Coruña British International School obtains the Ecoschools Green Flag

The Ecoschools assessment committee awarded Coruña British International School its first Green Flag, after three years within the programme, a prize for all the environmental awareness work carried out both inside and outside the classroom by the educational community of the British school located in A Coruña, and a great incentive to continue working for the care of the environment and the sustainability of our surroundings.

Coruña British International School receives this recognition along with seven other Globeducate member schools in Spain, after the inspection carried out last May by members of the organisation Ecoschools, who visited the school in person to measure the success of the programme, ensuring that the objectives set out in the individual action plan of each school had been achieved.

Action plan

The Coruña British International School community worked around three key areas: energy, water and waste. "I am really proud of this joint achievement; Green Flag at the first attempt. I would like to thank the whole school team, the families and of course the children, the real protagonists, who have always shown unwavering commitment and enthusiasm, both in the day to day running of the school and through special events framed within the Globeducate Agenda against climate change, such as WWF's Wear It Wild Day, Eco Week or Earth Day; small changes that can have a big impact, both in the lives of our students and in our environment", says Ana Seoane, Ecoschool Coordinator at Coruña British International School.

What is Ecoschools

Ecoschools is the ADEAC programme that promotes respect for the environment and sustainability in schools with the greatest global reach. It starts in the classroom and extends into the community, engaging the next generation in action-based learning. With an international network that brings together 59,000 schools from 68 countries around the world, Coruña British International joined this programme three years ago, within the Globeducate Agenda, an international group of schools of which it has been a member since 2017, and which also encompasses other events with global projection that inspire students to transform the world.

The Ecoschools programme is a seven-step journey that involves the formation of a proactive Eco Committee that reviews green practices and sustainability in the school, develops an action plan for improvements and shares a green code with the school community. The team, led and managed by the students, works closely with the school's Ecoschools coordinator and the school's management team.

Educating in values

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the programme is that it produces, over time, generations of people who are aware of environmental care and sustainability. The achievement of the first Green Flag for Coruña British International School is just one step on the road ahead, as each school must follow a seven-step process of change, which empowers its young people to lead processes and actions wherever possible.

Obtaining this recognition is only the first step on a long road that the school wants and has to travel. "Moving forward in the race and not giving up, sometimes with momentum and sometimes slowly, can only make us visualise the goal. We will continue to work next year in a special way on waste reduction," says Seoane.

The fate of the planet is in our hands and it is important that children learn from an early age to rationalise resources and to do their bit in the fight against climate change. “A better, more sustainable and habitable world is at stake in this difficult test. The changes are small and sometimes almost invisible to us. After all this, the important thing is to leave them with the feeling that it doesn't matter what others do, the essential thing is what each of us, in good conscience, can contribute," she adds.

''The climate challenge has to be the most important issue facing our future generations. It is at the forefront of our students' minds because they know how imperative the emergency is. Participating in the Eco-Schools programme has had a real and important effect on the whole school, which I am sure will have a knock-on impact on our environment," says the Head of the School, Mr Abbott. 

Next steps

Following the evaluation sessions with the Ecoschools organisation teams, some recommendations are made for further improvement and impact. The aim of receiving the flag is to recognise the start of a journey, but more importantly to encourage schools to consolidate, expand their work and work harder with the whole school community to create a fully sustainable learning environment.