As the world sets sustainability goals for 2050…

…and puts in place the policies and technology to ensure a sustainable future, one thing is missing from the conversation: the role of education.

Take our Head Office location of Hong Kong, for example…in the next 30 years, 1.2 million school students will graduate in Hong Kong, making up nearly 30% of the workforce.

Another 10% of the population will still be in school in 2050.

As future leaders of businesses, schools, universities, and government departments – and as citizens – these students will be the ones called upon to lead the transition to a more sustainable future.

Are we equipping them with the tools and eco-stewardship skills to succeed in this task?

The process of educating students is also not without environmental impact, as the following statistics from Hong Kong illustrate:

Commuting

7.4
MILLION KM
every day

Distance travelled by school students in Hong Kong

%

of energy used for transport in Hong Kong is fossil fuel based

Food Waste

6.3
MILLION KG
each year

Food waste from school students in Hong Kong

%

of food waste in Hong Kong ends up in landfill

Uniforms

2.5
MILLION ITEMS
every year

Uniform items purchased by school students in Hong Kong

%

of fabric in Hong Kong ends up in landfill

Paper

4.2
MILLION SHEETS
each day

Paper used by school students in Hong Kong

trees were cut down to provide this

Electricity

600
MILLION KWH
every year

Electricity consumed by schools in Hong Kong

Island you would have to cover all of Cheung Chau Island with solar to produce this cleanly

Our Mission

Metanoia is a Greek word meaning “a transformation of heart and mind leading to a change in behaviour“.

As sustainability consultants to schools, we provide whole-school sustainability audits and authentic project-based learning opportunities to support the growth of green schools in Hong Kong, throughout Asia, and beyond.

Using the campus as a living laboratory, we engage, educate and empower students to transform their school communities into models of sustainability – inspiring lasting behaviour change in the process.

Through this process, students develop the practical skills in eco-stewardship and learn how to be effective change-makers in the wider world.

 

Learn more

The four C’s of a sustainable school

  • Campus

    Many schools aspire to the ideal of a sustainable campus, but live with the reality of older buildings that weren’t designed to the highest environmental standards.

    But there are multiple ways to improve the environmental performance of a campus, from energy-efficient appliances to redesign retrofits, low-impact cleaning materials and green landscaping – and they’re all a source of learning opportunities to supplement what’s taught in the classroom.

  • Curriculum

    To develop eco-literate students with the capacity to create and lead a sustainable society, we must do more than teach about sustainability, we must equip them with the skills and competencies to tackle real-world environmental challenges.

    A comprehensive experiential eco-literacy curriculum is embedded in the campus and everything the school does, from the way the buildings are designed, to the type of food served in the canteen and how decisions are made. There’s material here for every subject and every grade level.

  • Community

    Sustainability is a community practice – it depends on a network of relationships inside and outside the school, relationships which require effective collaboration and cooperative decision-making to maintain.

    These skills are among those the students will need to tackle our many environmental challenges. The road to becoming a sustainable school therefore offers many opportunities for staff and students to model and learn these skills.

  • Culture

    Sustainable schools have a culture of sustainability.

    They do more than teach sustainability and model it in certain ways, their commitment to it is reflected in their mission and values, they integrate it into their governance and operations, including: long-term strategy, policy, decision-making, target-setting, partnerships with suppliers and daily practices, and they continuously engage a wide range of students, parents, staff and members of the external community in sustainability initiatives.

Campus

Many schools aspire to the ideal of a sustainable campus, but live with the reality of older buildings that weren’t designed to the highest environmental standards.

But there are multiple ways to improve the environmental performance of a campus, from energy-efficient appliances to redesign retrofits, low-impact cleaning materials and green landscaping – and they’re all a source of learning opportunities to supplement what’s taught in the classroom.

Curriculum

To develop eco-literate students with the capacity to create and lead a sustainable society, we must do more than teach about sustainability, we must equip them with the skills and competencies to tackle real-world environmental challenges.

A comprehensive experiential eco-literacy curriculum is embedded in the campus and everything the school does, from the way the buildings are designed, to the type of food served in the canteen and how decisions are made. There’s material here for every subject and every grade level.

Community

Sustainability is a community practice – it depends on a network of relationships inside and outside the school, relationships which require effective collaboration and cooperative decision-making to maintain.

These skills are among those the students will need to tackle our many environmental challenges. The road to becoming a sustainable school therefore offers many opportunities for staff and students to model and learn these skills.

Culture

Sustainable schools have a culture of sustainability.

They do more than teach sustainability and model it in certain ways, their commitment to it is reflected in their mission and values, they integrate it into their governance and operations, including: long-term strategy, policy, decision-making, target-setting, partnerships with suppliers and daily practices, and they continuously engage a wide range of students, parents, staff and members of the external community in sustainability initiatives.

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