Why Sustainable Schools?
Schools are a Microcosm of the City
Just like the city, schools’ sustainability aspirations are constrained by space, money, and time. And in a school, just like the city, there are diverse interests that aren't always aligned.
But, at the scale of the school, the seemingly daunting sustainability challenges of the city become addressable - they show up at a scale that students can get their arms around, in a system that's easier for them to influence, and on a timeframe in which outcomes are more quickly apparent.
So rather than just being a place where students learn about sustainability problems, schools are an ideal context in which to model sustainability solutions and cultivate eco-literacy.
The campus can be a living laboratory. And if we get it right on the campus, schools can show the city how it's done. Schools can show us the sustainable future we want.
Scaling Our Impact
In one sense, the world’s not such a big place – from one person (100) to the whole planet (10⁹) is only 9 steps. But let’s face it, trying to influence everyone just isn’t practical.
On the other hand, influencing just a few people doesn’t have much impact. Perhaps there’s a trade-off between a scale that’s easy and one that makes a difference. Maybe there’s a sweet spot somewhere in the middle?
Turns out it’s 10⁵ … or roughly the population of 100 schools and the school system is a great vehicle for scaling change. Which is why, at Metanoia, we’re focusing on schools. 100 of them to start with for optimum reach and optimum impact.
And we’ll scale from there. When you do the math, it would only take 10,000 Metanoia’s to change the world.
A School Leader’s Perspective
A Whole-School Approach to Sustainable Development
"When Greta Thunberg stood outside the Swedish Parliament in September 2018 with a sign saying ‘School Strike for Climate’, she captured the imaginations of young people everywhere, including those at Chinese International School (CIS) in Hong Kong.
I recall that moment vividly, for I had only just joined CIS and was keen to discover what the students at my new school thought of her initiative. Their response was simple: sustainable development should be our number one concern."
Chinese International School Case Study:
The first international school in Asia to commit to becoming zero-waste and carbon neutral.
How Sustainable is Your School?
Take our 5-minute school sustainability assessment and find out
Upon completion, we’ll send you a confidential report with a summary of your results, recommendations for how to become a more sustainable school, and a snapshot of how you’re doing compared to other schools around the world.