Raising Awareness in the Community
Ideas for getting started:
- Organise a whole school clean-up activity – see Quick Clean Up Activities module
- Form an Eco Team. School Eco teams can motivate students to start a conversation at school, home and in the community.
- Use the school newsletter, school website, local newspaper or social media to raise awareness. Upload a photo, video or podcast of a street or beach clean-up, turning off lights, sorting rubbish or any other sustainability action.
- Encourage students to write a poem, comic or story for the school newsletter or local newspaper.
- Download sustainability apps like “Treasure Earth” and send posts of environmentally sustainable actions.
Image by Freepik
- Join a school network such as Ecoschools or Green Hope Foundation
- Join a campaign or make up your own campaign or competition at school. (add link to design challenge module)
- Many schools have signed up to campaigns to raise awareness about an environmental issue that needs to be addressed. Campaigns can be local, national or global:
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- Litter Less Campaign.
- Earth Day
- World Pulses Day
- Campaigns run by Green Hope Foundation
Image by Freepik
Examples in schools around the world
The following list of schools features examples of sustainability practices which are part of school programs around the world.
Generally, these schools aim to achieve a Whole School Approach; the school community integrating sustainability into their daily programs and school life.
These examples highlight some of the outstanding but achievable practices. Projects do not have to be on a large scale to be effective.
Singapore: Henry Park Primary School
Reaching Out to the Community
The students are involved communicating about the importance of environmental sustainability at school by giving presentations.
They interact with the outside community by extending their programs for plastic bag reduction; attending workshops such as the Environment Champions, Community in Nature Ambassadors.
Australia: Carrum Primary School
Carrum, Victoria, Australia
Creating communication platforms within school: “Carrumpods”
The school does regular interschool podcasts filmed and produced by the school Student Communications Team. The podcasts comprise reporting of latest developments and interviews with students about their experiences, views and feedback, showcasing the strategies they use in promoting sustainability.
Besides the school community, the podcasts are available to the wider community on the school’s website.
India: ASN Sr. Secondary Public School
Dehli, India
Creating a platform to spread the sustainability message to other schools
The students created a podcast to promote the Mega Litter-less Drive which involved collecting and responsible disposal of single use Multi-Layer Plastics (MLPs).
United Arab Emirates: Ghayathi Center for Care and Rehabilitation
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Sharing their story on the Earth Day website of how they spread the sustainability message
The Ghayathi Center has formed an environmental sustainability club incorporating the Center’s special needs members together with environmental activists and other concerned members of the Abu Dhabi community.
Southeast Asia: Jerudong International School
Brunei, Southeast Asia
A student oriented Eco Committee
The school has an Eco Committee comprising students from junior to senior levels to encourage and organise student participation in sustainability events.