As the summer holidays approach, we’re taking a moment to reflect on an incredibly busy and successful academic year for Eco-Schools Wales. It’s been a year of remarkable achievements, showcasing the dedication of schools across the country.

 

Eco-Schools: a year in review

• An impressive 73% of schools in Wales actively engaged in Eco-Schools or Keep Wales Tidy initiatives this year. This included everything from hands-on involvement in Spring Clean Cymru and creating new green spaces through Local Places for Nature, to attending various Eco-Schools events.
• Our Education Team provided invaluable one-to-one support to 495 teachers.
• Our virtual workshops saw unprecedented success, with a record-breaking 781 classes from over 250 schools taking part.
• This year, we hosted the Climate Challenge Cymru ceremony, inspired by the Earthshot Prize, bringing together schools from across Wales to showcase and celebrate environmental solutions already in place or in development. Watch the finalists’ and winner’s videos here.

 

You can dive deeper into all the Eco-Schools news by catching up on this year’s newsletters:

Autumn Term

• Issue 1 – Back to School
• Issue 2 – Tremendous Trees

Spring Term

• Issue 1 – Food Footprint
• Issue 2 – Litter and Our Waters

Summer Term

• Issue 1 – Green Careers and the Bioeconomy
• Issue 2 – Celebrating Our Positive Impact

 

Wales leads the way

Did you know that UNESCO has set an ambitious goal for 50% of schools globally to achieve a green accreditation by 2030?

Wales isn’t just contributing; we’re leading the charge!

We’re making phenomenal progress towards this global target, with over half the schools in Wales having already achieved an Eco-Schools Green Flag! This is a testament to the commitment of our schools. In fact, Welsh schools should be immensely proud, as we boast the highest proportion of Green Flag awarded schools among all Eco-Schools nations, with more than 250 schools receiving this prestigious award this year alone.

 

Looking ahead to another year!

These incredible achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support, enthusiasm, and commitment of all the dedicated Eco-Coordinators and staff within the schools we work with.

We want to say a huge thank you for your hard work and passion for creating a greener future. We can’t wait to work with you again next year!

Want to learn more about the Eco-Schools programme and how your school can get involved? Find out more about Eco-Schools here.