Keep Britain Tidy
Educating school children about environmental issues
Eco-Schools is a global programme which aims to better equip teachers to educate their pupils about environmental issues and to give them a role in reducing the environmental impact of their school.
In England, Keep Britain Tidy runs the programme in more than 13,000 schools, nurseries or colleges, which accounts for more than 20% of all Eco-Schools globally. In 2022-23, more than 1.4 million pupils attended a school taking part in the Eco-Schools programme in England, giving it the largest reach of any country in the world.
In the same year, the programme created or maintained 1.65 million square metres of natural habitats, saved more than 6.2 million kwh of gas (which, according to Ofgem, is equivalent to the gas used by almost 540 homes each year), delivered 21,065 litter-picks and diverted more than 3.8 million kgs of waste from landfill. In addition, 1,969 schools and nurseries signed up to its Cut Your Carbon challenge.
During the academic year 2022-23, the programme cost a total of £441,043 to deliver, which equates to 32p per young person attending a nursery, school or college taking part in the programme; or 27p per square metre of natural habitat created, 4p per kwh of electricity saved, or 12p per kg of waste diverted from landfill.
It raised £464,483 from school accreditations and People’s Postcode Lottery funding. In addition, it has partnered with the Bupa Foundation to develop its Healthy Living initiative and to provide free accreditation to 66 of the most deprived schools across the country in 2023-24.
Some 96% of teachers felt that Eco-Schools work expanded environmental education in their
school, college or nursery, while 60% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that taking part in Eco-Schools has reduced eco-anxiety in pupils and 96% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that taking part in the Eco-Schools programme has empowered young people.
Awards judge Karin Woodley, chief executive at Cambridge House, said there was a real appetite among school pupils to be involved in environmental initiatives such as this, and Keep Britain Tidy deserved to be commended for responding to that.
Judge Julie Wilson-Dodd, transformation consultant at New Reality Consulting, praised the “good long-term impact, evidence and teacher feedback”.
CC Reg no. 1071737
