NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2010
Northumberland County
Jill Collinson
New Year, New Challenges
It seems like the dust has only just settled on a recordbreaking year for Eco-Schools and we are already into the
new term – still no rest for the committed!
This year will see some significant challenges for schools
in England – tighter budgets, a new government agenda
and the demise of the Sustainable Schools strategy will all
have an impact. We’ve been hard at work during the
summer to ensure the Eco-Schools programme is even
more relevant and supportive than ever, I hope you like
the changes we’ve made.
Andrew Suter, Programme Manager
Green Flag Online Application System
Work is still ongoing on developing the Green Flag online application system. The
complexity of the project means that it will not be available until the end of the autumn term.
When it arrives we’re sure that it will be a big improvement on the old paper-based form –
simple to fill in and more environmentally friendly.
At the moment, schools can still use the old Green Flag Application Form. To give you as
much flexibility as possible, we will accept applications on the old form until 1st March 2011
so there is no need to delay your application.
If you have any questions, please contact the team
Energy Becomes Compulsory
Schools are responsible for 15% of public sector carbon emissions and the Department of
Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is supporting Eco-Schools in a bid to reduce
emissions and to help schools save money.
From September 2010, the Energy topic will be compulsory for all Eco-Schools. This
means that any school applying for their Green Flag Award after 1st January 2011 must
demonstrate how they have tackled Energy as part of their Eco-Schools project work. For
more suggestions on how to tackle the Energy topic, why not visit the Pod, EDF Energy’s
programme for Greener Schools.
From September 2010, schools will also be required to provide details of their Display
Energy Certificate (DEC) when applying for the Bronze, Silver or Green Flag Awards. Click
here for more information on Display Energy Certificates and how they affect you.
NEWSFLASH:
This year’s Eco-Schools Conference will take place in Bolton on Tuesday 23rd November
2010 and will focus on some of the important issues Eco-Schools are facing, such as
reduced budgets, new government priorities and the need to reduce carbon as part of the
government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment. For more information visit the Eco-Schools
website.
EDF Energy
Eco-Schools’ partnership with the Pod continues to blossom
and achieve its aim of supporting schools on their sustainable
journey.
The combination of the Pod’s resources, its interactive website and the integration with the
Eco-Schools framework has supported a significant number of schools in achieving Green
Flag Award status. There are now a massive 9,479 schools registered with the Pod, 762 of
which hold an Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
To mark the start of a new school year, we’ve been working together with our friends at the
Pod to create a year planner showing all the exciting things happening on the Pod
throughout the year. Get the dates in the diary for this year’s Switch-Off Fortnight and
2011’s Bug Month. Plus, there is enough room to add in the other fantastic Eco-Schoolsrelated activities you have planned.
You can download your year planner now and for free resources and practical activities to
help you with your Eco-Schools journey, join the Pod by visiting www.jointhepod.org today.
Don’t forget, all Pod activities and national campaigns such as Switch Off Fortnight can
help towards your Eco-Schools awards. To learn more about Eco-Schools and the Pod,
please visit our About Eco-Schools and Getting Started pages.
HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative Project
We are now heading into the second year of this international
project and with over 230 schools in England signed up we are
looking for more.
Please visit the website: www.eco-schools.org/climateinitiative/index.php?lang=en to have
a look at the work done in the first year.
We ended the first year with a poster competition with winning entries from Lily Hepburn of
Hitherfield Primary and Elena Basi of Hounsdown School – you can see them on our
website at: www.eco-schools.org.uk/competition
With the main focus of the project on addressing climate change as an issue, we will be
launching a second competition around Christmas. We are also in the process of recruiting
volunteers from HSBC to head out into schools and work with their Eco-Committees. We
will be approaching schools through out the year to see if they would like to host a
volunteer.
Please keep a look out for emails, letters, telephone calls and flyers that might come your
way if we have a volunteer in your area.
Eco-Schools Training for Participating Schools
The new academic year heralds the introduction of changes to the Eco-Schools award
criteria and Green Flag application process, so there’s no better time to attend training to
brush up your knowledge on ‘Becoming an Eco-School’.
This popular one-day course offers an excellent opportunity for newcomers to the EcoSchools programme to equip themselves with the knowledge and confidence required to
introduce the programme into their schools. Delegates who are already involved in EcoSchools, but have not yet applied for a Green Flag Award will benefit from improving
existing knowledge and through learning about the assessment process.
This training course is aimed primarily at teachers, and, as such, is advertised as a
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunity on the Training & Development
Agency’s National Database of CPD. However, non-teaching staff with an interest in the
Eco-Schools programme will also find this course beneficial.
"I would recommend to any colleagues currently thinking of working towards Eco-Schools status. Highly
informative about process. I felt that I was provided with a vast amount of information, ideas and avenues of
support to aid the set up of the programme in my school." Mrs Rebecca Sharp – Liscard Primary School
Places are still available on regional course dates coming up soon – book now to avoid
disappointment!
Course Date
1st October 2010
Location (city centre venues in all locations)
London
7th October 2010
Birmingham
11th November 2010
Manchester
9th December 2010
London
11th January 2011
Birmingham
8th February 2011
Manchester
1st March 2011
London
£199+VAT per place. For more information or to request a booking form, please visit
www.keepbritaintidy.org/training or contact the training team by email:
[email protected] or by telephone 01942 612604
Eco-Schools Teams Up With Homebase
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, Eco-Schools has
started working with Homebase to deliver a Grow Your Own fruit
and vegetables project.
This is moving along nicely and despite a few delays should be up and running very soon.
Schools have been applying like mad over the past few weeks and they are due to be
vetted in the third week of September.
We are looking forward to the chosen schools working closely with the selected Homebase
stores and predict a sunny outcome in the long run with the project hopefully going national
in the 2011-12 school year.
Turn Your Dog into a Superstar!
The Dog Poo Fairy is leading Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign
to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pooch and
is currently sprinkling her magic across the country. She’s
waving her magic wand to turn pooches into a superstar as
a reward to owners who pick up their poo!
If you think your dog could be the next Alexandra Barke,
Paulo Muttini or Collie Parton, then the dog poo fairy will
sprinkle her fairy dust to get them to sing! All you need to
do is upload a picture of your furry friend and she will do the
rest. Join the fun at: www.keepbritaintidy.org/dogpoofairy
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