Kaupapa does not have a direct English translation but encompasses words such as foundations, principles, elements, themes and ground rules. Our Kaupapa it is our touchstone.
Enviroschools have a sense of place - Nature and people are nurtured and the whole school environment is a learning resource. Creating a sustainable environment is an ongoing learning exercise that fosters a greater understanding of the inter-relatedness between all living things and a concern for the particular place we live in.
Enviroschools are participatory - Enviroschools processes involve the whole school community. Students, teachers, caretakers, Boards of Trustees, families / whānau and wider community each have roles in actively creating and caring for their school.
Enviroschools have a sense of purpose - Students are inspired to be creative and become competent to make decisions and take action in their community. Learning is lived and reinforced at school. Teachers reshape and refocus everyday activities so that the potential for environmentally friendly practices is maximised. Adults act responsibly on behalf of the environment and serve as role models for young people.
In our view developing a sustainable school requires a whole school approach.
Students learn informally through the messages and meanings hidden in the physical surroundings, operational practices and organisational principles of a school. This learning can either reinforce or undermine the formal curriculum. Modelling sustainability in all these aspects of school life reinforces environmental education and can provide opportunities for student action.
Physical Surroundings
Ecological and participatory design creates:
A school environment in harmony with its place and culture, incorporating local ecosystems & wildlife
Healthy and environmentally friendly classrooms
Places for recycling & composting
A range of stimulating and special places for students
Recognition and preservation of significant local landmarks
A Living Curriculum
Integrating all aspects of school life with the formal curriculum enables students and teachers to:
Make use of all learning experiences including play
Draw on the combined wisdom of their multi-cultural community
Create opportunities for student environmental action
Promote critical questioning on resource use and lifestyle
Promote reflection on personal value and behaviours
Organisational Principals
Participatory and democratic school management enables people to:
Communicate more with others
Carry out self auditing and monitoring
Consider equity and diversity when making decisions
Have a sense of belonging and ownership
Operational Practices
Sustainable conservation practices in the day-to-day running of the school school enables students & staff to:
Reduce waste and create ways to reuse and recycle
Save energy, water and other resources
Choose environmentally friendly products
Be more aware of nature
Improve the quality and health of all forms of life
The Enviroschools Foundation supports the creation of sustainable schools via:
The Facilitated Enviroschools Programme - where schools sign-up to a 3-year process of environmental learning and action; as an enviroschool they gain access to an extensive resource kit and a trained facilitator.
The Enviroschools Awards Scheme - an incentive scheme for schools to become actively involved in environmental education through achieving bronze, silver and green/gold levels with the assistance of an awards booklet.
Creating a physically sustainable school is a tangible way for students to explore other dimensions of sustainability such as peace, diversity, cooperation, kaitiakitanga and democracy.
Becoming a sustainable school is an ongoing process that develops and deepens over time. There are key Enviroschools values and concepts, but there is no fixed formula for being one.
Schools in the Facilitated Programme are encouraged to use the process outlined below. Awards Scheme schools often start with a particular action project and may come back the foundation and vision steps at a later date.
Foundation
Set up an Envirogroup (made up of teachers, Board of Trustee Members, caretaker/ groundstaff, students, parents/whānau)
Develop an Environmental Education Policy and Curriculum
Teachers use the Me in My Environment section of the Kit to assist students to consider the world they are part of and how they can improve the quality of their school's physical and social environment
Strengthen community partnerships
Vision
Create a Whole School Vision Map. Schools often use an aerial map of their grounds to document their vision for a more sustainable school.
Using their vision map the school decides on projects they will undertake each term (or each year) to move closer to their vision
Class Learning and Action
Learning and action is organised around 5 themes:
Living Landscapes
Ecological Buildings
Healthy Water
Precious Energy
Zero Waste
Each of the themes involves students in sensory experiences, investigation, making decisions about change and then planning designing and implementing those changes. This action- learning process is depicted in the diagramme (above).
Reflection
Documenting progress and sharing stories is central to the Enviroschools programme. In this way all participants add to the Pool of Knowledge/Puna Mātauranga.
Schools annually evaluate progress towards the vision and agree priorities for the next year
If you are more of a 'picture person' have a look at our mind map drawing of the Enviroschools Process.
Step 1: Decide what level of commitment your school wants to make
If you have some experience with environmental education and want to make a long-term plan and sustainable changes with whole school involvement, curriculum development and student actions The Facilitated Enviroschools Programme will support you.
Your school will sign up for a three-year process and receive:
A trained Enviroschools facilitator who will help guide, motivate and advise your school. They will also assist you to link with other people and organisations that have expertise that you may need.
The Enviroschools Kit containing activities, audits and action tools that integrate environmental education with student centred approaches and Māori perspectives.
An invitation to the annual national Enviroschools Hui to learn and share with enviroschools and facilitators from all around New Zealand.
An annual Enviroschools Scrapbook that showcases what your enviroschool is doing and what's happening in other enviroschools and regions.
