Calling Schools from Latvia and Slovenia for E-SPACE Design Challenge!

FEE in partnership with Lucart Professional has launched E-SPACE (Eco-Schools Project Advancing Circular Economy) project. The project aims to prepare the younger generation with the knowledge of the Circular Economy (CE) and to empower them to take actions for advancing Circular Economy with a Design Challenge. Circular Economy is the sustainability concept of not producing any waste.

THE DESIGN CHALLENGE

Rethink is about changing how you think about things. Break paradigms, include new materials and solutions, and reconsider precedent. This category can range from rethinking merely aesthetic design decisions and minor luxuries to investing in more sustainable practices that can impact the life of the product.

THINK LIKE A DESIGNER

Think about the following concepts while redesigning a product or service:

Optimize Use/Share:

Optimal usage of a product or service can bring down use of resources and production of waste. For example, renting a car instead of owning one can reduce the total number of cars.

Check this inspiring story of a sustainable clothing from Vigga, which ensures the clothes are recycled through a circular system, where every garment is used several times, ensuring 80% less environmental footprint. Read more here

Product Life Extension:

Sadly our electronic items are now produced as one unit. Most of them are not repairable and we tend to replace the entire product. Thankfully, there is a company - Fairphone, which has put sustainability first and manufactures Smartphones that are designed and produced with minimal environmental impact. Read more here

Upcycle and Recycle:

For economic growth it is important to have efficient, intelligent, and sustainable use of materials. Upcycling and Recycling of products ensures environmental equilibrium, just like Lucart Professional which is recycling utility waste products into hygiene products. Read more here

Acceptance criteria – the entry must:

• If it is in video format, the maximum accepted length will be maximum 3 minutes

• If it is in powerpoint presentation format, maximum 20 slides

SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS IN THE FORM OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS OR VIDEOS BY 22ND APRIL 2021

CONTACT FOR SUBMISSIONS

LATVIA

FEE Latvia - Vides izglitibas fonds
E Mail: ekoskolas@videsfonds.lv

SLOVENIA

FEE Slovenia - Društvo DOVES

E Mail: gregor.cerar@ekosola.si

FEE Head Office

Scandiagade 13, 2450 Copenhagen SV, DENMARK

Telephone +45 70 22 24 27 E Mail - pramod@fee.global

#EcoSchoolsStayActive Campaign is Live!

FEE is running a number of educational campaigns for the year 2020-2021! Each campaign will be run for two-three months and is designed for schools that are facing COVID-19 challenges. The idea is to keep students involved through fun filled environmental education activities that support attainment of knowledge and skills as per the school curriculum!

Campaign themes

1. Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) - October to December 2020

2. Waste Management and Littering / TrashHack- January to March 2021

#EcoSchoolsStayActive campaign was launched on 01 October 2020 and has already seen many interesting video entries from participating schools. The campaign has the possibility of using materials which can also be useful for parents who are struggling to cope with tasks they may not be equipped or prepared to handle. Also, the activities will encourage students to voice their opinion on various aspects and engage with peers. See detailed information about each theme at the end of this page.

Participate in the challenges and contribute to Eco-Schools activities in 2020/21

Weekly challenges:

Weekly challenges will be published on social media for inspiration and can be shared globally through the Eco-Schools network. Students are encouraged to carry out the activities at school or at home and to document their inspiring work through short videos. By uploading their videos publicly on social media with the #EcoSchoolsStayActive hashtag, National Operators and the International Team can help share it - and the three best videos from each country have the possibility of being submitted to a mini-competition.

To all participating students: remember to first seek your parents' consent before sharing your videos publicly.

Challenges are open to all schools that are located in countries that implement the Eco-Schools programme: https://www.ecoschools.global/national-offices and for registered International Schools.

Mini competition

Towards the end of the campaign, each National Operators may submit the 3 best Eco-Schools videos. Submissions must to sent via WeTransfer to Eco-Schools International a week before the campaign ends.

Acceptance criteria – the entry must:

• Be in the format of a video (max 3 minutes)

• Be in English (translated or subtitled)

• Highlight a topic relevant to the campaign as well as positive solutions

• Have been published on at least one social media platforms using the hashtag #EcoSchoolsStayActive

Finding the winners:

All nominees will be presented to the Eco-Schools National Operators who will give points to the ones they believe are the best. To ensure fairness, they are not allowed to vote for stories from their own countries.

The winners of the campaign will receive diplomas from Eco-Schools International, mention on social media & website and a small prize.

Introductory webinars

Each campaign will be introduced to students, teachers and National Operators through a webinar. During the webinar, experts will present information about each of the four themes as well as ideas for activities for schools.

More about webinars and registration can be found here https://www.yre.global/webinars

Detailed description of each campaign theme

1. Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH)

Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) - Connection with Health and Wellbeing theme through WaSH behaviours, building immunity, mental wellbeing, etc.

Learn more about WaSH in the recorded webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeSKsBYCKgQ

Ideas for activities/challenges that can be showcased through short videos:

• Organise a family lesson about sanitation and hygiene behaviours to prevent the increase of the pandemic (handwashing, facemask, no littering, sneezing in elbow or covering mouth, social distancing).

• Investigate how clean water is supplied to your home and how to minimise the use/wastage of water (discuss the issue with other students)

• Investigate and present the challenges to have access to clean water and sanitation

• Present ideas for other schools and families how to organise a hygiene system at home, in communities or school

• Give tips to how to best keep social distancing on the way from and to home

Examples of social media posts

In the description of each post, further details will be added.

Each social media post about activities are available for NOs on Podio as templates so that the text can be translated into the preferred language.

