Eco Schools
The Eco-Schools programme provides a simple, seven-step framework that answers this question whilst empowering young people to make a difference in their school, local community and beyond. Since 1994, millions of young people around the world have worked through the Eco-Schools Seven Steps before being recognised for their efforts with a prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag.
Schools connect their activities to three or more of the Ten Eco-Schools Topics. These topics break large, global issues like climate change into more manageable and directed themes that prompt young people to consider environmental changes that they can make in their school and everyday lives.
The Eco-Schools 7 step framework
Step 1: Eco-Committee
An Eco-Committee is a group of young people who, with the support of one or more adult Eco-Coordinators, lead the Eco-Schools programme in your school. The Eco-Committee will meet regularly throughout the academic year, plan and deliver environmental projects, and inspire their schoolmates and wider school community. Eco-Committee members can be from a variety of year groups and members may be volunteers, democratically elected, or chosen by teaching staff.
Step 2: Environmental Review
The Eco-Committee completes an Environmental Review of their school. The Review can be completed as a group, or in smaller teams
Step 3: Action Plan
Inspired by their Environmental Review, an Eco-Committee plans and delivers projects and actions three Eco-Schools topics across the academic year. The Eco-Committee choose the issues they want to tackle. Actions can be big or small; simple or complex; funded or free – it is up to the Eco-Committee.
Step 4: Curriculum Links
Alongside taking action, it is important to understand why action is needed, so schools link climate change to at least three areas of curriculum learning during the year.
Step 5: Informing and Involving
Step 5 encourages Eco-Committees to get loud about their Eco-Schools’ work whilst involving others in as many ways as they can. The Eco-Committee might share their work through newsletters, social media, local press, or environmentally-themed pupil-planned assemblies.
Step 6: Monitoring and Evaluation
It is important for an Eco-Committee to understand the positive impacts they have created by monitoring and evaluating the projects in their Action Plan. This provides a platform to build on and will help inspire others to get involved in the future.
Step 7: Eco-Code
The final task for an Eco-Committee is creating an Eco-Code. This takes all the learning and inspiration and channels it into a mission statement that acts as a call to action for all.
After working through the seven Eco-Schools steps during the academic year schools can apply for Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation.
Applying for Eco-Schools accreditation is the perfect way to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the ecological achievements of the school. It clearly demonstrates that their hard work is appreciated, and it provides them with the confidence and motivation needed to continue actively engaging with environmental issues throughout their lifetimes. It also tells local communities that the school is forward-thinking and promotes youth-led environmental education and action.
A big focus within the BDAT Climate Action Plan is to Improve environmental sustainability curriculum across all stages, giving pupils an understanding of future careers and opportunities. The work completed by the Eco-Committees allows the work to happen and continue to happen.
Impact of the work the eco committees have completed since starting the eco-school’s programme: