Surrey schools greenest in England ›

Surrey County Council is proud to announce that it continues to lead in England in environmental education, boasting the largest number of Eco-Schools Green Flag awards for the second consecutive year. There are over 170 schools working on the Eco-Schools programme, with 98 schools across the county having earned this internationally recognised accolade, Surrey is at the forefront of fostering a sustainable future through education.

The Eco-Schools programme, the largest education programme globally, provides a structured framework for embedding sustainability into schools.

Surrey’s achievement represents the active participation of over 52,000 pupils who are part of a Green Flag school. Approximately 2,200 of these students have played a direct role in their schools’ journey to achieving the Green Flag status.

Activities that have taken place include:

Running switch off campaigns to save energy.
Growing fruit and vegetables on their school grounds.
Building new ponds to increase biodiversity.
Planting trees to encourage more wildlife and improve air quality.
Making signs for bins to make sure people use the correct bins, to help increase recycling.
Installing water buts to collect rainwater.
Monitoring energy use, water use and sustainable transport practices to see where they can improve.
Following national campaigns such as Walk to School Week and Recycle Week.

The projects have engaged over 52,000 pupils and are already reaping benefits which include:

Saving a total of 1,196,638 kwh of electricity
Diverting 90,645 tonnes of waste from landfill
Creating 12,584 (m2) of natural habitat
7,400 pupils participating in walking and cycling initiatives
Over £10,000 has been raised for environmental projects in schools
Over 30,000 pupils have taken part in a curriculum based environmental lesson

Marisa Heath, Cabinet Member for Environment at Surrey County Council, said: “We are very proud to have the most schools with Eco-Schools Green Flags in England, and this is a testament to the hard work of those schools. It is vital to ensure the next generation understands how we can look after our environment and is prepared to make informed, environmentally aware choices. Many young people are passionate about the environment from recycling to air quality, and Eco-Schools provides them with a proven platform to make a real difference in their school and local community.”

Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning adds: “The Eco-Schools programme empowers students to take the lead in environmental action, encouraging them to become champions of positive change both now and in the future. It’s fantastic to see this acknowledgement of their efforts from a globally recognised awards programme.”

More information about Eco-Schools in Surrey, including how to sign up can be found Surrey County Council’s website.

_{Image: St Peters CofE Primary in Farnham were recently awarded Green Flag status with support from Surrey County Council}