2. Waste Management and Littering
Disposable protective materials like masks and gloves have created a new stream of hazardous waste. As more time is spent at home, there is an opportunity to extend this activity to sustainable consumption and involve the family in making choices to reduce waste in the bin.

Detailed information about upcoming campaigns will be updated.

PRESS RELEASE: 2020 Travel Retail Awards will raise funds for Litter Less Campaign projects in India

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has been selected by TRBusiness and our valued partners at Mars Wrigley to be the beneficiary of funds raised during the 2020 Travel Retail Awards. The third edition of the annual awards ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place in Singapore in May, will now be held virtually on 29 September during the TRMarketplace Digital Forum. 

The funds raised at the Travel Retails Awards will be directed towards the Litter Less Campaign, a joint initiative of FEE and the Mars Wrigley Foundation. The Litter Less Campaign educates children and youth on the issues of litter and pollution and gives them the opportunity to engage their local communities in awareness-raising activities.

Since its launch in 2011, the Litter Less Campaign has educated over three million students around the world about the challenges of litter and waste and empowered them to become leaders driving sustainability and positive behaviour change in their communities. Phase IV of the Litter Less Campaign was launched in 2019 and will be implemented in 15 countries through two of FEE’s global education programmes: Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment.

The Travel Retail Awards will raise funds through a charity prize raffle of high-value items donated by the event’s sponsors and participants. Proceeds raised for the Litter Less Campaign at the event will be specifically directed to projects based in twelve schools the region of New Delhi, India. The Litter Less Campaign will engage roughly 6,000 students and reach hundreds of communities in the region, where littering and waste management issues pose serious challenges.  

Click here to donate to the Litter Less Campaign.

“Mars Wrigley ITR is proud to partner with TRBusiness to raise funds for the important work of the Litter Less Campaign to drive behaviour change around litter and waste prevention. With support from the travel retail community, we truly believe The Litter Less Campaign will create better communities in India.  We are very excited about the opportunity to drive impact in this way,”

— Gary Clarke, General Manager, Mars Wrigley ITR

“FEE is very grateful to be the beneficiary of the funds raised at the Travel Retail Awards. The travel retail industry’s generous support and cooperation will be of great help in our ongoing efforts to educate and change the behaviour of children, youth and adults around the world to reduce the negative impacts of litter,”

— Daniel Schaffer, CEO, Foundation for Environmental Education

The Litter Less Campaign Video 2020

About the Travel Retail Awards

TRBusiness, retail’s leading provider of duty free and travel retail news, launched the first and only consumer-voted awards dedicated to the travel retail industry in 2018. The game-changing initiative and awards event recognises true ingenuity in travel retailing. It awards airports and products following a judging process, which involves expert research and priceless consumer blogger and video blogger feedback to crown the industry’s trailblazers.

About Foundation for Environmental Education

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world's largest environmental education organisation, with members in 77 countries around the world. Through five ground-breaking programmes that represent the cutting edge in Education for Sustainable Development, FEE empowers people to take meaningful and purposeful action to help create a more sustainable world.

About the Mars Wrigley Foundation

The Mars Wrigley Foundation partners with organisations around the world to help people and communities flourish. Since its establishment in 1987, the Mars Wrigley Foundation has contributed over $70 million USD to projects that support oral health education and care, improve lives in mint- and cocoa-growing regions, prevent litter and waste and create vibrant communities.

PRESS RELEASE: Litter Less Campaign

Since 2011, the Litter Less Campaign has engaged over 3 million students from schools across 35 different countries, making it the longest-running school campaign on litter and waste. The campaign continues to inspire positive behaviour change by educating students, teachers, parents and communities about the critical environmental issues of litter, waste and pollution.

Launched in 2011, the Litter Less Campaign (LLC) is now entering the second year of its fourth phase, which means that Northern Hemisphere countries running the campaign have finalised the first year of phase four. The campaign is a joint initiative of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and the Mars Wrigley Foundation that educates children and youth about the issues of litter, waste and pollution and gives them the opportunity to seek solutions and engage their local communities in awareness-raising activities.

“The Mars Wrigley Foundation is proud to support millions of students around the world through the Litter Less Campaign. Empowering students to lead litter prevention efforts and identify solutions to minimize waste creates better communities for us all. We are particularly appreciative of student’s commitment, creativity and resilience this year as they continued to drive positive behavior change during this challenging time,”

- Anne Vela-Wagner, Executive Director of the Mars Wrigley Foundation.

The Litter Less Campaign focuses on creating positive behaviour change through education, and shapes students into young leaders driving sustainability in their own communities. Students carry out litter action plans and media campaigns aimed at specific litter and waste issues through FEE’s Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programmes.

“We at FEE are excited to initiate the second year of this phase that, so far, has entailed countless challenges of restructuring and adjusting, and we are proud to say that we have continued to educate and empower children and youths around the world, undeterred by these new circumstances. The global threat of litter and waste is just as important now as ever, and we are privileged to be able to continue these efforts with the funding and cooperation of the Mars Wrigley Foundation,”

- Daniel Schaffer, CEO of Foundation for Environmental Education.

A campaign with a clear impact

Research from 2019-2020 shows that the Litter Less Campaign had a positive impact on students’ knowledge, behaviour and opinion leadership with respect to litter and waste management. The research indicates that students who participate in the LLC know more about waste management, are less likely to litter, and are more likely to conserve resources compared with students who do not participate in the campaign. LLC students are also more likely than their peers to encourage others to engage in environmentally responsible behaviour.  During only this past year, an astonishing 464,533 students participated in the campaign and 193 schools implemented recycling systems in response to the campaign.

