Eco Schools - 'The sky is the limit'

Six local schools are to participate in a pilot initiative aimed at empowering pupils, teachers and parents to take practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of their schools.

If successful, this pilot initiative, steered by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), will enable Maltese schools to join hundreds of other schools in 26 countries in a programme known as Eco-Schools.

Each school will set up a committee of teachers, students, parents and support staff which will review the school's environmental impact, prepare an action plan and devise an eco-code outlining what the school wishes to achieve through the programme.

Mr Sergio Santos, an environmental manager and the international coordinator of the Eco Schools programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education, recently visited Malta to participate in the launch of the initiative. He was interviewed by Sergei Golovkin Cassar.

In a nutshell, what is an Eco School?

An Eco School is a school that takes upon itself the task to work together with teachers and students and non-teaching staff towards environmental improvement. It is participative. Everyone is involved and everyone shares responsibility for the school in a way that improves the environment.

By 'environment' I mean the environment with a capital 'E'. It includes not just the physical surroundings but also the social environment and the community working together.

To what extent do you think Eco Schools is an environmental or an educational initiative?

It is very much both. Perfectly integrated in the curriculum, it is an educational initiative with an environmental focus. In the course of achieving the environmental objectives, we are also dealing with the issues of citizenship, consumption, sustainable development and even democracy - all these elements come across this participative programme. Yet, the Eco Schools is also an environmental programme with the educational aspects.

But what difference can an Eco School actually make to the environment?

One thing that characterises the Eco Schools programme, like some other environmental projects, is that it has a very strong practical application element. It is a very action-oriented programme. The schools themselves should demonstrate in their work the very practical and tangible results.

Sounds very ambitious!

Obviously, the strong educational aspect of the Eco School programme creates a long-term value. We are helping children to become aware of their responsibilities and this is also true at teacher level. What is expected however, is real physical environmental improvements in the school. The teachers and students can take the lessons they learn in Eco Schools home with them.

Could it be just a drop in the ocean?

This creates a snowball effect, as the work at school is taken on board by the wider community. Why not also take it to a church, or to the theatre? So the idea is to initiate the process at schools but widen it and always emphasise action and practical levels.

What really motivates children to act even outside the Eco School?

Children are very perceptive and they quickly understand their role in environmental management. Experience has shown that the interest and enthusiasm of children goes much beyond even that of teachers and professionals working in the field of environmental management. The children are very successful in this, as they understand the impact that they can have as individuals, on the environment.

We have found that children often keep telling their parents what they should do or shouldn't do - influencing the family choice. When they go shopping, the children help parents to choose more sustainable products. They become so impassionate that they often take the leadership!

Are there any practical examples of what motivates the children into taking action?

A school in Cyprus was monitoring the energy and water consumption, taking the meter readings every morning and evening. At one time, the children found that in the morning the meter read much more than in the evening. Something was wrong, so they called the water authorities who found that there was a hidden leak. This is how they detected and solved the problem virtually overnight!

Children have found solutions much quicker than would have been the case in normal circumstances. Children do the same thing at home, as they are very enthusiastic.

What do you think is the biggest challenge to the Eco Schools project?

The main challenges lie in the beginning, when the school has to really understand the ethos behind the programme. The idea is that it is actually work to be done in partnership with the community and the local authorities. Once this is done, the sky is the limit!

Another challenge concerns teachers. The idea is that teachers sit around a table and discuss environmental initiatives with the children and other parties involved. The teacher must give children a voice to identify the issues, and also the solutions. All this works on a daily basis - this is the real challenge! It complicates the classic model of the teacher-student relationship. Not everyone is ready for this. But what really matters is that it is producing the real results.

Do you think Malta's small size may be an advantage in implementing the Eco Schools programme?

Yes, I think Malta does have an advantage in this sense, because the impact of such a programme may be more strongly and immediately felt than in the larger countries.

The high level support demonstrated in the launching conference in Malta is very good. I believe it is also a very right thing for the government to invest in the young people and the country's future.