“The world is in our hands. We have responsibility for it and we choose what to do with it. So as individuals, as ISB we can do something to keep our world healthy. ”
In 2019, the International School Basel (ISB) in Switzerland embarked on a journey to promote environmental sustainability as a whole school community. To give structure to this commitment and engage with like-minded schools, ISB joined the Eco-Schools programme shortly afterwards. As waste pollution touches the hearts of many students, ISB focused on the theme of Litter and Waste in its first Eco-Schools project.
The ISB Eco-Committee coordinated the project across the school’s three campuses. It gathered student, teacher, faculty and parent representatives and worked closely with the campus-specific student sustainability groups and the sustainability team of parents and staff.
“I am proud that ISB listens to the needs of our planet and the voices of our students and takes real action to become ever more sustainable in its processes and messages, thereby inspiring and empowering our ISB community to live more sustainably at school and home.”
With great collaboration, the school community engaged in cross-campus and campus-specific initiatives to improve recycling, reduce waste and foster stewardship towards the environment. Initiatives included: greening school events (reducing waste by up to 75 per cent per event), setting up stations for used office supplies, disseminating student-prepared awareness raising material (for example on the Sustainability@ISB website), visiting recycling centers, and participating in the national Clean Up Day with the local community.
In February 2021, ISB was awarded the Green Flag. The award gives recognition to the school's great achievements and serves as a springboard for its continuing commitment to sustainable development.
“We are not working with an end in mind but with a genuine conviction that we can change attitudes and behaviors towards sustainability at our school.”
More information about this project please visit: https://ecoschools-ch.org/en/resource/international-school-basel/