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Print article57% of all schools registered on Eco Schools in Edinburgh have some level of award. 72% of all schools (including 90 Partner Provider Nurseries) have registered. This number jumps to 94% registered if you just consider the local authority schools.
The international programme is designed to encourage school action on the environment in a way that links with many curriculum subjects.
So far in Edinburgh, 95 schools have gained the Bronze Award, 51 the Silver Award and 19 the prestigious Green Flag. To achieve this, schools cover topics such as water, health and wellbeing, waste management, litter, transport, school grounds, biodiversity and energy.
The Eco Schools programme has gone from strength to strength in Edinburgh this school year. With an explosion of awards, school pupils in the city are becoming even more eco friendly. Tying their work into other initiatives such as Enterprise, Health Promoting Schools and School Travel, schools really are embracing the ideal of a sustainable Edinburgh. More schools are due to be assessed at the start of the next academic year so, from the start, 2007/08 looks to be another bumper year for the programme.
This year has seen a lot of firsts with the Eco Schools programme in Edinburgh. St. Leonard's Nursery are the first nursery and Towerbank Primary are the first primary school in the city to gain a second Green Flag. George Heriot's School recently became the first independent school in Scotland to gain a Green Flag. They were also the first recipients of the Eco Schools in Edinburgh Innovation Award, which is sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Council. In addition, a great commendation, Portobello High became the first school in Edinburgh and the first secondary school in Scotland to progress on to third Green Flag level.
So far, the City of Edinburgh Council have given out ?5250 in grants sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland to schools.
Councillor Robert Aldridge, Executive Member for Environment said:
?The success of Eco Schools in Edinburgh to date is extremely encouraging. It is clear that through this programme the city's children and young adults are taking an interest in the environment and the impact that we have on it. The protection of the environment is something that we should all consider and the Eco Schools project provides an innovative and practical way of encouraging children to become more aware of such issues.?
RBS has agreed to provide funding of around ?39,000 over a 3-year period between March 2006 and March 2009.
