Programmes of support for pupils who need ‘more choices, more chances’ such as Career Scotland’s ‘Activate’, Prince’s Trust’s ‘Xlerate with XL’ and the ‘Skill Force’ programme often have an ‘environmental’ component that can contribute to a school’s Eco-Schools evidence.

The Eco-School Action Plan should indicate how the school plans to address a choice of in-depth study topics as it works toward a Green Flag award. Secondary schools very often undertake projects which overlap a number of the original Eco-Schools environmental topics and so different approaches may be utilized. A Green Flag Award, however, requires a school to undertake Sustainable Development ACTION as well as displaying their existing ‘credentials’.

Secondary schools are offered two approaches to practical activities for environmental protection and enhancement.

Approach #1 – The Eco-Schools Environmental Study Topics
The current Eco-Schools environmental study topics are still available for secondary schools to develop. These topics can be studied individually, with a school only needing to undertake a maximum of three topics (one of which must be litter prevention) for a first Green Flag Award.
Recent interest in SDE, however, allows broader – more global - approaches, possibly more suited to the secondary school environment as illustrated across the ‘four priorities’ and ‘six principles’ below.
Clearly all of the current topics sit comfortably within the ‘four priorities’ and information within the core Eco-Schools Scotland guide on the current topics will continue to support secondary schools’ SDE programmes.

There is now an opportunity for secondary schools to expand the study topics currently available to allow for engagement with wider Sustainable Development issues - particularly under the heading ‘Sustainable Communities’ (both local and global). This will allow schools to investigate topics which can relate to all six principles outlined below.

Approach #2 - Four Priorities for Sustainable Development
To help secondary schools identify practical activities supporting Scotland’s “Six Principles of Sustainable Development Education” (see below), we suggest they examine the shared UK priorities for sustainable development. These are set out in Scotland's sustainable development strategy outlined on page 12 of “Choosing Our Future”. The four priorities allow schools to examine the ‘six principles of sustainable development education’ within familiar contexts. Examples of appropriate themes are given below under each priority, but there are likely to be others that schools may wish to examine – and all of these could also have an international perspective. Schools can use these priorities to investigate the Greener Scotland outcomes regarding Climate Change, Zero Waste, Renewable Energy, Natural Environment, Sustainable Consumption, and developing a Strong Cultural Identity.

	Sustainable Consumption and Production
	i.	Mineral extraction, agricultural production, sustainable forestry and fisheries, reduced use of raw materials

	Reducing inefficient use of resources
	i. ii.	Energy efficiency, insulation, renewables, packaging Waste reduction in business

	Life cycle of materials and products
	i.	Recycling, biodegradable materials, the WEEE directive

	Social and environmental consequences of individual purchasing choices
	i. ii.	Food miles, Fair Trade versus using local produce Packaging, waste

	Awareness of / sources of / effects of greenhouse gases
	i.	Industry, transport, farming, forestry

	Increased use of renewable sources of energy
	i.	Types, pros/cons, viability

	Effects and solutions
	i. ii. iii.	Rising sea levels Loss of land, animals, whole countries Flood  prevention/‘managed retreat’

	Biodiversity loss, eco-tourism, National Parks, Coastal environments Fishing quotas, sustainable forestry and farming,
	Urban/rural regeneration, land reclamation, use of brownfield sites

	Health and wellbeing
	Economic stability/jobs/services
	Security/national identity, anti-racism, anti-sectarianism
	Transport
	Open spaces/Regeneration
	Environmental Justice
	Litter and waste
	Flood prevention

There are obvious overlaps across these themes within the priorities, but this only serves to highlight the complexity of the challenge and the principle of ‘interdependence’.