West Sussex school pupils receive eco-schools green flag recognition
Pupils at Buckingham Park Primary School have led the way in promoting sustainability and raising environmental awareness among their school community, including peers, staff members, and the wider local community.
Their efforts have been recognised with the prestigious, internationally recognised Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation.
The Eco-Schools programme, established in 1994, has been inspiring young environmentalists for over 30 years. It has grown into a global movement, with Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation awarded to schools in more than 100 countries. In England alone, the programme reaches over 1 million young people each year, empowering them to make a positive impact on our planet.
At Buckingham Park, a pupil-led Eco-Committee, supported by Catriona Malone, embraced Eco-Schools’ trusted seven-step framework to champion positive environmental behaviours and further their school’s sustainability journey. The Eco-Committee kicked things off by reviewing their school environment and curriculum from an environmental perspective. They then worked together to create a detailed and impactful year-long action plan to drive meaningful change.
Their Action Plan focused on three key areas: Energy, Recycling and Waste. The Eco- Committee undertook various initiatives to address these priorities, including activities such as lights out and devices off for Earth Hour, a whole school Toy Swap, the planting of fruits, vegetables and wild flowers, litter picking within the school grounds and local environment and Tree Planting within the school grounds and the local park with the support of the Friends of Buckingham Park.
Eco Schools Leader Catriona Malone said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Green Flag. This award celebrates the hard work the Buckingham Park School Community put in daily to improve sustainability and environmental learning within our setting.”
Pupil Ruby, age 11 stated, “I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and ideas about how to be Eco friendly. I helped to plan a Toy Swap, collected fruit and vegetable peels to make compost and planted fifty new trees. It was fun! I feel happy and proud to have achieved the award!”
Eco-Schools England Manager, Adam Flint, added: “Every year, we are amazed by the incredible efforts of young people working together to create a better future for all. Their collective impact is truly remarkable. If everyone approached the climate crisis with the same level of passion and determination, we could resolve it much faster and make it a problem of the past. At Keep Britain Tidy, we are delighted to recognise their achievements with the Eco-Schools Green Flag.”
To learn more about the Eco-Schools programme and accreditation, head to www.eco-schools.org.uk