Eco School Accreditation

ASB accomplishing the 7 steps towards to achieve the Green Flag

Eco-Schools is a growing phenomenon, which encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it. It starts in the classroom, it expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large. Through this programme, young people experience a sense of achievement at being able to have a say in the environmental management policies of their schools, ultimately steering them towards certification and the prestige which comes with being awarded a Green Flag. The Eco-Schools programme is an ideal way for schools to embark on a meaningful path towards improving the environment in both the school and the local community while at the same time having a life-long positive impact on the lives of young people, their families, school staff and local authorities.

Solar Panels Project

Environmental Service/Service-Learning Programs in ASB

Recycling
Natural Areas

Recycling

Battery recycling Campaign with ECOPILAS foundation

To be officially started in September 2020. This will be a student lead activity initiated by two 11th graders. ASB will be a collecting center of reused batteries.

Oil recycling campaign with Fundacion ASPROSEAT Program started in 2018

ASB students lead this program in partnership with the ASPROSEAT foundation. This year we have collected more than 200 liters of used oil. The adults with incapacity in the foundation Asproseat are the ones that filter the oil and then they sell it for biodiesel. ASB students learn about the circular economy.

Bottle Cap program with SEUR Company Program started in 2017 with some years of interruption

ASB collects bottle caps and Seur comes and picks them up as part of their CSR campaign to help children that need special surgery that is not covered by Social Security. ASB is officially in the program and we are a “Taponero School”

Furnishing the Future program started in 2017

Service project that gives a second use to the furniture of the ASB families that leaves the country. ASPROSEAT the institution next to ASB leans us a space to store the furniture. The furniture is distributed to NGOs and it is reused by people with low incomes.

ASB Thrift Store program started in 2020

ASB Thrift Store is an online second-hand clothing organization that two students started in October 2019 in order to raise awareness of fast fashion consumerism and recycle clothes so that they can be loved by the new owners. All of the profits are given to a charity of choice (womens’ shelter), and the clothes that are not bought directly will be sold to a local second-hand store or donated to roba amiga.

Natural Areas

Let’s take care of planet Earth, Let’s take care of Collserola Program started in 2007

In this experiential learning program in operation since 2007, all ASB students from kindergarten to 12th grade do environmental work in one of the largest urban parks in Europe, Collserola Park, on the outskirts of Barcelona. Different groups of students regularly spend time at the park throughout the year doing environmental activities, depending on their grade level, such as clearing water channels, planting trees, or studying the composition of the soil, under the supervision of park officials. Sometimes the work is directly related to the curriculum in the classroom, sometimes it is not. However, it is always a valuable experience for the students and beneficial for the park. The students learn about the importance of protecting the environment as they develop a sense of attachment to the nearby park, park authorities benefit from the useful work they do, and perhaps more importantly, from a more environmentally conscious public.

Beach Clean-Ups: Clean Camp Climb (G11), MS Outing, and Individual CAS projects

ASB participates annually in two-yearly beach clean-up activities with 11th graders and 8th graders as well as other non-official beach clean-ups where students of ASB participate and organize as part of their CAS project. ASB collects data and sends it to environmental agencies, such as the Ocean Conservancy’s TIDES program.

ECO CLUB ARTICLES

Biodiversity

Efficient Lighting Source

Recycled Oil

ECO CLUB NEWS

Energy Conservation

Energy Conservation

Did you know that, on average, cooling and heating systems (AC machines) make up half of your yearly energy consumption?

Residential and institutional energy consumption is the third largest use of energy in the world behind the industrial and transportation sector. As we aim for a sustainable and eco-friendly society, it is crucial to target and regulate the energy we consume on a yearly basis. Luckily, our school campus is drastically improving in this aspect due to the substantial investment made by ASB and our management team deliberately working in order to help us achieve our sustainable development goals. An essential member of the team who has been and is currently leading us closer to our ecological goal is José Manuel Calahorra. During quarantine, he and his team worked on an extremely important advancement which is the new air conditioning system established in the Middle School and Elementary buildings. One way energy is being conserved is with an intelligent system that mixes the air inside a room with external air. In winter, the machine pulls the cold air out and the hot air in, which is a much more efficient and eco-friendly way of heating up a room. In addition, this mechanism is also COVID safe due to the ultraviolet disinfection system that is integrated inside the machine itself, avoiding any external contamination. ASB’s energy provider is Endesa, whose goals include promoting “the transition to a sustainable business model that combines competitiveness, innovation, and sustainability.” Looking towards the near future, our next step is integrating the new AC system in the high school building. The EcoClub supports further work to improve energy efficiency on campus and encourages our school community to consider and implement means to conserve energy at home.

SEVEN STEPS TOWARDS AN ECO-SCHOOL

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 and social actions for the school

Step 2: Carry out a Sustainability Audit

Carrying out a Sustainability Audit helps the school to identify its current environmental and social impact and highlights the good, the bad and the ugly.

The aim is to investigate the environmental and social issues in your school/community.
All main themes should be reviewed annually (the school is free to also choose other areas of 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 Sustainability Audit 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 Sustainability Audit.

Use the Sustainability Audit 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 program, linking Eco-Schools activities to the curriculum ensures that Eco-Schools is truly integrated within the school community.

Integrating the program into the curriculum can be done, either directly through specific classes or innovative teaching
Pupils from throughout the school should gain an understanding of how real life environmental and social 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 program.
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 and social issues, letters to businesses and corporations, local and national press, radio and television, etc.
Global Action Days

Step 7: Produce an Eco Code

A statement that represents the school's commitment to sustainability

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

The Green Flag

Usually after two years of implementing the programme and reaching a high level of performance in complying with these seven steps (sometimes national mandatory criteria also applies), schools can then apply for and be awarded the Green Flag.

Before receiving their first Green Flag, schools must be assessed by means of a visit. After the first Green Flag, other means of assessment are allowed, although visits are always recommended. Assessment should be carried out on a yearly basis.

Includes everyone

Combining learning with hands-on experiences, the whole program is run according to an all-inclusive, participatory approach involving students, teachers and the local community at large.

Improves School Environments

The Eco-Schools program is an ideal way for schools to embark on a meaningful path towards improving the environmental footprint of a school, a change which inevitably leads to a more sustainable, less costly and more responsible school environment.

Motivates

Eco-Schools challenges students to engage in tackling environmental problems at a level where they can see tangible results, spurring them on to realize that they really can make a difference.

Improves Attitudes

Eco-Schools instills in students a sense of responsibility and cultivates a sustainable mindset which they can apply on a daily basis. It equips those involved with the drive to really make a difference and to spread such proactive behavior amongst family and friends, ultimately passing it on to future generations.

Involves Communities

Eco-Schools places great emphasis on involving the local community from the very beginning. By doing so, the lessons the students pick up are transferred back into the community where they take hold and lead to more sustainable, environmentally responsible behavior patterns all round.

Connects Globally

Eco-Schools facilitates contact between participating institutions not just at the national level, but also internationally. These links provide an opportunity for schools to share environmental information, they can also be used as a means for cultural exchanges and for improving language skills.

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The International Baccalaureate