How schools can 'go green'

It was in the picturesque Mount St Joseph Jesuits' retreat, surrounded by magnificent gardens, that Nature Trust's seminar on environmental education was held recently.

Enjoying both the wisdom of the Jesuits and nature's glory, it was the perfect venue for the seminar, which proved to be a great opportunity to share beliefs, exchange views and experiences, identify problems and propose solutions in the area of environmental education.

With so much discussed, it would be a pity not to share some of the views expressed with readers.

Why environmental education?

In his opening speech, Mr Vince Attard, Nature Trust president, said that today people were much more conscious of the environment than they were in the past. Back in the 1970s, much of the local curriculum was based on foreign content, with an insignificant proportion being dedicated to Maltese examples. Today, he said proudly, the situation is different.

But if that is so, then why do we need to discuss environmental education further? The truth is that much remains to be done - particularly with regard to fostering an environmental culture and attitudes.

Dr Harry Vassallo, chairperson of Alternattiva Demokratika, said we have an enormous responsibility to keep this world beautiful. The main threat came from neglect and a 'reductionist' culture that have led to the present sad state of the environment. Unfortunately, many changes could be reversed, but we have to take the first step. Schools were a first step and an important start, he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Malta - EU Information Centre, Ms. Elaine Cordina said that raising environmental awareness was not just a local concern. It was also a very important aspect of EU policy, and teachers must be aware of what was going on in the European environmental scene, irrespective of whether Malta joins the EU or not.

So how can we improve it?

In his presentation, Dr Chris Bezzina described educational transformation as a journey. There were challenges on the way to school improvement, among which was the fact that many teachers taught in isolation, he said. There were few opportunities for teachers to get together and talk, and share their thoughts.

Teaching should not be a solitary, private act, held Dr Bezzina. Model learning is crucial: We must be able to demonstrate with our own example, experience and personal qualities. In short, one must be able to lead. Clearly, today's teaching has become more demanding.

Taking over from Dr Bezzina, Dr Paul Pace, the president of the Maltese Association of Environmental Educators (MAEE), said he believed there was an inherent incompatibility between the principles of environmental education and the predominant cultures of formal educational institutions.

To be effective, change must affect the very grassroots, mentality and attitudes. And in order to achieve that, a holistic approach was required. It was not enough just to teach about the environment. We need to educate for the environment.

A whole range of measures must be developed at all school levels, said Dr Pace. Progressively, the whole school community should incorporate an environmental ethic within its school ethos.

Focusing his presentation on practical examples, Dr Pace referred to a recent pilot initiative being spearheaded by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and the Ministry of Education. Six Maltese schools - Xaghra state primary, St Julian's state primary, St Joseph Church primary (Blata L-Bajda), Fgura state primary, Siggiewi state primary and St Edward's College - are pioneering an initiative called EkoSkola.

This is how it works: A school committee, made up of students, teachers, members of the senior management team and school maintenance staff is nominated as the focal point of the process. The committee is also expected to interact with the wider community.

Initially, the school's state of 'environmental' affairs is reviewed, findings are evaluated and concerns are identified. The key target areas are: energy, water, consumption, cleaning, waste generation, waste management, paper, the problem of vandalism. These vary according to the concerns of the school.

Once the problems are identified, the next stage is to develop an action plan to address them. The plan is then implemented at all school levels, and the implementation is monitored.

Monitoring in turn identifies new concerns that need addressing, and so the whole process starts over again. According to Dr Pace, this is a continuous chain of action that yields very concrete results.

The aim of the pilot project this year is to find out what infrastructure is required to run the project on a wider scale in the coming years.

But does it really work? Although the project is only being introduced to Malta this year, Eco Schools is actually an international programme with over 7,000 participating schools from 26 countries. It is steered by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an international NGO, which also runs other environmental management programmes, such as the Blue Flag Campaign.

In 2002, for instance, some 2,100 schools worldwide were awarded a Green Flag - a prestigious eco-label for excellence. It is important to note that the programme of eco schools is very participative by nature. Its major output is the hands-on environmental management of the school, and a better school environment as a result, as well as raising knowledge and awareness. Eco schools is a learning-by-doing programme, which has the international ISO 14001 and EMAS standards at its core.

Concluding his presentation, Dr Pace said that a very important element in environmental education is the children themselves. Our environment belongs to us all. So too does environmental education - the process itself should be shared by everyone.

Many of these ideas were echoed by Mr Orland Bonavia, from Nature Trust. He described the process as 'going green' and proposed a simple action plan for improving environmental education and management at schools.

According to Mr Bonavia, forming a 'green team' is very important. The team should involve the head or assistant head of school, students' representatives, parents and teachers. He emphasised the importance of cooperation from the business community, the authorities and local councils.

MEPA, for instance, might provide materials on waste management, resources on biodiversity and nature protection, species and habitats. Enemalta might help out on energy, the Water Services Corporation on water, and so on.

Nature Trust, on its part, would be prepared to organise visits for secondary students to Wied Ghollieqa nature reserve, guided tours, a mobile exhibition, and annual school competitions. The trust publishes the magazines 'Archipelago' and 'Il-Ballotra', and might also prepare an educational video to be shown at schools.

So there is much to be learnt, and much to be done - it was in this spirit that the seminar was concluded.

However the participants were not the first to arrive at this conclusion. It was Aristotle, who some 24 centuries ago said, "What we have to learn to do - we learn by doing."