In South Africa funding for some groups of Eco-Schools comes from combining forces with another Environmental Education (EE) programme sponsored by Old Mutual called "Out of the Box". Schools receive a box of apparatus containing compasses, thermometers, a resource file, stopwatches, seeds, tape measures, a variety of measuring instruments, and even a wormery for earthworms! Tjis box greatly assists teachers in developing learning and action projects, which they then report on in their Eco-School portfolios.
During 2005 there are 40 Eco-Schools around South Africa working with Out of the Box kits. Small groups of schools are supported by 6 co-ordinators. One of the groups is based in the KwaZulu/Natal Midlands and their co-ordinators combine tourism initiatives (the area is well-known for its Midlands Meander Association of craft shops and country restaurants and hotels) with environmental education support, and also receive funding from a nearby toll road that runs through the area (the N3 Toll Road Concession Company). These partnerships illustrate how the Eco-Schools programme in South Africa works: by combining forces everybody wins!
Co-ordinator for the Midlands Eco-School project, Louine Boothway becomes Bheki-the-Beetle during school visits and Nikki Brighton, co-ordinator of the Midlands Meander Education Project, spreads her wings to assume the role of Bongi-the-Butterfly. Bheki was inspired and initiated by a local principal named Bheki whose shape resembles that of a beetle! Bongi-the-Butterfly represents the endemic Karkloof Blue butterfly which is the symbol of the Midlands Meander Association.
Since the start of the project this year, learners at the seven participating schools in the Midlands have had the opportunity to do hands-on exploration of environmental topics such as water pollution, soil erosion, food webs, endangered bird species, wetlands and many more. The project aims to not only provide teachers with more environmental resources but also to conduct practical fieldwork sessions at the schools to demonstrate techniques useful in encouraging new ways of learning and teaching.
Participating schools have to show improvement in three focus areas of their choice, for example: Resource Management, Health and Safety and School Grounds and Fieldwork. At the end of October the schools are required to submit a portfolio with evidence of improvement in these areas. A successful school will then receive the much-coveted Eco-Schools green flag.
Says Ms Antonia Mkhabela, deputy-principal of Nottingham Road Combined School: "Since our involvement with Eco-Schools I have learnt another approach to teaching. The learners want the lessons to be more practical." Not only has enthusiasm for learning markedly increased, according to Antonia, two learners who were previously branded as "trouble-makers" are now in the process of establishing a craft enterprise to generate an income for the school. Sub-committees consisting of learners working for the improvement of various facets around the school are sparking off a sense of purpose and excitement which is clear even to an outsider.
The beauty of Eco-Schools is the holistic, all-embracing nature of the programme. Educators who have been working for years on various projects to improve their teaching and school environment can now for the first time, claim recognition for their efforts through the Eco-Schools portfolio.
Hopefully a bit of beetle-magic will give wings to these inspired Midlands schools helping them to be successful in this worthy endeavor and greening the Midlands with Eco-Schools flags.

(August 2005)

   
On 3 May 2005 the South African team, the Ikey Icemen, were the first South Africans and Africans to walk to the Magnetic North Pole. They partook in the Polar Race 2005, dubbed the 'world's toughest race' which spanned 700km over the arctic ice and frozen sea. They did not make use of husky dogs or any other form of transport, but pulled their supplies on sleds and walked or skied the whole way. Peter Berning, who carried the Eco-Schools flag on behalf of the WESSA/WWF-SA Eco-Schools programme in South Africa, wrote half way, 'It is spectacular here, but deadly, any lapse in concentration and you pay dearly - discomfort, pain or worse.' All three team members, Peter, Dugald Macdonald and Ted Adam arrived safely at the Pole.
   

As part of their educational responsibility in traversing some of the world's last true wilderness they flew the Eco-Schools flag at the Magnetic North Pole for children across
the globe to feel proud of their environmentally active schools and for more awareness on issues such as global warming and practical ways to live more sustainably. Children in all the thousands of Eco-Schools around the globe can now know that the Eco-Schools flag has flown proudly on top of the world! If only the whole world could be an Eco-School, working towards better environmental management and learning.

(June 2005)

   
The project "Electrical Efficiency for a Sustainable Lifestyle", one of the suite of projects that is supported by the Eskom Energy and Sustainability Programme (a partnership programme by Eskom and the Wildlife and Environment Society) has won the international Volvo Adventure Award for the best project worldwide this week in Sweden. The project is based on the concept of electrical efficiency in order to reduce carbon emission. The Ladysmith Enviro Group, which developed the project, encouraged the replacement of incandescent lamps for Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). This simple method has a remarkable electrical saving of kWh over the lifespan of the CFL.
   
The project took first place from South Korea, second, and USA, third. The group from the Ladysmith Enviro Club consisted of 5 students, as well as Avril Wilkinson who co-ordinates the Eskom Energy and Sustainability Programme, and Cherise Acker, who also supports projects in the KZN north coasts region. The project was successful for a number of reasons, one of which is that it developed partnerships with many local, national and international organisations.
   
