Sustainability Education
Eco-Schools is the world ́s largest sustainability education programme and it offers an accessible framework for schools across the world and for all of our Globeducate schools.
Globeducate schools are all committed to being Eco-Schools and to achieving and retaining Green Flag status. We use this globally recognised benchmark as a tangible tool for meeting our vision to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and to prepare each student to become a global citizen who can shape the world.
Learning to be change-makers
Our Eco-Schools councils have regular action-planning meetings, including students of all ages in appropriate ways – from Early Years to Secondary. Younger children are empowered from an early age to participate in eco-action activities, building up to middle years curriculum-linked activities and to secondary students leading the school's Eco-Action Plan and developing the Eco-Code to support change-making.
RIS Rome aiming for zero-plastic school status
As with all Globeducate schools, RIS Rome has its own teacher-coordinator who leads on our global agenda projects and oversees the Eco-Schools accreditation and journey.
RIS Rome students—including CAS students and the Eco Councils for each class year— embarked on the Zero Plastic School project in March 2024. Supported by the PTA Eco Committee "Parents for the Planet" and by the school's senior leadership team, the project aims to eliminate single-use plastics from our campus. Students have collaborated with teachers on a high-level Three-Year Action Plan and major milestones include:
- Installation of drinking fountains and reusable student water bottles
- Removal of plastic water bottles from vending machines
- Review of RIS Rome procurement contracts
- Elimination of single-use plastics
- Student and staff members making one change in their habits to help achieve the goal
We thank our Eco PTA for sharing their expertise and time with us.
Book swap initiative
At RIS Rome, we firmly believe that repurposing second-hand books is a modest step towards a sustainable future. It reduces the usage of new paper while saving forests and lowering the amount of waste paper that needs to be recycled. Set in our immediate landscape of forest and trees, we are inspired to make this change. Every day we display good quality used books for our community to read – all ages, a variety of languages, and we accept donations every day.