About Eco Schools UAE

Eco-Schools is an international programme for environmental education, management and certification that aims to raise students’ awareness on sustainable development issues through classroom study as well as school and community action.

It employs a holistic, participatory approach in which students play an active role in running their school for the benefit of the environment. Eco-Schools certification is the Green Flag, an internationally acknowledged symbol for environmental excellence.

HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative

On October 18, 2010, EWS-WWF, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education and HSBC, launched Eco-Schools in the UAE with the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative. Participating in the first year are 20 schools with about 15 000 students who will work on the Eco-School core themes of energy, water and waste. Collaborating with students will be HSBC staff volunteers.

Objectives

• Raise awareness and encourage action on climate change
• Use the Eco-Schools 7-step methodology to learn and act to improve the environment and produce actual behavioural changes in students, school staff and families.
• Achieve real, measurable reductions in energy and water consumption and generation of waste to reduce carbon emissions
• Create active ‘green’ schools that have the potential for environmental certification i.e. Green Flag

Activities

Students will use the Eco-Schools process (this involves a range of stakeholders but students play the central role) to raise awareness of sustainable development issues and reduce their schools’ carbon emissions.

Working along with HSBC staff volunteers, students will form eco-committees, take up environmental audits to collect baseline data and make action plans. Linking environment with every subject in the curriculum, regular monitoring, and informing as well as involving the wider community will also be taken up.

As the academic year closes, there will be an eco-code (illustrated in posters) competition at the national and international levels.

Furthermore, schools across the 17 countries participating in the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative, can share practices and exchange ideas through the website. Finally, after one year (minimum) or two years (maximum) of the implementation of the Eco-Schools 7 steps, a school can apply for the Green Flag award.