Sustainability is now on the curriculum

A POSSIBLY unintended consequence of company ownership and corporate influence on the independent education sector is compliance with sustainability doctrines and triple bottom line requirements, such as environmentally appropriate conduct and leadership.

Cape Town-based architect and engineer Vernon Collis of Collis & Associates says SA’s independent schools are a good example of what schools can offer and that “there is no reason why government schools cannot offer inspiring, engaging environments”.

Johannesburg’s St Stithian’s College, for instance, describes itself as a “green school”, which is “committed to promoting environmental sustainability in our own practices and curriculum”.

Collis says following independent schools’ example, the Sustainable Schools Initiative — the greening of public schools, green building and green technology — can substantially reduce the operational costs of poorly resourced schools.

“This has many benefits as it frees up money for more educators, creates jobs and livelihood opportunities, improves food security and, most significantly, transforms the experience of pupils in government schools.”

In recognition of the compatibility of the Sustainable Schools Initiative with the One Million Climate Jobs Campaign (MCJ), the NGO which co-ordinates the MCJ — the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) — approached the WWF Nedbank Green Trust for funding to conduct six feasibility studies at selected rural and urban school across the country. The funding was granted earlier this year.

AIDC’s research associate Jeff Rudin says the project promotes a “just” transition to a low carbon economy with maximum job creation through state-led investment.

“Our ultimate aim is to comprehensively retrofit all government schools, not only for greening and climate change purposes, but also to humanise the schools for the pupils and teachers, and to transform them into the community hubs they should be by linking them with the surrounding neighbourhoods and communities.”

Following the Sustainable Schools Initiative model, each school should be retrofitted to reduce dependency from the national grid, says Rudin.

Each school will, where appropriate and possible, have its own fruit and vegetable garden fed by harvested water, be retrofitted with alternate energy systems and energy saving devices and improved insulation and shading control.