Environmental Review

Although each school might decide to start from any point in the EkoSkola process, the first task of the committee is the design, implementation and evaluation of the school’s environmental review.

The review aims to: Dwejra landing

Provide an opportunity to address environmental issues that are relevant to the school community,
Inform the school community about the state of the school’s environment and the environmental impact of the school on its surroundings,
Identify aspects of the school’s environment that are not usually addressed,
Help the school community to prioritise its needs re-environmental management,
Facilitate the drawing up of an environmental action plan, and
Provide the tools necessary for monitoring the school’s progress re the implementation of the action plan.

Checklist

The downloads include an environmental review checklist (either in Maltese or English) and an environmental review adapted for Infants, spanning the main areas of environmental concern. The school can either adopt them as they are or adapt them to its particular needs or even add new areas of concern.

(a) The selection of the items to be reviewed can be facilitated by asking staff and students: “What do you like and dislike about your school?”
(b) Children, with the help of adults, can gather the information presented in the checklist from the school grounds. To facilitate the review process, it might be a good idea to assign different areas of the school to different ‘reviewers’.
(c) The data gathered is compiled into a report that is circulated among the school community.
(d) The committee meets to discuss the report in detail, to identify priorities and to plan for the next phase of the programme – the Action Plan.

The checklists which can be downloaded from the below links is sub-divided into seven main sections that reflect the seven EkoSkola themes:

Environmental review checklist in English
Environmental Review checklist in Maltese

Litter	Transport
Waste minimisation	Healthy living
Energy	The School
Water

Since the major activities occurring in schools concern the curriculum, another section, entitled School Environmental Policy, is also included.

Nevertheless, the school is free to choose other areas of environmental concern that are more relevant to its needs and to devise appropriate checklists accordingly. That is why each checklist has a couple of blank rows and why the last grid has been left blank.

Children, with the guidance of adults, can use the questions contained in these checklists to gather information about the state of the school’s environment.

The sections marked Action needed, Action to be taken and Cost involved need not be filled in during the review … although they may come in useful for jotting notes and bright ideas. These sections can serve as discussion primers during the following EkoSkola committee meeting and are also good indicators for items to be considered in the formulation of the action plan.

A sample checklist for the younger children can be downloaded from the link below

Environmental Review checklist for younger children

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has also collated the Eco-Schools Sustainability Audit Guides to help schools assess where they stand and identify clear, practical next steps within each theme. Easy to use and printable, each guide includes a short introduction to the topic and a structured audit tool to support student-led evaluation and action planning.

Eco-Committee Guide on Biodiversity & Nature

Eco-Committee Guide on Climate Change

Eco-Committee Guide on Energy

Eco-Committee Guide on Equality & Equity

Eco-Committee Guide on Food

Eco-Committee Guide on Rivers & Coasts

Eco-Committee Guide on Rights & Responsibilities as Global Citizens

Eco-Committee Guide on Litter & Waste

Eco-Committee Guide on Heritage & Culture

Eco-Committee Guide on Health & Wellbeing

Eco-Committee Guide on Sanitation and Hygiene

Eco-Committee Guide on School Buildings & Grounds