Environmental Responsibility: Checklist for ELT schools
- The school has a CSR policy or statement covering environmental responsibility 1
- The policy is made available to staff, students, parents, accommodation providers
- Staff induction includes environmental issues and responsibilities 2
- We have taken action to reduce transport emissions in the UK 3
- We have taken action to compensate for unavoidable transport emissions from student and staff flights 4
- Staff understand their role as influencers 5
- Students understand their environmental responsibilities during their stay
- We have discussed environmental responsibility with the host school / accommodation provider
- We have communicated any host school / provider environmental initiatives to staff and students
- We have taken action to reduce food waste 6
- We encourage alternatives to meat 6
- We have taken action to reduce paper waste 7
- We have taken action to reduce ink waste 7
- We have taken action to reduce plastic waste 7
- We have taken action to reduce energy (lighting / electricity) usage 8
- We have taken action to reduce chemical waste 9
- We have taken action to reduce water usage 9
- We have taken action to reduce litter
- We talk to suppliers (of food, transport, stationery, books, insurance, etc) about their environmental credentials and favour those who demonstrate environmental responsibility.
- We communicate our environmental concerns and suggestions to local (eg. local authority) and national (eg. Member of Parliament) political representatives.
- We have given thought to reducing the number of / extending the life of course books
- We arrange excursions into the countryside or urban natural areas 10
- We organise documentaries and films around environmental issues 11
- Teaching materials include environmental issues
- Teaching includes out-of-class nature-based learning 12
- We organise social activities and excursions to deepen students’ connection with nature 13
- We consult staff and students on ways to further reduce waste
- We provide students and staff with ‘good news’ environmental stories 14
- We communicate our environmental initiatives on social media – #eltfootprint
- We refer staff to relevant online forums for further discussion about environmental responsibility in ELT 15
- We provide support for students or staff who feel emotionally distressed about environmental issues 16
Environmental Responsibility Checklist notes
- See Study Travel Magazine special report, Contents page 58
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/environmental-induction-for-staff/
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/reduce-reuse-recycle/#uktransport
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/offsetting/
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/reduce-reuse-recycle/#food
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/reduce-reuse-recycle/#PPI
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/reduce-reuse-recycle/#energy
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/reduce-reuse-recycle/#chemicals
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/#films
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/#outdoor
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/#deepen
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/influence/#goodnews
- See ELTFootprint.org and https://eltfootprint.uk/links/
- See https://eltfootprint.uk/take-action/environmental-induction-for-staff/#mentalhealth