The Environmental Review is crucial to understanding the current environmental situation in a school and provides the basis of the school's Eco Action Plan.
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Why carry out an Environmental Review?
Before starting any environmental improvement programme, it is essential that you audit the current situation. The Eco-Schools Environmental Review document is designed to provide an overview of your school’s current position.
Younger children can also get involved in the review process through the use of the pictorial version of the Review.
The results of your Environmental Review will inform your Action Plan; assisting your school to decide whether change is necessary, urgent, or not required at all. It will also help you to set realistic targets and measure your success.
Completing an Environmental Review will ensure that no significant areas are overlooked and will help pupils and the wider school community understand the school's current environmental situation.
How to conduct the Review
You should ensure that the wider school community works as closely as possible with the Eco Committee to carry out the Review. It is particularly essential that as many pupils as possible participate in this process.
The Eco-Schools Scotland Environmental Review checklist in the Eco-Schools Guide covers all the areas in which your school may have environmental impact, namely:
- Litter
- Waste Minimisation
- School Grounds
- Biodiversity
- Energy
- Water
- Transport
- Health & Well-Being
- Sustaining our World
All nine of these topics should be investigated during the Review. The Eco-Schools Scotland Review document contains a series of 'yes/no' questions and space for writing or typing comments which can then be used to inform the school's Eco Action Plan.
Please note that every school should conduct the Review in the way that suits them best, but they should ensure maximum pupil involvement at every stage. Referring to the appropriate topic sections in the Eco-Schools Scotland Guide will provide some useful suggestions and guidelines.
It is recommended that an Environmental Review be carried out on an annual basis in order to measure and evaluate the continuing progress of the school's environmental performance.
This is a very effective way of evaluating your targets and it is a requirement at Green Flag level. Comparing your new responses with those that you originally made will give you a clear indication of the school's overall progress towards its eco targets and will help you to plan future eco work.
Once you have completed your Environmental Review, you should use the results obtained to go on to Step 3 - The Action Plan.
Environmental Review Award Criteria
Bronze
- An informal environmental review of the school is carried out.
- Results of the review are discussed by the environment group.
- Following the review, some activities are planned that will change and improve the environmental performance of the school.
Silver
- Pupils and adults plan how to carry out an environmental review of the school
- A review document (the Eco-Schools environmental review checklist, or the school's own checklist) is used and the results recorded.
- Results of the review are made known to the whole school.
- The Eco-Committee plans action resulting from the review.
Green Flag
- Pupils and Adults on the Eco-Committee plan and carry out an environmental review of the School in consultation with some non-committee members.
- A review document is used that covers every area of the environmental impact.
- The results of the review are collated into one document for display on the Eco-Schools notice board and web site (if the school has one)
- Pupil members for the committee collect suggestions for action from school classes or tutor group.
- An environmental review is undertaken once a year to evaluate overall progress.
