One key aim of the Eco-Schools programme is to raise general awareness of your environmental activities - throughout the school and the wider community - and to make sure that as many people as possible get a chance to take part. Actions should not just be confined to the school: for example, pupils should take home ideas to put into practice.
One of the best ways of involving the whole school is to organise a regular, school-wide ‘Day (or Week) of Action’. This is an opportunity for everyone in the school - pupils, teachers and other school staff – to get together to work towards achieving some of the targets set out in your action plan. ‘Days of Action’ need planning; both to allocate responsibilities and to make sure everyone knows about them.
Involving the wider community brings a range of benefits. Parents, neighbours, local businesses and the local authority can be sources of advice, information, practical help and financial assistance. This is also an ideal opportunity to raise the school’s profile within the community through the production of newsletters to parents, press releases to the local paper, Open Days, etc. Some Eco Committees appoint a ‘PR’ group from amongst their numbers to ensure high visibility throughout the school and the community.
Contact information for a range of useful organisations based in Scotland and in the rest of the UK can be found on the Eco-Schools Scotland web site. |
