September Newsletter
The Eco-Schools 2023/2024 programme is now live!
Last year, thousands of schools took action on climate change thanks to Eco-Schools – the largest environmental education programme in the UK.
As we enter our 30th year, more schools than ever are adopting our trusted programme to increase environmental learning and make their schools greener, cleaner places for all.
Over 98% of teachers polled in 22-23 agreed that Eco-Schools increased pupil’s knowledge about environmentalism and sustainability, whilst increasing their confidence and leadership skills.
You can now open an application for 2023-24, which will give you access to all of our great resources, plus exciting updates and new offers, find out more below!
To help you introduce the programme to your school community and guide your pupils through, we’ve produced a new suite of videos. Check out the ‘What is Eco-Schools?’ video on the front page of our website and our new seven step by clicking below.
New resource: 50 Eco-Projects
To give Eco-Coordinators and Eco-Committees inspiration for their Action Plan, we’ve compiled a directory of the 50 very best eco-projects around. You can access this resource when you open a 23/24 application and go to the Action Plan section!
Cut Your Carbon 2023-2024
This month, we’ll be launching an even bigger and better Cut Your Carbon campaign. This year’s campaign will run throughout November and it will focus on reducing your school community’s carbon footprint! Keep an eye on your inbox as we’ll be sharing more information about the campaign and how to sign up on the 27th September!
Free Eco-Schools Training
Supported by the Bupa Foundation, we’ll be delivering free training to teachers in 23-24, guiding you through the programme, helping you to become a sustainability lead in your setting, and sharing plenty of examples and ideas. Find out more and book a free spot here.
Schools’ carbon footprint calculator
In December, we will launch our new schools’ carbon footprint calculator, developed with schools and support from Let’s Go Zero. This free online tool will help you to understand your school’s carbon footprint and suggest bespoke actions that you can take to reduce your emissions. We’ll be talking about this exciting project more in the coming months!
A Healthy Living collaboration with Bupa Foundation
In the spring of 2024, we’ll be launching a brand new Eco-Project, developed in collaboration with the Bupa Foundation. The project will be a new activity, connecting to the Healthy Living topic, complete with delivery guides, resources, and other events. Keep an eye out for updates throughout the year!
A webinar to share key insights about waste minimisation and education in schools.
On 28th September at 4pm Keep Britain Tidy’s Centre for Social Innovation will be delivering a webinar for schools to share key findings from a joint research project with North London Waste Authority. During the project in depth research was undertaken to find out more about existing waste practices, barriers, and ideas for future provisions. Reserve a space on this interesting webinar by clicking below!
Updating your Eco-Schools Account Details
When you login to your Eco-Schools account this academic year, we recommend ensuring your primary contact details are correct on the Eco-Schools’ Portal. You can do this by logging into your Eco-Schools account, clicking the pencil next to my school, on the left-hand menu, editing, then clicking save at the bottom. You can also disable users who have left your school by clicking administration on the left-hand menu, users, their user, unticking the ‘User account is enabled’ option on the right-hand side, and clicking Apply.
An update for all those who achieved a Green Flag during the last academic year!
We’re delighted to announce that we have acted on your feedback and made changes to the renewal process for all those schools who achieved an Eco-Schools Green Flag during the last academic year.
Changes include:
- A streamlined application form.
- Additional clarity on the renewal criteria.
- The opportunity to choose a dated plaque instead of a flag.
- A discount on renewal accreditation for those who begin their application early.
Later this week, we will send you a further e-mail providing additional details on each update, the Eco-Schools Awards 2023, and our latest Impact Report so keep an eye on your inbox!
We’re planting almost 2000 trees this year with JUST ONE Tree
In 2022-23, we teamed with the brilliant JUST ONE Tree, who will plant a tree on behalf of all schools that achieved an Eco-Schools Green Flag.
In October, you can take part in JUST ONE Tree Day. This is a global non-uniform day uniting children, parents and teachers in a day to reforest the planet. It’s a fun and educational day which connects pupils with the importance of our natural world and demonstrates how our individual actions really do add up in the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crises.
Every £1 raised plants a tree where it’s needed the most.
Head to justonetree.life/schools-sustainability for more info.
We hope you had a wonderful summer and feel rested, rejuvenated, and ready to make a difference in 2023-2024!
The Eco-Schools Team