“The impact of the Litter Less Campaign during these last few years is incredibly huge. Schools have highlighted how the behavior of pupils, staff and members of the community has changed as a positive consequence of it. The increase in awareness in terms of recycling, reusing and reducing is the evidence of the success of this campaign,”

- Julie Giles, former national operator in Northern Ireland.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge in the latter part of this campaign year. With school lock-downs, curfews, and restrictions on gatherings in place, the whole campaign was forced to restructure. Despite these challenges, participants in the campaign have been incredibly creative and committed to continuing their efforts from home.

Special Eco-Schools and YRE and ES #stayhome campaigns were launched to encourage students and teachers to stay environmentally engaged during school lock-downs. The LLC lesson plans were adjusted for home schooling, and several online meetings and webinars were organised to ensure that participants had the tools and support to continue the campaign from a distance. Although it has been a big adjustment, the majority of participating countries were still able to complete the first year of phase four.

The Litter Less Campaign Video 2020

About the Mars Wrigley Foundation

The Mars Wrigley Foundation partners with organizations around the world to help people and communities flourish. Founded in 1987, the Foundation works to provide oral health education and care, improve lives in mint- and cocoa-growing regions, prevent litter and waste, and create vibrant communities. For more information: www.marswrigleyfoundation.com

Countries implementing the Litter Less Campaign in 2019-2021

Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, India, Ireland, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain and Wales.

A Green Challenge for Everyone

Last year in Montenegro, four schools got together to collaborate on an ambitious project in order to increase the students’ knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Story provided by Olivera Lučić – Nikšić, Montenegro

The four schools implemented many different activities to raise awareness about the SDGs. They produced T-shirts, posters, brochures, and flyers to get the word around. They made a teacher-competition where they awarded the teachers who successfully had implemented the SDGs in their own subjects through collaboration and teamwork.

They also created a web platform for students with Green Challenges in different categories like Water, Food, Waste, Fashion, Health and more. The students participating in the challenge collected points in the different categories and were asked to document their initiatives through photographs and videos. A three-member jury chose the winners in each of the different categories.   

In order to create “Green Classrooms”, some of the students at the schools also made benches for the courtyard out of recyclable materials, planted indigenous trees, flowers, and creepers to provide a nice setting for outdoor classes.

To spread the word about the initiatives in the four schools and encourage other schools to do the same, the project team created an online application form for all interested elementary and secondary schools. This resulted in more than 30 teachers and about 600 students from across the country being involved in the “A Green Challenge for Everyone” project.

A computer science teacher from one of the involved schools describes the project like this:

““This project creates educational content for primary and secondary school students to be prepared for new social and environmental challenges in the future and to make important life and business decisions. It is of great importance to create such educational content for primary and secondary school students who are in a period of life when they receive the most information on a daily basis, which they need to integrate into their daily activities, and on which the further development of them as individuals, as well as the society in which they operate, depends most”. ”

The sustainability awareness created by the project also spread to the community surrounding the schools. The students showed great interest in transferring their responsibility and knowledge about their impact on the environment to their families and the wider community.

Eco-Schools students in Qatar come together to reduce their “food print”

At Doha College in Qatar, a student from the schools Eco Committee had the idea of creating more vegetarian options at the school cafeteria. This idea led to multiple activities and campaigns that all had the mission to make students more aware of their “food print” and at the same time encourage them to choose more low carbon food options.

Story provided by Ruba Hinnawi, Doha College – Qatar

25 % of the Qatari children are overweight and 17 % of the adult population has diabetes. This, along with the fact that Qatar only produces 27 % of the food they consume, makes it an important need to bring the Qatari youth closer to the food they eat and help them understand the connections between their diet and health, as well as the impact their food habits have on the environment.

The Eco Committee at Doha College showed great initiative to accomplish this when they helped bring the school’s attention to its “food print” and encouraged the school to have more vegetarian options at school and at home. In collaboration with a local business, the school even opened a vegan tuck shop at the school cafeteria. Lasitha Edirisinghe, Eco School Prefect describes the vegan café:

“‘After the Eco School campaigns, and the free tasting sessions that we organised, people starting going there for lunch much more often. By the end of the first year, more and more people were going there, partly because we were more aware that it was better for the environment, but also because the food just tasted really good!!

”

The school came up with many different ideas to spread awareness about the impact that our eating habits have on the environment. They organised different competitions to promote sustainable food habits and initiated a Green Day that included different green activities, one being food stalls with either high carbon or low carbon snacks where the prices reflected the items’ different carbon emission based on a specific tax on the high carbon food.

The school’s Eco Committee also sent out surveys to the students to review their willingness to consume less meat. Afterwards, the school launched Meatless Mondays which lead to Meatless May, where they used the school’s social media platforms to encourage the students and their families to continue the sustainable food lifestyle while they were confined to their homes due to COVID-19.

Other activities related to the school’s sustainable food initiatives were trips to local farms where the students had the opportunity to learn about what it takes to produce food.

As a part of Qatar Sustainability week, the school also implemented different green activities that were open to parents and community members. Almost 1,000 students from primary to high school participated in the activities. Brian Kerr, Eco-School Coordinator describes the impact here:

“Students in Doha College are now highly cognisant of the food industry, its impact on the environment, and how they themselves have agency in the consumer decisions that they make”

Raising the next generation of eco-warriors to change the world

Frugi partners with Keep Britain Tidy’s Eco-Schools programme to help fund up to 150 UK schools to achieve a Green Flag certification

Press release from Eco-Schools England

2 July 2020 - Frugi, the leading ethical and organic children’s clothing company, is proud to announce a partnership with Eco-Schools as part of their Little Clothes BIG Change charity initiative. Each year Frugi donates 1% of turnover to charity and has so far donated £600,000 over the past 16 years to help children and environmental non-profit organisations.

