From a young age, children spend a majority of their day in school. Schools are immensely formative learning environments that shape the views and attitudes of children on a lot of issues, including the environment. If schools do not frame environmental protection in a way that underscores its urgency, the youth can come to think of sustainable living as either an afterthought, or an incredibly tall order that can only be achieved with an expertise gained after years of extensive research — neither of which is true.
Schools need to do everything in their power to explain exactly what environmental conservation is, manageable strategies to achieve it, but most importantly, reflect it in their actions by implementing measures to make their built environment more environmentally friendly. The action that schools take in this regard can become a model of inspiration for young children as they get to observe how a place they interact with on a daily basis can easily be transformed into a space that is environmentally friendly, provided the right collective will, awareness, precaution, and resources are present.
At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, environmental education was recognized as a key pivot to generate widespread cultural understanding of issues prevalent to our Earth. The steps that schools could take to impress the importance of eco-friendly spaces would generally revolve around a significant reduction in the carbon footprint, inspiring behavioral change amongst students and staff through awareness programs, and waste management.
Specifically, schools can conduct regular awareness drives, educating children about what is biodegradable and what is not, introducing sustainable habits like reducing power & water wastage and plantation drives, generating curiosity about emerging environmental issues through starting environmental clubs and appointing environmental leaders.
Schools can also improve their built environment, making it more energy efficient and eco-friendly with measures such as, powering the school through renewable energy, installing LED Lights & air quality monitors, ensuring proper lighting and ventilation to reduce dependency on energy-intensive lights or air conditioners, properly maintaining the power sources that run on non-renewable energy, and minimizing paper use and food wastage.
Enhancing the sustainability prevalent in schools has many benefits, tangible and intangible. For the school itself, small efficiency-increasing measures like these help them save up on water and power usage, and as a consequence, generate huge savings per year on operational costs. It also helps them reduce absenteeism in both students and staff due to the significant improvement in air quality, health and hygiene. For the students, studies have shown that improved air quality has a related positive impact on their test scores, participation and engagement in class. And finally, these measures have an outsized impact on the planet’s health, as sustainably built and managed schools reduce carbon emissions, waste produced, and inspire the next generation of reliable environmental leaders.
