Green Education certification has been awarded to 92 schools and a further 160 kindergartens at a ceremony at The Water Technologies, Renewable Energy and Environmental Control (WATEC) 2009 exhibition, bringing the total number of certified green schools to 232 and green kindergartens to 274.
The certification was awarded by Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and Minister of Education Gideon Sa'ar, which acknowledges the schools as being committed to sustainable development and green conduct in line with set protocols.
In order to attain the green schools certification, institutions must meet three criteria, involving curriculum, reduction of resource consumption and community projects.
To satisfy these criteria, environmental subjects must be included in the curriculum, which involves thirty hours annually for each student in subjects such as social studies, science and geography. The school must implement plans to reduce consumption of resources such as electricity, water and paper, as well as recycling bottles, paper, batteries, organic waste and other recyclable materials. The community projects requirement states that the school must implement an environmental project that contributes to both the community and the environment.
One million shekels ($250,000) has been allocated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection to support the accreditation process for green education certification. The accreditation process involves each school appointing a “green council” which includes the joint participation of teachers and students.
Minister Sa’ar reportedly commented that the younger generation is a pioneer in environmental conservation, and the children of Israel are the nation’s hope for future change and security.
For further information, read:
http://tinyurl.com/y87zeq8