International Eco-Schools Day

Nov. 7, 2024

Today is International Eco-Schools Day, a date that aims to give international visibility to the work that award-winning schools do daily in favour of a more sustainable community.

The Eco-Schools programme, promoted by the Blue Flag Foundation for Environmental Education (ABAAE), has the support of a National Commission made up of various institutions, including the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action (SRAAC), which has been promoting this programme in the Region since 1999.

This programme aims to encourage action and recognise the quality work done by schools in the Environmental Education for Sustainability field. The methodology, inspired by the principles of Local Agenda 21, aims to ensure the participation of children and young people in decision-making, thus involving them in building a more sustainable school and community.

In addition to the primary topics of ‘Water’, ‘Waste’ and ‘Energy’, the working themes defined for the 2024/2025 school year are ‘Climate Action’, ‘Outdoor Spaces’ and ‘Biodiversity: Preserving and Regenerating’.

Although the number of Azorean schools registered and honoured has fallen slightly in recent years, there was a slight increase in the 2023/2024 school year. Of the 59 schools enrolled in Eco-Schools, around 90 %, precisely 53, won the award, directly involving 11,405 students.