Eco-Schools Programme
WELCOME TO ECO-SCHOOLS 2011!
Warm wishes and greetings for the year to all those seasoned Eco-Schools as well as to those who are new to the Eco-School pool! It will only be a matter of time before you feel part of this growing family that takes the meaning of networks and partnerships to a new level of co-operative learning, sharing and enthusiasm for all things to do with our environment. Eco-schools are committed to environmental learning and action and are easy to recognise by the committed educators, staff and learners at these schools who have a sound understanding of environmental issues and risks, on ways to live lightly on the planet through more sustainable practices and on who know how to implement environmental projects.
The National coordination team of Bridget Ringdahl (National Programme Manager), Anisa Khan (Assistant National Programme manager) and Thobile Nzimande (Database management, registrations and administrative support) are enthused and excited to be part of this ever expanding programme and are more than willing to assist you and your school in moving towards better environmental management and planning at your school for a sustainable future! Support is also available in each of the Provinces through the Provincial Programme Managers (see link to contact details for more information).
The Eco-Schools Programme was launched in South Africa in 2003. This pilot programme is supported by WWF-SA and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), endorsed by the Department of Education and funded by Pareto, Nedbank Green Trust and other partner organisations. Currently, there are almost 1200 schools registered with the programme. Eco-Schools is an international programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) (www.fee-international.org) that originally started in Europe in 1994 and with the programme being specially adapted for use in Africa. About 9 000 schools have earned green Eco-School flags in 51 countries around the world. Over 30 000 schools are registered with the programme, globally with approximately 9 million students and 628 000 teachers involved!
Project contact details:
Bridget Ringdahl
Tel 033 330 3931 ext 145
E-mail bridget@wessa.co.za or ecoschools@wessa.co.za