Globeducate leads way in sustainability education with Eco-Schools commitment

Globeducate schools are fulfilling a group-wide commitment made in 2019 that all schools in the group would become Eco-Schools. Despite challenges raised by the pandemic, almost half of the group's schools are now Certified Eco Schools.

Across seven of the nine countries Globeducate works in, 22 schools are now Certified Eco Schools, with 20 more schools already progressing on their Eco-Schools journey and pending certification, and three more schools registered to start the Eco-Schools programme in September.

The commitment that all Globeducate schools would become Eco-Schools was made when the group unveiled its mission to prepare each student to become a global citizen who can shape the world, and the Globeducate Agenda, bringing to life a call to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 in 55+ schools, to 28,000 young people. At the same time, Globeducate announced a unique partnership with WWF, one of the key charities involved in helping to shape the United Nations SDGs.

Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director of Education, Foundation for Environmental Education and Eco Schools Global Programme Coordinator until 2022, said: “I am happy to see that Globeducate has taken education for sustainable development (ESD) as a core value. It shows their commitment to the purpose of quality education – preparing for the world we live in. ESD is no longer a choice but an imperative in a world facing complex crises in form of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

“Scenarios of doom and gloom create anxiety and powerlessness. Eco-Schools engage young people in positive action projects (handprints) in their school and community through the transformative seven steps to acquire valuable skills in problem-solving. The purpose is to make a difference now and continue to do the same in their communities and workplaces.

“I congratulate the schools for the progress they have made on this journey and achieved the Green Flag. The work does not stop with the label but becomes more engrossing to inspire generations that keep the flag flying high!”

An example of some Eco-Council action is the work carried out by Agora Lledo International School in Spain, which worked on a project gathering material that is often discarded in schools, such as plastic pens, board markers and other equipment, to send to Terracycle which recycles it and converts the weight to funds, which the school can then donate to a charity of their choice.

Monica Fontán, Assistant Education Director for Globeducate, supports the international and bilingual school group's Eco Schools coordinators and said, “Since we embarked on our Eco Schools journey in 2019, our schools have been confronted with many challenges posed by the pandemic.

“As we simply could not fail to continue to find ways to participate in this programme, our Eco-Councils met regularly online and they continued to evaluate and plan so that as soon as school campuses reopened, they were able to put their codes and action plans into action. The students and their Eco-Schools Coordinators should be very proud of their achievements and commitment to date.”

Student-led initiatives have included bug hotels, vegetable gardens, school composting stations, recycling stations, bee-keeping, banning single-use plastic in school, second-hand uniform sales, and campaigns to save water and energy. A school in Portugal, Nobel Algarve British International School installed more than 200 solar panels after their Eco-Council researched the viability of the project and presented it to the senior management.

About Globeducate

We prepare each student to be a global citizen who can shape the world.

Globeducate is one of the leading international K12 education groups in the world, a network of 55 premium bilingual and international schools, as well as online programmes, educating 28,000 students in nine countries.

Our schools specialise in a variety of recognised highly respected international curricula including the English National Curriculum (EYFS to A Level), International Baccalaureate (PYP to IBDP), and the national curricula of Canada, France, India, Italy, Malaysia, Portugal and Spain.

Our students achieve high grades and are accepted into higher education programmes at 50 of the world’s top 100 universities.

Being a member of Globeducate brings many benefits for our schools, students and teachers. We are an official partner of WWF (World Wildlife Fund), and also work with Eco-Schools in each country, as well as LEGO® Education and, in our ICS schools, Arts International.

Every year we host a wide range of global events, online or in person, such as the Globeducate Model United Nations, Academic Olympics, Visual Arts Competition, International Music Festival, Olympic Games and a Student Leadership Summit. For our Globeducate Agenda, students may participate in a WWF global quiz, Outdoor Classroom Days, WWF Wear it Wild Days, and Globeducate Debates.

Our teachers ensure that our students develop skills and abilities beyond the purely academic. Our students learn how to play their part in shaping the future; how to tackle the unprecedented social, economic and environmental challenges that are reshaping our global communities. Our teachers, counsellors and partners prepare this generation for jobs that have not yet been created, for technologies that have not yet been invented, and to solve problems that have not yet been anticipated.

A crucial part of providing an excellent education, Globeducate teachers inspire our students to find their voice in this world. They encourage them to understand world events and to think about their values and what is important to them, and to challenge ignorance and intolerance wherever they find it.