/ 10 January 2008

A sustainable environment

Is your school up for a new challenge this year? How about "going green"? More schools are becoming environmentally aware and are nurturing a new generation who are tuned to the fragility of the planet.

Is your school up for a new challenge this year? How about “going green”? More schools are becoming environmentally aware and are nurturing a new generation who are tuned to the fragility of the planet.

Now in its fifth year the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) and World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Eco-Schools programme has become a valuable curriculum framework for schools to work towards sustainable development goals.

Since the Eco-Schools programme was launched in South Africa in 2003, with generous funding from Nampak, the number of schools that have registered has increased from 56 in 2003 to 882 last year. Of these schools more than half have been working with the programme for two or more years. One of the core aims is to ensure that efforts for better environmental learning and action are sustained and become part of how schools are managed.

Many of these schools – about 350 of them – were recipients of Eco-Schools awards for their efforts last year. Another 16 schools were awarded their International Eco-Schools flag at a ceremony held in Umgeni Valley, head office of Eco-Schools South Africa, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. These schools have all been part of the programme since its pilot year in 2003 and have demonstrated outstanding commitment to environmental issues at their schools and in their communities over five years.

What is particularly noteworthy is the range of schools that have earned this award, from under-resourced rural schools such as Sisizakehle Primary near Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal to Levana Primary in Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape to one of the most expensive schools in South Africa, Michaelhouse, also in KwaZulu-Natal. This clearly demonstrates one of the virtues of the programme: its flexibility to encourage environmental action and responsibility at various levels.

When schools register with the programme they commit to improving environmental learning and action through the curriculum. Relevant themes are chosen by the learners and teachers, lesson plans are developed and school improvement plans and records of their progress are collected in a portfolio.

This year international flag winner St Nicholas focused on issues of climate change. While comprehensive learning took place in the classroom, out of it, the learners took action. All their light bulbs were retro-fitted with CFLs and they reduced their water use through surveys they conducted and ensured all leaking taps were fixed, baths in the hostels were replaced with showers and water tanks were installed to collect rain water. These were just a few of the projects they undertook for 2007.

Likewise, Levana Primary in Mitchell’s Plain in the Cape has, among many projects, worked extensively on improving the school grounds over its five years of involvement, making them more water-wise through planting indigenous fynbos and in so doing increasing the local biodiversity. The school grounds at Levana are constantly improving and being used as a learning tool for creative and fun lessons, whether that be conducting mini surveys about plant identification, the importance of indigenous vegetation over alien vegetation, water issues in the garden and the importance of local ecology and biodiversity conservation. Last year learners developed an indigenous medicinal garden and learned about the uses of various medicinal plants.

Although schools are encouraged to look at local issues, they are not discouraged from looking further afield. Because it is an international programme the schools are able to link up with Eco-Schools in other countries to learn about issues that might be common or different and also to see that we are all just part of one big ecosystem. There are 40 countries participating worldwide, including China, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Brazil, and more than 21 000 participating schools.

Through the enthusiasm and commitment that shines from all Eco-Schools, there is no doubt that they will continue to spread and inspire other schools to join one of the most important quests of our time, the march to save ourselves and our planet!

For more information go to www.wessa.co.za or contact the National Eco-Schools coordination team, Caroline Conway-Physick and Bridget Ringdahl on 033 3303931, fax 086 501 3974 or email [email protected], [email protected] or write to PO Box 394, Howick, 3290.