The main partners were Eskom and WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa - FEE member for SA), which supported the programme through their E&S Programme. The CFL's were donated by Climate Care, a company in the UK which fund carbon emission reduction projects throughout the world with funds received from volunteer carbon levies. Other partnerships include another environmental education programme called Eco-Schools (managed in South Africa by WESSA), which have adopted similar electrical efficiency projects on a national level, as well as the local municipality and businesses in Ladysmith. The group won 10000 USD. The money will be spent on future environmental projects, but first they will pay their volunteer carbon levy to Climate Care for the emission from their air flights to Sweden.
   
For more information visit www.volvoadventure.org and www.climatecare.org
All details of the winning projects can be viewed on the Volvo Adventure site.
   
The United Nations will be holding an international children's conference in India in October. The Club have been invited to attend this conference as guests of the United Nations where we will once again share our project with young people from around the world. Thank you to all our partners for makng this possible. We are in your debt!
   
Avril Wilkinson, and the Ladysmith Enviro Club

(April 2005)

   
During 2004 over 300 South African schools registered with the WESSA WWF-SA Eco-Schools programme supported by Nampak. By the end of October many of these schools submitted a portfolio that documented the change that had taken place over the year in their schools. Lesson plans and photographs are key parts of these portfolios. Following careful assessment by Eco-School teams around the country, 123 schools earned their green flags. Of these, 23 are particularly special Eco-Schools as they had already earned their flags in 2003. Through continued environmental efforts, they have earned a 2004 certificate and the right to continue flying their Eco-School flag. There are 100 new Eco-Schools in SA.
   
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are Jokwana Junior Secondary Eco-School motto. During this year I have found that I have an important role to play… the outings and projects gave me an insight of how important it is that we view the future of our earth in a serious way. We cannot just waste water or electricity and throw our rubbish around. … Next year I will be in secondary school and I hope to also motivate my fellow students to form part of this great project". - From Victoria Jacobs, Grade 7 learner, Kerria Primary School, Atlantis, at the ceremony on 1 December in which her school was awarded their Eco-School flag.

(December 2004)

   
The Eco-Schools programme is being developed in South Africa as a school improvement programme, with the aim of supporting schools with sustainable environmental management and environmental learning. The programme is designed to encourage whole-school learning and action for a healthy environment.
   
Share-Net is a South African based informal networking project that supports environmental education and development in the SADC region. Share-Net and Eco-Schools are two WESSA-managed programmes that are working together to support schools across South Africa with tools for environmental learning.
   
In early September, Kim Ward (Eco-Schools) and Clare Peddie (Share-Net) spent a week visiting schools and EE projects in Limpopo and Northern Province. There is an enormous interest in the Eco-Schools programme, with many of schools that were visited having impressive food gardens. This is in spite of being in very low rainfall areas and some schools with no water at all (the children bring small containers of grey water from home each day to water the vegetables!) Another heart-warming environmental action project in one of the schools was the fate of a very old marula tree, roots badly exposed through soil erosion, and on the verge of falling over. By using old car tyres and building up the soil around the base, the tree has been saved and still provides shade next the sports grounds.
   
Many of these schools, all working towards achieving their ‘green flag’ which show that they are integrating their environmental work into the curriculum, are being supported by the range of resources available through Share-Net. These range from simple fieldwork booklets, the ‘taking action’ booklets which equip people with information and ideas on how to take effective environmental action in their local communities, teachers guides to provide teachers with a range of learning area activities related to specific topics, Enviro Facts which are 60 concise, up-to-date fact sheets on environmental issues in South Africa, to water quality monitoring resources as well as indigenous knowledge booklets, etc.

(September 2004)

First Flags in South Africa!

   
There are over 27 000 schools in South Africa, nearly 12 million schoolchildren and over 35000 teachers. Now there are over 100 Eco-Schools registered and about 40 green flags flying in South Africa!
   
The first 14 green flags were awarded to a group of schools in Cintsa (a rural area near East London in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa). There were about 500 people packed into a big tent in the school grounds near the beautiful garden the school has developed and which helps to feed both the school children and the local community. This garden was one of the school's Eco-School projects. It was a grand affair with speeches from every Department (Education, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Water Affairs & Forestry, Agriculture) and of course some beautiful traditional dancing and singing. It made the front page of the newspaper and prime time on national morning TV!!
   
A further 11 schools were awarded flags in Durban on 20 November and 7 schools received their flags in Cape Town on 21 November. Several more schools will receive flags by the end of the year bringing the total number of awarded flags to about 40 for 2003.

WESSA's Treasure Beach Environmental Education Centre will also receive a flag for the efforts they make at their Centre to be an example to the schools that visit. They have focused on special environmental days, an indigenous garden at the Centre and a recycling programme. One of the teachers commented: "Suddenly everyone feels responsible and wants to be involved" and another one "This programme has focused our thoughts and initiatives… we know that overcoming the inertia of old habits will require much energy and persistence but we have made a start" and one more from a principal: "The Eco-School idea has brought a new and meaningful focus into our school… the children and staff have been caught up by the enthusiasm and a new dimension has been added to the school day."
   
