November 30, 2011
By Donovan Jackson

With the world challenged by sustainability and environmental issues, wouldn’t it be good if the next generation could learn about the necessity for good choices at school? Indeed it would, and that’s why Nokia has entered into the Eco Schools partnership in South Africa.

Implemented in South Africa by WESSA (Wildlife and environment society) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Eco-Schools accredits those that make a commitment to continuously improve their school’s environmental performance. And more than achieving a more eco-friendly school, the programme engages children to learn about the necessity for sustainable practices – habits that could, in due course, help to change the world.

With some 1300 schools registered, a variety of sustainability projects are implemented, including food gardens, recycling, water and energy conservation and more.  On their own, such initiatives can result in financial savings to the school, produce sources of healthy food and even generate some income. And when a minimum of three projects are effectively maintained and associated lessons given to children, they receive the Green Eco-School Flag.

The coveted Green Eco-School flag. Note the quantity of recycled material collected!

If that sounds a lot like a really worthy cause, that’s what we thought, too. Putting our money where our mouth is, Nokia funds the work of the regional coordinator in the Eastern Cape. This is a crucial task in ensuring that the Eco-Schools projects are not just implemented and forgotten about, but maintain high visibility within the school. The coordinator educates teachers on environmental issues, motivates and facilitates the projects, delivering the support to take initiatives from inception, through to productive application.

Learners with an appreciation for environmental sensitivity.

In addition, Nokia is helping to build capacity by funding a workshop for coordinators and educators, and educating teachers on the topic of e-waste recycling, providing a kit to help pass knowledge on to learners. This is the first step in a 3-phase programme which includes the provision of bins for the collection of old and broken phones for recycling which will be carried out across the Eastern Cape. The phones will go to a Nokia approved recycler in South Africa, while the schools which collect the most will receive rewards.

None of us even thought of recycling our first cellphone. As a result, there are millions of handsets which no longer work – and which should be disposed of in an environmentally-sound manner.

Extending the reach of eco-awareness, we are also supporting a competition where children at each school will create a poster to encourage people in their community to recycle; winners will receive finance from Nokia to purchase educational material.

Teaching the teachers; when educators are equipped to pass on the message to learners, the message is multiplied exponentially.

Knowledge is power; when more people make sound environmental choices a matter of habit, the impacts of modern living can be reduced and managed. When it starts at the school level and becomes second nature, the chance for a cleaner future for all is assured.