Frugi’s ambition is ‘to help raise the next generation of eco-warriors to change the world’, which makes the Eco-Schools programme, the largest educational programme in the world, the ideal partner.   

With a goal to empower young people to take environmental actions to get their whole school and community involved, schools follow a Seven Step programme that culminates in achieving an international Eco-Schools Green Flag certification.

Frugi/Eco-School Partnership

Frugi is committed to funding the Eco-Schools Green Flag fees for up to 150 UK schools from Early Years Foundation (3-5), Primary Schools (5-11) all the way through to Secondary and Further Education (12-18) and is the first company to sponsor schools for all age groups. 

To kick off the partnership, Frugi is sponsoring a ’10-day challenge’ as part of the hugely successful #EcoSchoolsAtHome campaign which was launched during the Covid-19 lockdown. Each day Frugi and Eco-Schools will launch a new challenge around one of the Eco-Schools topics: Biodiversity, Energy, Global Citizenship, Healthy Living, Litter, Marine, School Grounds, Transport, Waste and Water. The challenges are being supported by a raft of environmental influencers, including household names such as Rowing Champion Helen Glover, Robert Douglas from This Father Life, TV Presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and young cycling guru Ruby Isaacs.  Frugi will also be running various competitions for pupils to win organic t-shirt and sock bundles, water-bottles, back-packs, and other ethically made goodies, during the week.

“Benefiting children, communities, and our environment, Eco-Schools share the same goals, ambitions, and ethos of Frugi.  That’s why we are so proud and excited to be part of this collective global effort to support the education of children on sustainable and environmental issues and to help them to change our world for the better,” says Hugo Adams, CEO of Frugi.

National Eco-Schools Manager Lee Wray-Davies says, “No school in England has to be an Eco-School, and yet 20,100 Eco-Coordinators have given their valuable time (some for over 20 years) to manage and run the programme in their schools, on top of the additional pressures and responsibilities they face within an ever-changing education sector. The maturity and determination of their students to make an environmental difference is a testimony to these inspiring individuals and the Eco-Schools programme. We are the largest educational programme on the planet and with the support of wonderful organisations such as Frugi; helping us to create innovative projects and financially support schools, I don’t doubt we will continue to be for another generation.”

What is Eco-Schools?

Eco-Schools was introduced in 1994 in England as a response to the 1992 UN Rio Earth Summit. It now runs across 67 countries with more than 1,000 English schools proudly flying the internationally recognised Green Flag Award.  It is operated globally by the Foundation for Environmental Education and is managed in England by Keep Britain Tidy.

Keep Britain Tidy is a charity and it is free to register on the Eco-Schools programme. Once registered, schools gain access to free Eco-Schools resources that help them meet the international Seven Step criteria. A fee of £200 (+VAT) is charged to cover the cost of an assessor visit once the programme has been completed and the Green Flag/certification schools received. 

How Does It work?

Spanning 67 countries worldwide, the Eco-School’s programme gives pupils the freedom to decide one of ten Eco-Schools topics they want to work on. Once they have chosen the topics, they are free to decide what actions they want to take and how they are going to involve their school and community. The whole process takes around one academic year until they become a proud Green Flag owner and fully established Eco-School.

The Eco-Schools programme consists of three structural elements, including the Seven Step Framework, the Eco-Schools Topics and assessment for the international Green Flag award. To be successful the programme requires support from school leaders and active involvement from staff, as well as a long-term commitment and the willingness to involve students in decision-making. The Eco-Schools Seven Steps methodology is a series of carefully engineered measures to help schools maximise the success of their Eco-School ambitions.

Why is it worthwhile?

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 and their families.

When a child gets actively involved with Eco-Schools, they enhance their development and are encouraged to use their imagination and voice in a safe, non-judgemental environment. They become minute makers, organisers, planners, and influencers. Eco-Schools has the power to transform pupils into forward thinking, challenge solving, decision making adults of the future.  This not only benefits so many children’s lives, but it helps raise environmental change-makers of the future.

As well as the benefits to pupils, individual schools’ benefit from reducing their environmental impact. Eco-Schools consume less water and energy and produce less waste – in turn saving money that can be allocated elsewhere in the school.

Find out more about the Eco-Schools programme and register for free on their website:
https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/

About Frugi

Frugi was founded in 2004 by Kurt & Lucy Jewson after they struggled to find clothes to fit over cloth nappies. 16 years later, Frugi is the UK’s leading ethical and organic children’s clothing brand available to buy online from welovefrugi.com and over 500 retailers globally in 30 countries. The full range includes tiny baby to ten years with a stylish twinning, maternity, and breastfeeding range for Grown-Ups, as well as bedding and accessories.

Designed in Cornwall, Frugi are daft about clever details and famous for vibrant prints, fun appliqués, and super comfy designs. The range is made from supremely soft, premium organic cotton or recycled materials. Frugi are proud to be certified by the Soil Association and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) receiving the highest level of certification in the world of leading textile processing standards. Every year 1% of turnover is donated to charity through the Frugi Little Clothes, Big Change initiative.  

Frugi is the trading name of Cut4Cloth Ltd registered in England, company number 05011885. The registered office is Wheal Vrose Business Park, Helston, Cornwall TR13 0FG.

