Step 1 Eco-Committee - Eco Schools

Your Eco-Committee must be led by students and should meet a minimum of once every half-term. There should be at least one or two students from each year group, if possible someone from every tutor group. If your school has a Student Council see if they would like to become Eco-Reps. We understand that it will be difficult for all students to come to every meeting due to other school commitments (especially during exam time), but as long as you all occasionally meet and every student understands their role on the committee this fulfills our criteria for Step 1. Remember any members of the Eco-Committee must have their photo (selfie) on your school’s Eco-Board, so other students know who to speak to when they want to get involved – more on that in the Resources section below.

An Eco-Committee must be supported by a member of staff who has volunteered to be your Eco-Coordinator. They will speak to other staff on your behalf and will help when registering and applying for awards. Please remember it is unlikely that this member of staff will get any extra time or money for doing this work; they have volunteered because they want to help you and your school achieve the international Green Flag Award.

We also recommend involving the wider school community in your Eco-Committee by inviting the head girl and boy, prefects, parents, governors, reception staff, canteen staff or your site manager to attend meetings when possible.

Eco-Committee Criteria

In order to achieve the international Green Flag Award your school must meet the following criteria.

OPTIONAL FOR FIRST GREEN FLAG: At least one pupil from each year group is on your Eco-Committee including KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4. Nurseries, colleges and SEN schools can adapt their Eco-Committee to suit their setting. Please note it is not necessary to appoint a new Eco-Committee each academic year.
Your Eco-Committee meet at least once every half-term.
Pupils share responsibility with adults for running meetings and keeping a record of meetings.
Meeting minutes are displayed on your Eco-Board.
OPTIONAL FOR FIRST GREEN FLAG: There is representation from parents, governors or senior management on your Eco-Committee, however, they do not have to attend every meeting. When they cannot attend meetings, the Eco-Committee are responsible for updating them.
Pupil representatives ensure that there is communication to and from the Eco-Committee to the rest of the school.

Eco-Committee Resources

A few resources to help you run an Eco-Committee either as part of the school council, or as a separate group.

Meeting Minutes

Please login to your Eco-School account with your Eco-Coordinator to find additional materials to help.

Eco-Committee FAQs

Everything you might want to ask before setting up an Eco-Committee.

Does a student from every year group have to be on the Eco-Committee?

Every year group must be represented by at least one student on the Eco-Committee. We understand that Years 11 and 13 might not be able to attend all meetings from March onwards.

Does the Eco-Committee have to change every year?

No, that is entirely up to your school. Obviously, large groups of students join your school every September – why not ask the new Year 7s to sign up to the Eco-Committee on their moving up day or during induction week. Many of them will have been on their Eco-Committee at Primary School. Not having to re-elect a full Eco-Committee every September will also save a lot of time!

Do the Eco-Committee have to be displayed on our Eco-Board?

Yes, this provides evidence towards your Green Flag award. You need to display names and year/ tutor group. If for any reason a student can not have their photo on display on the Eco-Board, they could always draw a self portrait or use an appropriate emoji to represent them.

How often should the Eco-Committee meet?

This depends on how quickly you want to complete your journey to Green Flag. Some school?s Eco-Committees choose to meet as often as once a week, whilst others meet only once every half term. We recommend they meet no less than once every half term.

What adults can be on the Eco-Committee?

Adults from all aspects of the school life can join the Eco-Committee, they can include teachers, learning support assistants, senior leadership, site managers, administration staff, parents or governors (as long as they comply with your school?s safeguarding policy).

Do we have to record minutes from Eco-Committee meetings?

Yes, we ask that Eco-Committee members take a record of events from their meetings. We have templates and a guide to recording minutes available on your school login. It does not have to be neat or perfect, we like seeing your work as it is presented ? please don?t type up or redraft the notes as it is unnecessary.

Do we have to display minutes from Eco-Committee meetings?

Yes, these should be displayed on your Eco-Board to inform the school about the progress of your Green Flag application. A photograph of your Eco-Board will be asked for in the final stages of your application as evidence towards your Green Flag award.

School Examples

Birchwood Community High School, Cheshire

The Eco-Committee at Birchwood High School decided to allocate different roles and responsibilities to their Eco-Committee.
Students in year 7 and 8 are simply Committee Members, involved in all aspects of Eco-Schools work, but not given specific responsibilities, whilst they develop an understanding of how the Eco-Schools programme works in Birchwood.
Students in Year 9 and 10 graduate to share a variety of more formal roles. The Chair and the Secretary work together to ensure meetings run smoothly, the Chair presiding and the Secretary completing Meeting minutes. The Communication Director is responsible for updating the Eco-Board and working with staff members to write articles for school newsletters and construct messages for school social media accounts. The Primary Liaison works with school staff to communicate with primary schools in the local area creating collaborative eco-projects. Finally, the Evaluation Officer is responsible for ensuring projects on the Action Plan are successfully monitored and evaluated.
When students move to year 11, it is understood other commitments, such as exam revision sessions, may prevent them from attending every Eco-Committee meeting. So, they become Senior Eco-Committee members who, when available, are responsible for mentoring and guiding younger committee members.

School Website

Moreton Hall, Shropshire

At Moreton Hall the Eco-Team is made up of girls (Moreton Hall is a single-sex school) from each year group, who have chosen to be in the team. The Eco-Team meets each week and meetings are led by girls in the sixth form who have been in the team for several years. The Eco-Committee is made up of the Eco-Team student leaders, parents, a member of SLT, the school's Head of Maintenance, Financial Controller and Chef. In addition, the teachers who support the Eco-Team are also members. By including all of these people Moreton Hall can discuss projects and make decisions even when there is cost implications, for example they discussed changing recycling providers and creating a wildflower meadow within the school grounds.

School Website

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