If you need a starting point or your school has an environmental education project that you want to develop The Enviroschools Awards Scheme will be a useful tool for your school. You can work through the Awards process independently and progress towards sustainability through applying for Bronze, Silver and then Green/Gold Awards.
Your school will receive
An Enviroschools Awards booklet to guide you.
Some assistance from the Environmental Education Co-ordinator working from your local School of Education.
To download this file to disk, right click on the icon and choose "save target as.." or "save link as..." or similar.
Note - schools in the Facilitated Programme can also apply for awards in the Enviroschools Awards Scheme. Schools receive certificates on completing Bronze and Silver levels and an Enviroschools flag when they complete Green/Gold level.
Step 2. Find out what support is available in your region
Each region coordinates Enviroschools in a slightly different way depending on the organisations involved and the level of support available. Regions generally have a limited number of places available for the Facilitated Programme and your Enviroschools Regional Coordinator will tell you when the application date is for new schools. The Coordinator will also give you details of the Awards Scheme and how it is operating in your region.
Step 3. Sign up and start!
Apply to your Enviroschools Regional Co-ordinator to join. Once you have signed up you will also be on the national Enviroschools database and be invited to participate in regional and national events as they happen.
To make your process work more smoothly:
Find out from your Enviroschools Coordinator who your EE Guidelines Coordinators are and any other EE providers active in your region.
Plan in time and budget so that teachers in your school can take advantage of Professional Development opportunities that may come through Enviroschools and the EE Guidelines Coordinators.
So, if your school is interested go to in your region to find what support is available and how to contact your Regional Coordinator
The Enviroschools approach integrates environmental education into the whole of school life and to create learning opportunities by working towards a healthy, peaceful and sustainable environment. This approach produces a range of benefits for schools and their communities.
Smarter Schools...enhanced learning (for students and their teachers)
An integrated approach means the curriculum is richer and more interesting for students, e.g. an audit of the school's waste can be analysed in a maths lesson.
Students learn essential life skills. The projects undertaken by enviroschools provide students with opportunities to learn about problem solving, decision-making, compromises and taking responsibility for making change happen.
Teachers are supported with a wide range of learning resources e.g. school grounds can become a "living classroom". They are encouraged to learn new skills and to explore new ways of working with students.
Units of work are cumulative so students build understanding and skills over time.
Greener Schools...more environmentally friendly and physically attractive
Significant reductions in waste to landfill, energy and water use have been reported by enviroschools, benefiting both the environment and the finances of the schools.
Most enviroschools tackle projects to improve their school's physical surroundings e.g. gardens, murals, and sculptures. Schools have found as a result students have a greater sense of place and appreciation of their school and local area.
Some schools are starting to address the health of school buildings, so ecological design directly benefits the physical and mental health of students.
Happier more peaceful schools
The Enviroschools approach builds improved relationships between staff and students. It involves all staff and students taking collective and individual responsibility for the school.
Schools report positive learning environments as a result of reduced bullying and anti-social behaviour
In 1977 the Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by the world's first intergovernmental conference on environmental education organized by UNESCO. This declaration forms the basis of the aims of environmental education adopted by the Ministry of Education's EE Guidelines.
The main aims of environmental education are to assist students develop:
awareness and sensitivity to the environment and related issues
knowledge and understanding of the environment and the impact of people on it
attitudes and values that reflect feelings of concern for the environment
skills involved in identifying, investigating, and problem solving associated with environmental issues
a sense of responsibility through participation and action as individuals, or members of groups, whānau, or iwi, in addressing environmental issues.
Increasingly the terms "education for sustainability", "education for sustainable development" and "education for a sustainable future" are being used in New Zealand and internationally. In essence all these terms relate to the same key question: How can people and groups in society learn to live in sustainable ways?
In 2002 the United Nations (UN) established the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 - 2014). The aim of the decade is to promote education as a basis for a more sustainable human society and to integrate sustainable development into education systems at all levels. A key focus is strengthening international cooperation towards the development and sharing of innovative education for sustainable development programmes, practices and policies.
Five main principles guide the Enviroschools Programme. They are derived from emerging understandings about how environment, ecology, education, society and culture each contribute to creating a sustainable world. Schools are encouraged to develop these principles and continually check for signs that they are growing and visible.
Sustainable communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future.
Environmental education is an action-focused approach to learning that engages us in the physical, social, cultural and political aspects of our environment.
Genuine student participation is from their own unique and creative perspective. Including young people in decision-making and action empowers them to be active environmental citizens for life and enriches the development of the whole school environment.
Māori perspectives and knowledge of the environment offer unique insights built up over time in this country. Including Māori perspectives enriches learning and honours the status of indigenous people in this land.
Respect for the diversity of people and cultures is integral to achieving a sustainable environment in New Zealand that is fair, peaceful, and co-operative and makes the most of our rich cultural traditions.
In our view developing a sustainable school requires a whole school approach.
The Enviroschools Foundation supports the creation of sustainable schools via:
Sustainable communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future. 