Overseas School of Colombo becomes the first school in Sri Lanka to achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award

The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) is situated in the Western province of Sri Lanka and has become the first International School in the country to achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.

Despite being a tropical island with lavish biodiversity and home to many endangered species, Sri Lanka faces considerable environmental challenges. The country suffers from a myriad of ecological impediments; poor solid waste management, air pollution due to serious traffic, significant habitat loss, and the burning of plastic to name a few.

OSC decided to address these environmental issues and find active solutions for the broader ecological problems that are prevalent, and so their Eco-School journey began in November 2020, with a group of passionate students, teachers, parents, and other representatives of the OSC community. The debut meeting drew the interest of 65 attendees and students started meeting weekly in early morning sessions before school. This soon became the basis of OSC’s Eco-Schools Committee which now consists of students, teachers, parents, operations staff, and the wider OSC community.

The Eco-Committee carried out a school-wide audit following the Eco-Schools Seven Steps Methodology and selected three themes that would be the school’s focus: Biodiversity, Climate Change and Pollution. These themes would be exploring how to drastically reduce the school and its community’s environmental impact, enhance biodiversity, reduce and omit pollution and waste, and implement actionable initiatives to tackle climate change.

Below are just a few highlights from OSC’s Eco-Schools journey:

Students from OSC examined the flora and fauna present on the school grounds and focused on discovering ways to increase the levels of biodiversity around the school while raising students’ awareness of local biodiversity and nature. To improve biodiversity, students proposed building several gardens around the school. They considered the best locations for the gardens and considered factors like sunlight and rain, tree coverage, shade and proximity to the school’s cafeteria and compost system.

The gardens project is a great example of students working together. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 have different roles. Different groups of students have designed, built, and planted garden beds within the school grounds. OSC students are also in charge of maintaining and fertilising the gardens with fertilizer from the school’s biogas plant and compost system. The different garden beds are used to grow vegetables and herbs to be used by the school canteen and reduce the need for acquiring these from outside the school, helping to reduce carbon emissions.

Students also examined the impact of waste on the environment and explored actions to minimize the amount of waste that the local community at large produces and disposes of daily. Students carried out ‘street sweeps’ around the school and in local wetland areas to remove plastic from the environment. OSC students also introduced themselves to their local neighbours and discussed the delicate topic of burning plastic waste in the area. Since the community-building work began, students haven’t seen any plastic burning around the school.

Waste management initiatives were also carried out through actions associated with the school biogas plant, compost system & worm farm and the very active Recycling & Sustainability Service Group. The OSC Biogas Plant is an initiative where the food waste from the cafeteria (amounting 2kg to 5kg per day) is utilised in the plant and converted to biogas. The students test the potency and quality of the biogas, which allows students to cook yummy popcorn and make delicious hot chocolate for everyone to enjoy!  

Eloise Golding, a Diploma Programme student who leads the Eco-Schools Committee, explains what the Green Flag Award means to the school:

“It's important to us to cherish what we have left of nature and to take care of it to the best of our abilities. Being part of Eco-Schools helps to push us towards those goals, keeping us motivated to stay on track. Getting this award has created a stronger feeling of community.”

In November this year, OSC students organised a school relay as part of the Running Out of Time Global Schools Action Day. As shown in the video below the whole school joined efforts to collectively demand quality climate education.

Exploring Green STEM through the Alcoa Warming-Waste-Water-Watts-Wildlife (Alcoa W5) Project

12  December 2022, Copenhagen: The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is pleased to announce the continuation of the Alcoa Warming-Waste-Water-Watts-Wildlife (Alcoa W5) Project, funded by Alcoa Foundation. Launched in 2016, the Alcoa W5 project is now entering its fifth phase and will be implemented in the United States (U.S.) and Norway by FEE’s members, the National Wildlife Federation and FEE Norway respectively.

This new phase of the Alcoa W5 project will engage 20 Eco-Schools in the U.S. (New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana) and Norway in focusing on one or more of the following themes: Warming (Climate Change), Waste, Water, Watts (Energy), and Wildlife (Biodiversity). The Alcoa W5 project is an opportunity for students and educators to improve their environmental literacy, connect their teaching and learning to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and decrease the environmental impact of the school.

Furthermore, the project places an emphasis on fostering environment-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, also known as Green STEM. The curriculum and activities of the Eco-Schools program offers the ideal framework to immerse students in practical, real-life experiences that are easily connected to their communities and the world at large, preparing them to enter an emerging and innovative workforce, where technology prevails. It allows for new and creative ways to engage students in mathematics, reading, science, and critical thinking through the lens of sustainability.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see thousands of students over the years not only develop their environmental literacy skills through the Alcoa W5 project, but also apply these skills to tackle topics in STEM. The Alcoa W5 project perfectly illustrates the value of the Eco-Schools programme - that the Seven Steps framework allows for environmental education to be embedded in a holistic way through various disciplines and is not restricted to just a single class or subject, “says Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education.

The impacts of the Alcoa W5 project also extend beyond the classroom. Marit Kjellesvik of FEE Norway shared that, “We are delighted to be part of yet another cycle of the Alcoa W5 project. FEE Norway has been a partner in this project since 2016, which has given us the opportunity to support and inspire many schools, and now the latest years kindergartens close to the two Alcoa sites in Norway, in Farsund and Mosjøen. With the support of Alcoa Foundation, a wide range of innovative, important, and inspiring projects and activities have been carried out, and students of all ages have been involved, learned and been able to influence in matters related to sustainability in their local community.”

