Forty schools enrolled in the EkoSkola programme were awarded the prestigious international Green Flag award while other schools were bestowed the Silver and Bronze awards in a ceremony presided over by the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at St Ignatius College Siggiewi Primary. Eco-Schools committee members received recognition for bringing significant changes towards sustainability in their respective school and surrounding communities. The total number of schools flying the Green Flag ecolabel award in the Maltese islands is now 77.
Recognised by Unesco as a world-leader within the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and formally acknowledged as the largest international ESD network of teachers and students in the world, the Eco-Schools programme has certainly established itself in the Maltese Educational system from its humble beginnings in 2002. The programme is not solely about promoting the care and protection of our environment, but also of the people who live in it, the communities who depend on it, the businesses which profit from it and the ecosystems which rely on it.
Spear-headed by highly motivated members, Eco-Schools committees do not just sit on the fence when faced by the stark realities of the ever-changing urban fabric, the traffic congestions or the high-rise building saga. Neither are they afraid to tackle issues seemingly beyond them such as the energy mix plan, the single-use plastic issues, the immigration phenomenon, the water stress, the balloon releases or the mundane littering hotspots featured in the media.
In fact, themes such as waste management, transport, electricity and water issues continue to feature prominently in several action plans. However, lately there has been a marked shift to think more globally while still acting locally. Circular economy, sustainable communities, sustainable food consumption, fair trade, palm oil, child labour, gender inequalities, access to safe drinking water and poverty among others, featured more prominently in many of the Eco-Schools' action plans in recent years as interest in Unesco's SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) seems to be escalating on various fronts.
Vincent Attard, executive president NTM FEE Malta said that the Eco-Schools programme is growing worldwide every year as new countries join the FEE family. In total the Eco-Schools programme is now reaching over 19 million students worldwide. With the recognition of Unesco, this programme is now not only empowering more students to take an active role in sustainable development at a time when environmental issues are now hitting our planet due to past generation mistakes, but also have integrated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals so the students can do their part for the 2030 targets to be reached. The UN and FEE are working side by side to try and get a positive change. The Eco-Schools programme is a bottom up approach and as politicians fail to take action, it is hoped the normal citizen will push this positive change.
The Eco-Schools programme was launched in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and now mobilises over 19.5 million students from 67 different countries. It is locally known as EkoSkola and run by Nature Trust - FEE Malta as FEE representatives. The EkoSkola programme includes a total of 121 participating schools from Malta and Gozo, with more than 50,000 students as active participants. It was first introduced locally in 2002. The initial pilot project was started with the participation of six schools. Since then the number of schools kept increasing, and 77 have now managed to acquire the Green Flag - an internationally renowned eco-label for a school's serious commitment to environmental improvement.