What is the Seven Steps Methodology?
The Eco-Schools Seven Steps methodology is a series of carefully engineered measures to help schools maximise the success of their Eco-School ambitions. The method involves a wide diversity of individuals from the school community - with students playing a primary role in the process.
The most important aspect for schools to remember is that every school is different and it is therefore critical that a school fits the seven steps around its circumstances and situation and NOT try to fit the school into the seven steps. Some key points about the individual steps are below.
STEP 1 : FORM AN ECO COMMITTEE
The Eco-Schools Committee is the driving force behind the Eco-Schools process and will represent the ideas of the whole school.
- It is student-led
- The Eco Committee ensures that the entire school knows about Eco-Schools and will receive regular updates
- Composition can be: Students/Teachers/The Principal/Non-Teaching Staff (e.g. Secretary, Caretaker, Cleaner)/Parents/Members of the Board of Management/interested and relevant members of the wider community
The Eco Committee meets regularly to discuss environmental actions for the school
STEP 2 : ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Carrying out an environmental review helps the school to identify its current environmental impact and highlights the good, the bad and the ugly.
- The aim is to investigate the environmental issues in your school/community.
- All 10 main themes should be reviewed annually (the school is free to choose other areas of environmental concern that are more relevant to its needs and to devise appropriate checklists accordingly)
- Make sure that the wider school community works as closely as possible with the Eco Committee to carry out the Review. It is essential that as many pupils as possible participate in this process
- The results of your Environmental Review will inform your Action Plan
STEP 3 : ACTION PLAN
The Action Plan is the core of your Eco-Schools work and should be developed using the results of your Environmental Review.
- Use the Environmental Review to identify the priority areas in your school. To keep it manageable we suggest focusing on not more than three Themes at a time.
- Create an Action Plan to resolve or improve those problems. It should include: the necessary tasks, the people responsible and time frame for actions in order to achieve your goals/targets
- Make your action plan SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)
- As with every aspect of the Eco-Schools process, pupils should be involved as much as possible in the drawing up of the Action Plan.
STEP 4 : MONITOR AND EVALUATE
To find out whether or not you are successfully achieving the targets set out in your Action Plan, you must monitor and measure your progress.
- As always, pupils should be given the responsibility for carrying out monitoring activities wherever possible
- Results of monitoring should be regularly updated and displayed for the whole school to see
- The monitoring methods that you use will depend on the targets and measurement criteria decided on in your Action Plan for the topics you wish to look at and the age and ability of the pupils and other individuals who carry it out
- Evaluation follows on from monitoring. Evaluating the success of your activities will allow you to make changes to your Action Plan if required.
STEP 5 : CURRICULUM WORK
Besides increasing the status of the programme, linking Eco-Schools activities to the curriculum ensures that Eco-Schools is truly integrated within the school community.
- Integrating the programme into the curriculum can be done, either directly through science, civics and environmental classes or indirectly in other subject areas through innovative teaching
- Pupils from throughout the school should gain an understanding of how real life environmental issues are dealt with in a real life setting
STEP 6 : INFORM AND INVOLVE
Getting everyone on board! Actions should not just be confined to the school: for example, pupils should take home ideas to put into practice.
- It is essential that the whole school is involved in, and the wider community aware of, the schools’ Eco-Schools programme.
- Means of information provision and public relations to tell about their work can include: school assemblies, school notice boards, school newsletters and websites, school plays, dramas and fashion shows based on environmental issues, letters to businesses and corporations, local and national press, radio and television, etc.
- Global Action Days
STEP 7 : ECO-CODE
A statement that represents the school's commitment to the environment
- It should be memorable and familiar to everyone in the school
- The format is flexible, it can be a song, drawing, model, poem, etc.
- The Eco-Code should list the main objectives of your Action Plan
- It is crucial that pupils play a key role in the development of the Eco Code, as this will give them a greater sense of responsibility towards the values the Eco Code represents
- The content of the Eco Code should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to reflect the school's ecological aims and targets
- The Eco Code should be prominently displayed throughout the school