Media Inquiries: Samantha Dark, PR Manager at Frugi, sam.dark@welovefrugi.com

Eco-Schools Social Return on Investment

As long as the world is still struggling to achieve universal access for all children into quality primary and secondary education, programmes for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will be sidelined. But what if these ESD initiatives held answers which could help reverse some of the complex and contextual issues which are preventing progress in education quality, or access for children into education?

This study builds on earlier evidence showing improved enrolment and decreased dropout in primary schools operating rights-based Education for Sustainable Development programme ‘Eco-Schools’ in East Africa. This study aims to qualify enrolment, dropout and academic performance statistics by providing a detailed but holistic account of the processes responsible for the change in six successful Eco-Schools in Uganda and Tanzania. Find the report here.

GCS Wild Flight Launched with two Eco-Schools in South Africa

The 13th of March has proven to be a very important day for the Amur Falcon in South Africa in 2019 and 2020.

In 2019, the 13th of March was marked as the start of a big rescue and rehabilitation operation of the Amur Falcon after a terrible hailstorm injured more than 1 000 of them in the Midlands area of Kwazulu Natal (KZN), South Africa.

On the 13th of March 2020, the WESSA Eco-Schools programme launched a project to learn more about and initiate ways to protect these migratory birds, Amur Falcon, when they are in South Africa. This project is called the Global Citizenship for Sustainability’s Wild Flight and is in partnership with Eco-Schools in India (Centre for Environmental Education) and Mongolia (FEE Mongolia).    

Two of the WESSA Eco-Schools, Treverton Preparatory School and College and King’s School, in the KZN Midlands area were selected to take part in this project because they are located close to a few roosting sites of the Amur Falcon. Along with WESSA, these two schools have formed a task team on learning and sharing important facts and stories about the Amur Falcon.

At the launch of the project in South Africa, Cindy-Lee Cloete (WESSA Eco-Schools) facilitated a process of organizing creative ideas for action conservation projects on the Amur Falcon in South Africa, and specifically the Midlands area in KZN. Kristi Garland from BirdLife South Africa gave the task team a good overview of the Amur Falcon in South Africa and also made a generous donation of 7 binoculars and 7 bird identification guides to the project.

As the South African Amur Falcon team, we are very excited to work with the Indian and Mongolian task teams to learn more about how schools from different countries can work together to advance sustainability.

PRESS RELEASE: International Schools Association joins the Eco-Schools network

PRESS RELEASE

International Schools Association joins the Eco-Schools network

Contact: Nicole Andreou, International Eco-Schools Coordinator nicole@fee.global

On 25 February 2020, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and the International Schools Association (ISA) entered a MOU with the aspiration to achieve shared goals within the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) developed the Eco-Schools programme in 1992 and launched it globally in 1994, as a response to the needs identified at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Since then, the Eco-Schools programme has evolved and retained global reach, becoming an acclaimed international model for Environmental Education and sustainability. Eco-Schools supports the Agenda 2030 and the ESD principles by using a holistic whole-institution approach with its Seven-Step methodology and by building meaningful partnerships.

Global Citizenship, a key outcome of Education for Sustainable Development, is a key value that a learner has to have, along with carrying the sustainability perspective to their future workspace. By definition, International schools have a responsibility to develop this as a core value in their students. I am happy that ISA has adopted this as a core strategy and is joining the Eco-Schools programme.

-        Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director of Education, Foundation for Environmental Education

Within this framework, FEE has partnered with ISA, a well-recognised player in promoting and supporting Education for Sustainability. ISA, founded in 1951, is a prominent organisation in the world of international education and is dedicated to consulting and guiding educators in this area. The ISA Education for Sustainability Curricular Framework for K-12 guides the teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development.

We intend to benefit our two separate school communities in the best possible way. We have chosen carefully to partner to mutually benefit each other, knowingly  surrounding  ourselves with partners who share the same passion for teaching and learning and passing onto the next generation important values such as international understanding and sustainability.  

-        John Lees, Chairman of the Board, International Schools Association    

The partnership promotes collaboration, acknowledgement and mutual appreciation of the two organisations under a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement. Both organisations are recognised by UNESCO and are dedicated to jointly advance ESD today to better the environment of tomorrow.

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) www.fee.global

International Schools Association (ISA) www.isaschools.org/

Nicole Andreou, International Eco-Schools Coordinator, Selected as EE 30 Under 30 Changemaker Grantee

Nicole Andreou was chosen for her work to develop EE professional development opportunities

Washington, D.C., United States, March 9, 2020 – Nicole Andreou, International Eco-Schools Coordinator at the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), was selected as an EE 30 Under 30 Changemaker grantee by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). She will join a cohort of thirteen leaders from eight countries, receiving small grants and technical support to implement environmental education projects that build low-carbon economies, create resilient communities, and protect and restore ecosystems.

Nicole’s grant project will provide EE professional development opportunities for National Operators of the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Eco-Schools programme across 68 countries.

“This project involves different aspects of learning and transferring knowledge that ultimately help build my capacity as an educator and will support many in the FEE network with the right knowledge, tools and skills to implement work with environmental education more effectively,” said Nicole Andreou. Her project will be implemented in collaboration with experts within the global FEE network.

“Wells Fargo understands the urgency of accelerating a just transition to a low-carbon economy and helping communities become more resilient to the impacts of climate change – that’s why we collaborated with NAAEE to support these inspiring Changemakers. Through their passion, innovation, and perseverance, these young leaders are helping to shape the communities of the future,” says CaSondra Devine, Enterprise Sustainability Leader at Wells Fargo.  

