity for schools to share environmental information, they can also be used to improve understanding of global issues, be the means for cultural exchanges and build one’s sense of global citizenship.