“In the U.S., the Alcoa W5 project has served to support both teachers and students in exploring issues of sustainability at their schools, as well as in their local communities.  This program has allowed students to develop important leadership skills, enabling them to take informed action on key issues such as climate, biodiversity and waste.  NWF is excited to continue this collaboration with the Alcoa Foundation and our partners and look forward to the stories of success over the coming year,” stated Elizabeth Soper, NWF Senior Director of K-12 Education.

“Alcoa Foundation is proud to support another cycle of the Alcoa W5 project that allows students in communities where Alcoa operates to develop skills to address key sustainability challenges. This project is one more step to advance the Alcoa Foundation mission to invest where Alcoa has a presence, partnering with communities to address local needs in a sustainable manner We thank our partners for their continued collaboration and look forwarding to hearing stories from classrooms,” stated Rosa Garcia Pineiro, President of Alcoa Foundation.   

About Alcoa Foundation: Alcoa Foundation invests where Alcoa has a presence, partnering with communities to address local needs in a sustainable manner. With our nonprofit partners, we contribute to programs that protect and preserve the environment and promote equitable access to education and skills-building opportunities. https://www.alcoa.com/foundation/en

About the Foundation for Environmental Education and the Eco-Schools Programme: Established in 1981, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is one of the world's largest environmental education organisations, with over 100 member organisations in 81 countries. The internationally recognized Eco-Schools programme developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) engages young people in quality environmental education and meaningful action. Through a simple, seven-step framework, pupils are empowered and motivated to drive change and improve environmental awareness in their school, local community and beyond. www.fee.global | www.ecoschools.global

Eco-School with 4 Pupils Awarded the Green Flag

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is represented in Australia by Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) who runs the Eco-Schools network nationally, as part of the international network of members implementing FEE’s programmes in 80 countries worldwide. Last week KAB announced the of newly awarded Green Flag Eco-Schools, in recognition of their work towards the Seven Steps Methodology through actions and focusing on environmental themes. Included in this list was Belltrees Public School, with a total of just 4 highly-motivated students in New South Wales, Australia!

You can read the Press Release from Keep Australia Beautiful below

SMALLEST AUSSIE SCHOOL YET ACHIEVES PRESTIGIOUS GREEN FLAG ACCREDITATION!

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 28 NOVEMBER 2022

Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) is thrilled to announce the smallest school to achieve Green Flag Accreditation through Eco-Schools Australia, Belltrees Public School, NSW. The Green Flag is an international accreditation that has recognised and rewarded young people’s outstanding environmental actions for over 25 years.

Belltrees Public School is a rural school, located just west of the Barrington Tops National Park in the Upper Hunter Shire, NSW. The school currently consists of four students, one full-time principal, four p/t teaching staff, and three p/t support staff. The school is the 5th in Australia to be awarded Green Flag Status, an inspiring example proving that size and geographical location are no barrier to what can be achieved.

To be awarded the Green Flag, schools must “go beyond short-term environmental projects and entrench sustainability into the school culture, through democratic youth-led eco-councils, curriculum built around sustainability and working closely with the local community” says the National Eco-schools Program Manager for KAB, Hailey Durham. This is achieved by meeting seven criteria which must also tackle multiple environmental themes.

Belltrees have done just that with their extensive range of initiatives, from building their own orchard, farm, and veggie garden to the installation of solar panels and powerpoint timers, just to name a few. “We get to work with livestock every day and learn about how animals help the environment.” Says Belltrees student Angus, “One of my jobs is to help move the sheep around so that their poop goes into the ground to give the earth nutrients and make the soil better.”

One of the schools’ major projects is their “Ponds System” which was created to alleviate the issue of top-soil erosion run-off into the Hunter River which causes blue-green algae accumulation. Excess Blue-green algae reduce oxygen levels in the water affecting wildlife and means livestock are unable to drink the water.

Belltrees tackled the issue by diverting run-off to the school’s pond where they planted grasses, ferns, and reeds, which have welcomed back frogs, birds, and rich bug life. Once the water runs through the pond, it travels over their orchard for further processing and through “leaky weirs”, which slow the flow of water allowing the system to process chemical build-up and capture vital topsoil before returning the water to the Hunter River.

The school has also been proactively involved with the local community including conducting excursions with regenerative agriculture farms and running field days to pass on their knowledge. “We have done a project called GAIA, which stands for Green Annual Innovation Award. We find problems in our school and make videos with solutions to show what we can do to help the environment” shares Renzy, a Belltrees student, “In March we went on an excursion to visit 7 farms and they introduced us to their ways of helping the environment. At a farm called Taylors Run, they used trees to fence off the sheep to stop them escaping, rather than needing an actual fence and we were able to recreate this idea in our own school”

“I swell with pride about how our students are leading the challenge to become environmentally conscious citizens. Their will and enthusiasm to apply learned concepts, experiment to improve and seek further understanding about problems faced, is inspiring.” – Shane Roberts, Belltrees School Principal.

The Green Flag presentation will take place on Tuesday 6th December 2022 with the Mayor, Cr Collison in attendance. Belltrees aim is to be “the greenest little school in Australia” and hopes to shortly achieve net-zero emissions. We congratulate them on their amazing efforts and know they will continue to achieve wonderful things on their sustainability journey.

“The Green Flag initiative allows us to recognise and reward the efforts of every teacher and pupil who strive to become more sustainable, connecting to their community. We hope this announcement highlights that all schools, big or small, can achieve the Green Flag, inspires others, and leads us all to a greener more sustainable future.” David Carter, Executive Board KAB.

Click here to find out more about the Eco-Schools Australia program