EE 30 Under 30 Changemaker grantees will lead their projects over the course of 10 months, and in addition to seed funding will receive professional development support, including the opportunity to present about their work at NAAEE’s 49th international conference in Tucson, AZ, in October 2020.

Says Judy Braus, Executive Director of NAAEE, “Our EE 30 Under 30 Changemaker grantees exemplify the very best in environmental education and inspire us to think boldly about how we can tackle the tough issues we face. NAAEE is so proud to collaborate with Wells Fargo on this initiative, and to be able to provide these leaders with the support they need to shape healthier and more sustainable communities.”

In 2019, Nicole Andreou was recognized through NAAEE’s global EE 30 Under 30 program, which annually recognizes exemplary leaders under the age of 30 who are harnessing the power of education to create a more sustainable future. To learn more, visit naaee.org/ee30under30.

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About NAAEE

For nearly five decades, the North American Association for Environmental Education has led efforts to use the power of education to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement and create a more equitable and sustainable future. NAAEE supports a network of more than 20,000 educators and 56 state, regional and provincial affiliate organizations working in environmental education in more than 30 countries. 

Contact Name: Nina Hamilton | Contact Email: nina@naaee.org | Contact Phone: (202) 419-0412

New Litter Less Campaign video released

Our Litter Less Campaign spot has just been released! See the short video below.

The Litter Less Campaign is a joint initiative of the Mars Wrigley Foundation and Foundation for Environmental Education. Since its launch in 2011, the Litter Less Campaign has educated over three million students around the world about the challenges of litter and waste in their communities and empowered them to become leaders driving sustainability and positive behavioural change.

To learn more about the campaign, visit the websites of Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment.

Eco-Schools´ students in Mexico show Global Citizenship

Green Oaks College, located in Mexican Veracruz State, is working to obtain already its third Green Flag.

This academic year is the Eco-School running again the Global Citizen theme, which includes various activities and mini-projects promoting the values of solidarity and sustainability.

The Global Citizen theme is operated at the Green Oaks College through The Commission for Support for the Community, which is in place since 2011 and involves the students, teachers, parents in giving direction to the collective actions. The aim is to raise the students to become committed citizens within their society, ensuring that the new generations develop a strong social consciousness, support the most needed and promote students' participation in social life, policymaking, economy and culture of Mexico.

One of the activities organized was the visit of Green Oaks College students in “Boquenitos” Kinder Garden in January 2020. During their visit, students of secondary school spend their day and played with the children from this center.  Through social service, the students are to become more sensitive to social issues and strengthen their values such as tolerance, empathy, respect and social inclusion. The activity was also designed to ferment the social service spirit in them and help them understand and be grateful for what they own in their lives.

Green Oaks College, under the Global Citizen theme, organizes among other activities also the annual clothes collection, a Thanksgiving or a Green Night, all aiming to sensitize the students to social issues and bringing a benefit for the community. As another example could serve the Green Paw Project, which took for its goal that the “Bocana community” will become the first one without stray animals.

We at Eco-Schools are happy to see such initiatives and wish Green Oaks College and its students all the best luck!

GCS Wild Flight launched in India at the 13th COP of the CMS

Credits Derek Keats fromJohannesburg, South Africa

GCS Wild Flight – Connecting Eco-Schools on the flight path of Amur Falcon (Mongolia, India and South Africa) launched at the 13th COP of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

Six Eco-Schools in the three countries along the Amur Falcon´s migratory route will collaborate and learn about sustainability challenges.

““The project will provide a more “holistic” approach to an understanding about migration in the context of both ecosystems and how it impacts society in terms of sustainable livelihoods.” ”

— Chong ShimrayDepartment of Education in Science and Mathematics, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi

Foundation for Environmental Education’s members implementing Eco-Schools in India, Mongolia and Siuth Africa are collaborating on the innovative project. The initiative is being led by the Centre for Environment Education in partnership with the Information and Training Centre for Nature and Environment in Mongolia and Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) in South Africa. The pilot initiative “GCS Wild Flight” with the focus on the Amur Falcon was launched at the 13th COP of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) organized by UN Environment, which was held 15-22nd of February in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

“The GCS Wildflight initiative goes to the heart of what CMS is all about as it connects schools in different countries over the migratory path of the Amur Falcon”

— Kartikeya Sarabhai, Director of Centre for Environment Education in India

The Amur Falcons are fascinating migratory raptors that make the 22,000 km voyage from breeding grounds in Mongolia, Russia, and China across India to winter in Southern Africa (read more). However, a lot remains to be discovered about this species. GCS Wild Flight initiative aims to address this issue and involve two Eco-Schools each from the three countries in the process of discovering and learning about these interesting birds, their migratory pattern, life cycles, conservation challenges and stories associated with them. This will be all possible also thanks to the E-Twinning using the technology and webinar of the Eco-Schools.

Amur Falcon. Credits: Bernard DUPONT

“Falcon is a traditional and historical symbol of Mongolia. The initiative is a good way to connect with natural and cultural heritage”

— Shinesetseg Erdenebayar, National Operator for Mongolia

The school-communities in the three countries embarked on a common journey of learning, building communication and facilitating exchange. GCS Wild Flight follows the Eco-Schools´ 7 Steps methodology that will enable the students to be involved in the whole process, from exploring issues to finding solutions and taking local action.

Map by Jillian Ditner; source: BirdLife International Data Zone. See larger image.