In South Africa the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) manage the Eco-Schools programme in partnership with the Department of Education. Funding has been sourced from a large packaging company (Nampak) through WWF-SA. South Africa's school curriculum has recently been thoroughly revised and Eco-Schools programme aims to support schools with implementing this new curriculum by developing lesson plans with an environmental focus. "The Department of Education is happy to partner the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa to promote Eco-Schools as the initiative is taking heed of the need to deliver on the new curriculum" was the message from Education Minister Kader Asmal. There is interest in the Eco-Schools programme from many countries in the southern and eastern African region. Eco-Schools - South Africa is based in the WESSA offices which are also home to the Southern African Development Co-operation (SADC) Regional Environmental Education Centre. Many course participants visit the Centre and are interested to learn more about the Eco-School programme. In particular interest has been shown from Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia and the Seychelles. Funding from Danida enables the national Eco-Schools co-ordinator to support interest expressed by these countries.

(November 2003)

2 new registered Eco-Schools in South Africa! - Injoloba and Epworth

   
On 28^th May two new schools joined the Eco-Schools programme. In Howick Injoloba Secondary School registered as an Eco-School having raised funds from members of the local community to cover costs to join the programme. Epworth School in Pietermaritzburg also registered with the programme. When schools register as Eco-Schools they commit themselves to an ongoing process of school improvement and teachers are encouraged to base lessons on environmental themes. Eco-Schools choose at least three projects and record their progress in a portfolio. Portfolios are assessed and successful schools will be awarded with an Eco-School flag. Injoloba learners are participating in the Mondi WESSA Environmental Quiz as well as the ESKOM Energy & Sustainability programme. The school has already developed an extensive vegetable garden and the learners have collected hundreds of cans for recycling. Epworth is also working on exciting environmental projects which range from maintaining an area of natural vegetation in the school grounds, to replacing exotic trees with indigenous ones, to a general recycling programme including glass, printer cartridges, paper and cans. Epworth have also been long-term participants in the annual Mondi WESSA Enviro-quiz.
   
Schools wishing to be part of the pilot Eco-Schools programme in South Africa in 2003 have to register by June. Portfolios outlining all work done since the beginning of the year have to be submitted by October 2003. Currently about 50 schools have registered as pilot schools and more are expected to join by the end of June.

   
2003 - a pilot year: 2003 is a pilot year for Eco-Schools in South Africa. In the southern hemisphere our school year begins in January and this is when our pilot project was launched. Co-ordinators from every region in South Africa attended a planning workshop in January and have promised to work with 5 pilot schools each during this year.
   
Eco-Schools Tool kit: For several years schools in southern Africa have worked with a school environmental policy initiative using a pack with ideas for school environmental policies and management plans. This pack has been updated and revised in order to be in line with recent national curriculum changes and is now called the 'Schools and Sustainability Pack'. This pack has become the toolkit for Eco-Schools.
   
Flyer, Guidelines and Certificate: A flyer with membership details has been developed as well as a small booklet with guidelines for aspiring Eco-Schools. Schools have two registration options: a cheaper very basic registration which includes the tool kit and a more expensive option which includes a selection of environmental education resources as well as six issues of a junior environmental magazine. All schools that register receive a smart certificate of participation.

   
Eco-Schools National Manager Appointed:
Kim Ward has returned to work at the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa following a period of work for FEE in Denmark and a few months of travel. She has been appointed as Eco-Schools national manager beginning in May 2003.
   

Pilot schools: All pilot schools need to submit a portfolio of goals achieved by October 2003 should they wish to apply for an Eco-School award. We hope to collect stories of school ideas and work in order to compile more guidelines to inspire other schools. A workshop is also planned for October or November in order to review the toolkit and materials used by schools during the pilot year and make improvements for 2004.
   
Funding: We are currently working on a funding proposal with WWF-South Africa. A potential sponsor has indicated a definite interest in the programme and we hope to finalise this funding opportunity soon. The funding will cover general management costs as well as provide support for schools that struggle to meet Eco-School registration costs.
   
Expanding the Eco-Schools African network: Many countries in southern Africa are working with school environmental management initiatives similar to Eco-Schools. Lesotho, for example, works with 'Model Schools' while Botswana has adapted the School Environmental Policy Pack for their own schools. The Eco-Schools programme has been conceptualised to support 'bottom-up' policy processes as a key component of the Danida-supported SADC regional Environmental Education Support project. Supporting the development of Eco-Schools in southern and eastern Africa will therefore also be a key part of Kim's work. An Eco-Schools presentation will be made at the annual Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) conference to be held in Namibia in June 2003.
   
We look forward to sharing more news as the Eco-Schools programme in South Africa expands and the eastern and southern African network grows!

(April 2003)