“We plan to link the schools with an organisation which worked with Amur Falcon last year when a large number of them were affected due to unseasonal hail storm, one of the impacts of climate change. ”

— Cindy-Lee Cloete, Internation Schools Programme Manager for WESSA

Each partner and national operator involved in the project brings specific local knowledge and engages their community. The initiative is also exploring the possibility of further partnerships with wildlife and education experts, who have worked on this species. Each school involved in the programme will make a presentation to other countries through a webinar while the bird is visiting their country.

This exciting project has been already launched in India and Mongolia; South Africa will officially commence on the 13th of March.

“The pilot project will provide us with a template to connect children with issues beyond their countries and develop an understanding that we all live on One Earth.”

— Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director of Education, FEE

2020 Travel Retail Awards will raise funds for Litter Less Campaign projects in India

UPDATE: TRBusiness.com - TFWA has taken the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition. Consequently the TRBusiness Travel Retail Awards ceremony will not take place in Singapore on Tuesday 12 May as initially planned, but will be relocated to a venue in London in June. 

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The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has been nominated by our valued partner the Mars Wrigley Foundation to be the beneficiary of funds raised during the 2020 Travel Retail Awards. The third edition of the annual awards ceremony, which is organised by TRBusiness, will be held on the 12th of May at The Conrad Hotel in Singapore.

The funds raised at the Travel Retails Awards will be directed towards the Litter Less Campaign, a joint initiative of FEE and the Mars Wrigley Foundation. The Litter Less Campaign educates children and youth on the issues of litter and pollution and gives them the opportunity to engage their local communities in awareness-raising activities. Since its launch in 2011, the Litter Less Campaign has educated over three million students around the world about the challenges of litter and waste in their communities and empowered them to become leaders driving sustainability and positive behaviour change. Phase IV of the Litter Less Campaign was launched in 2019 and will be implemented in 15 countries through two of FEE’s global education programmes, Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment.

The Travel Retail Awards raise funds through a charity prize raffle of high-value products donated by the event’s sponsors and participants, along with cash donations made throughout the evening. Proceeds raised for the Litter Less Campaign at the May 2020 event will be specifically directed to projects at twelve schools in the region of New Delhi, India. The Litter Less Campaign will engage roughly 6,000 students and reach hundreds of communities in the region, where littering and waste management issues pose a serious challenge.  

“As a business that is all about better moments that make the world smile, Mars Wrigley ITR is proud to partner with TRBusiness to raise awareness and funds for the Litter Less Campaign. FEE’s Litter Less projects drive behaviour change around litter and waste prevention. They will create better communities in India with the support from the travel retail community, and we are very excited about the opportunity to drive impact in this way.”

–Gary Clarke, General Manager, Mars Wrigely ITR

“FEE is privileged for the funding and for the partnership it has been granted by the Mars Wrigley Foundation since 2011. Litter is a form of pollution that poses an increasing global problem but that can be solved by change in individual behaviour. The Litter Less Campaign is an essential part of our ongoing efforts to educate and change the behaviour of children, youth and adults around the world to reduce the negative impacts of litter. Any additional support that can help us in our pursuit to make schools hubs of positive change will be greatly valued and put to good use. We are grateful to be the designated charity of the Travel Retail Awards and thank the travel retail industry for its generous support and cooperation.”

-Daniel Schaffer, CEO, Foundation for Environmental Education

Funds from the 2020 Travel Retail Awards will benefit Litter Less Campaign projects in India

About the Travel Retail Awards

TRBusiness, retail’s leading provider of duty free and travel retail news, launched the first and only consumer-voted awards dedicated to the travel retail industry in 2018. The game-changing initiative and awards event recognises true ingenuity in travel retailing. It awards airports and products following a judging process, which involves expert research and priceless consumer blogger and video blogger feedback to crown the industry’s trailblazers.

About Foundation for Environmental Education

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world's largest environmental education organisation with members in 77 countries. Through five ground-breaking programmes, FEE empowers people to take meaningful and purposeful action to help create a more sustainable world.

About the Mars Wrigley Foundation

The Mars Wrigley Foundation partners with organizations around the world to help people and communities flourish. Founded in 1987, the Foundation works to provide oral health education and care, improve lives in mint- and cocoa-growing regions, prevent litter and waste, and create vibrant communities.

How to reuse pallets as Plant boxes with the eco-school - British international school of Riyadh

Story provided by the British International school Riyadh-  Saudi Arabia

The British International school of Riyadh was confronted to an issue : the school could not commit to an expansion of the existing Eco Garden due to planned redevelopment of the school site.

Every member of the school scratched their heads. The eco-committee after working on an environmental review decided on an action plan, focusing for this academic year on the expansion of the existing
eco-garden. To achieve this objective they all came out with one solution : placing plant boxes at various sites around the school.

The solution found, it was up to the whole school to take part to this fabulous project, a real team work as Ms Helen Olds, Principle of the British International School Riyadh,  commented "Even those who were initially skeptical and reluctant got involved and seemed to have fun. It’s good to get everyone engaged in our eco work."

The Senior Eco-Coordinator liaised with a parent who worked on a large scale farm outside Riyadh for the delivery of approximately 50 used pallets. Upon receipt of the pallets in May 2019, the school maintenance staff disassembled them, ready for the teaching and administrative staff to construct the plant boxes from during INSET training week in August.

The constructed plant boxes were then handed over to the Senior Eco-Committee who decorated them with the odd touch of paints. Therefore, students developed their art and planting skills, while staff applied their construction skills.

By November, the plant boxes were ready to be placed at prearranged locations around the school site. The Primary Eco-Committee then added the plants they had purchased and took on the task of watering the plant boxes for the rest of the academic year.

This complies with  Eco Code motto of this Saudi Arabian  eco-school 'green thinking in a brown desert.'

Keep Britain Tidy celebrates 25 years of Eco-Schools with National Award Ceremony

Author: Nora Schuh

On 12th December 2019, 160 Eco-Schools students, teachers and supporters gathered at the world famous Etihad Stadium in Manchester for Eco-Schools England’s first ever National Award Ceremony. The evening was hosted by Keep Britain Tidy and presided over by famous adventurer, television presenter and author Steve Backshall. Marking 25 years of the Eco-Schools programme in England, the event was a celebration of the amazing work undertaken by a generation of Eco-Schools across the country.

“The purpose of the event was to recognize the hard work and determination of Eco Schools, Eco-Committees, Eco-Coordinators and Green Flag Assessors who have made the programme as successful as it is in England - without them we would not be the largest educational programme. ”

— Lee Wray-Davies, Eco-Schools Manager, England

Sixteen schools and individuals were honoured with awards for excellence in the Eco-Schools programme. Over 70 students aged 6-17 from award-winning schools attended the ceremony, along with their teachers and Eco-Coordinators. A number of local authorities and corporate partners who have supported the programme over the years also joined in the festivities.

The evening culminated with the presentation of the Eco-Schools Lifetime Achievement Award to Cannon Burrows Church of England Primary School. In 1998, Cannon Burrows became the first school in England to earn a Green Flag. The school has since achieved 10 Green Flags and has been frequently recognised for excellence in environmental education. One of the Cannon Burrows teachers in attendance at the award ceremony was also a student on the school’s first Eco-Committee in 1994, proving that Cannon Burrows has been educating young people about the environment for a generation.

All of the awarded schools and individuals have gone above and beyond to achieve Eco-Schools excellence. You can find out more about the award winners here: Award Winner Biographies

All photos by Martin Birchall

The Eco-Schools National Award Ceremony was made possible by the Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Vienna International School Global Action Day

This text was adapted from Vienna International School

In November 2019, Vienna International School (VIS) celebrated two important events: the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and joining many schools around the world to engage in Global Action Day.

Since 2017, VIS has been part of the important mission to take action to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefrom, the school has been committed to provide education for sustainable development to the students in their journey to become responsible global citizens who adopt their lifestyles and way of thinking towards building a sustainable planet.

Through education for sustainable development, Vienna International School teaches students about the world and encourages them to become active participants in their communities. VIS believes that learning about the UN goals helps students develop insights into issues around the world and understand the unique challenges facing communities all over the world, and later figure out how they can contribute towards making the world a better place. By learning about the Sustainable Development Goals, it is VIS’ belief that students and teachers will be inspired to take action and make positive changes in big and small ways. At VIS, they already see the effects thereof daily – from high school students raising awareness about climate change to first graders conserving water or planting lavender to encourage pollination. VIS finds that students in any grade level can learn about the SDGs in age-appropriate ways through classroom activities and later apply the learning in ways they find meaningful.

The VIS Global Action Day was a special event for raising awareness and inspiring action towards making a better environment for all. The event was a celebration of the learning that took place across the school about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the area of the school’s environment. When coming to the school in the morning, the community was welcomed with a very special treat. The Ambassador of Slovenia (Mag. Ksenija Skrilec) and her staff hosted the European Honey Breakfast, an event to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy breakfast for children. As part of the event, staff, students, and parents received an apple, honey sandwiches, and delicious potica – the traditional Slovenian cake while listening to the talented Primary School Orchestra.

Throughout the school day, the students took part in The World’s Largest Lesson and took time to inquire about each of the SDGs to build their knowledge of the goal, the related issues associated with it, and ways they could take action in their own lives to help achieve that goal. Following the Global Action Day, the Grade 5 students staged a series of dramatic climate action shows, to create a variety of riveting theatrical scenes raising collective awareness of how climate change will impact our world and inspire an urgent call to action.

Congratulations to the Green Teams of students, teachers, and parents for putting together this big event to take the school community on a journey from awareness to consciousness about the SDGs and for their endless endeavors towards a more peaceful, healthy and equitable world.

Flea market in Eco-School in Thailand

Story provided by Wanvipa Ratthanapilom, Wat Bangna Nai School

Wat Bangna Nai School held a flea market to prevent waste. There, students set up stations where they sold belongings that they no longer needed, such as clothes and toys, instead of throwing it out.

The Eco Committee found it problematic that many students throw away their personal belongings when they are no longer needed or used, even though they still function. Focusing on the theme of waste management, the Eco Committee decided to arrange a flea market, where the students could sell their personal belongings so they could be reused.

As many of the students come from middle or low incomes families, acquiring new clothes, toys, etc. for one’s children can be a costly matter for a family. A flea market could therefore also be a great opportunity for people to buy cheaper products.

The Eco Committee promoted the activity and the possibility for all students to register as vendors, using all the channels available at the school – school boards, the school radio and by visiting every classroom to spread the message in person. This resulted with 45 students registering as vendors.

After two months of planning, promoting and coordinating, the flea market was held on the 15 August 2019 with approximately 900 students and teachers participating. During the morning, some parents and other community members also visited the flea market.

Overall, the project was a great success, with several expressing the wish for having a flea market again.

“Many students were very excited and came to school early to set up their stalls. There were many affordable items that I would not be able to buy if it was new; Dolls, clothes, stationary and lots of toys, that got a lot of attention and were sold out in no time. Even though we opened the market for a day, many people were so impressed with it that they want us to run it again next year.”

— Veerasak, Eco Committee member from year 9