With the coalition Government pushing hard to make schools across the country sustainable by 2020, Eco Schools have released information for those interested in signing up to the initiatives, as well as highlighting the many benefits garnered along the way.

Eco Schools of course provide a frame work within which institutes can work to achieve levels of sustainability and to turn theory into practise. Schools which are interested in taking the first steps towards this can contact them directly, or visit their website and receive a range of information, promotional merchandise, promotional literature and promotional products to help get their journey under way.

The scheme is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education and works closely with Keep Britain Tidy, to tackle environmental issues and draw up plans associated with introducing biodiversity onto school grounds, litter problems, healthy living and recycling.

A seven step programme is available for schools to follow and as they do so they can work towards specific achievements. Schools that work hard are recognised and rewarded for their efforts with promotional merchandise such as Bronze awards, Silver Awards and the coveted Green Flag award.

There are also many Eco friendly promotional products that can be incorporated into the everyday running of a school, which will lower its carbon footprint and set the bar with regards to using recycled goods. 

Items of promotional merchandise and promotional products which are eco friendly and relevant to school environments, these include, Wooden Pencil Sharpeners – made from sustainable timber, Eco Friendly Rulers – made from recycled plastic CD cases and available in a variety of sizes and Eco Friendly Magic Staplers – which do not actually need any staples inside them and are available in two different choices of colour. Also available are Eco Friendly Biodegradable Stationery Sets, which comprise of a natural cotton pouch, containing a biodegradable plastic pen, biodegradable eraser, pencil sharpener and bamboo paper pencil.

Schools have a fantastic opportunity. Not only are they primarily responsible for developing children academically, but they can also help children to become environmentally aware and develop a strong social conscience.

The Eco-Schools organisation is well known for its innovative campaigns which have successfully encouraged many schools to promote environmental awareness amongst pupils and parents alike. Its latest initiative is Meat free Monday. Driven by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), it hopes to encourage all schools to have at least one meat free day a week. This will help animals, the environment, tackle world hunger and can also improve childrens’ health.

The worldwide movement could influence an entire generation and schools are encouraged to give it as much support as they can. Full details of the movement can be found at the Eco Schools website. However, to truly make this work for your school, you can consider producing your own promotional products to support and explain the campaign to your students and their parents. Simple promotional merchandise such as, pens, pencils, rubbers, can work as a great motivator – ideal when you are trying to drum-up lots of support.

News of this years show have just been released on the Eco Schools website. The Eco Schools Show 2010 will take place at the East of England Showground, the Exec, Peterborough on Wednesday 23rd June. Sponsored by ‘POD’ teaching resources, the event is specifically geared towards both pupils (primary and secondary) and teachers and this year’s show looks set to attract over three thousand visitors. 

Tickets to the event this year in Peterborough are free, but booking is vital – full details as to how to arrange for tickets for the ‘ Eco-Committee’ from your school can be found on the eco schools website.

Pupils visiting the show this year can take part in the Activity Zone, where they can try out some eco activities. Workshops will also be run for those schools hoping to go for their Green Flag award. There will of course be exhibitions to browse, promotional products to pick up and eco promotional merchandise to get your hands on, as well as a panel of eco experts to whom to direct any questions. All this, together with entertainment, motivational speakers and special guests, make for a must see event for any environmentally aware school. 

Schools who cannot make it to this year’s event can still do their bit for the environment by making small changes and taking modest steps. A simple way in which to make your school more eco friendly is to ensure that any promotional products or promotional merchandise your school buys are made from recycled, reused or sustainable materials. Promotional products such as sustainable wood pencils (with eraser), wooden pencil sharpeners and recycled material rulers and bookmarks, can all help to promote an eco friendly ethos throughout the school environment.

With the average primary school in England spending up to £2000 a year on water (double that figure for secondary schools), Eco-Schools are understandably promoting the news of the upcoming Water Saving Week.

Water Saving Week, which runs this year from 12th -18th June 2010, is a ‘not for profit’ scheme which is run nationally. The 2010 Water Saving Week campaign promotion is centred around the ethos of the “Three reasons to save water”, which are “Save Energy, Save Money, Be Green”.

On the Eco-Schools website, a spokesperson for Water Saving Week encourages teachers to educate children as to the need to save water and the impact this will have upon the planet – not to mention promoting the financial benefits to schools. Money and water saving tips, promotional products and details of promotional merchandise can all be found on the Water Saving Week website.

Water Saving Week is also being promoted to businesses, councils and individuals throughout the UK. Schools running competitions and campaigns during Water Saving Week may wish to consider relevant promotional products and promotional merchandise such as Eco Friendly Water Powered Clocks, as incentives to get pupils involved.

Details of a brand new competition from Eco-Schools have been announced on the Eco-Schools website. Open to all primary and secondary schools that are part of the network, the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative Eco-Code competition, has been launched to celebrate the one year anniversary of the International Eco-Schools project.

Schools wishing to participate in the Eco-Code competition should first register their interest on the Eco-Schools website. Schools should then hold an ‘in house’ poster competition, judge a winner and put that winner forward as entry into the poster competition. The theme for the poster’s is ‘climate change’. Using text, tips and illustrations, students should demonstrate via their artwork their commitment to climate change initiatives. Full details of competition entry requirements, promotional products, age categories, text, size of poster, promotional merchandise and additional information can be found on the Eco-Schools website.

Certificates will be awarded for the poster competition winners and the schools original poster entry will be displayed at the 2010 Eco-Schools national operators meeting. Of each category, three posters will be chosen as international winners and they will receive a first prize of $1000, a second prize of $750 and a third place prize of $500.

What better way to support the climate change initiative than by having eco friendly colouring pencils with which to make your school’s posters! Promotional products, such as Eco Friendly FSC Colouring Pencils and promotional merchandise, such as Eco Friendly CD Pencils, can underpin the eco friendly messages that your school is trying to convey.

The competition aside, by switching to eco friendly promotional products and eco friendly promotional merchandise, schools can continue their campaign to demonstrably support the environment and tackle climate change. Providing useful branded materials and helpful products can reinforce the school’s position of environmental responsibility within the community.

Thursday 4th March 2010 is World Book Day in the UK and Ireland. World Book Day was established over eighty years ago and schools from over one hundred countries join in the fun (World Book Day is held on 23rd April in countries outside the UK and Ireland). 

On World Book Day, children are encouraged to bring their favourite books into school, dress up as characters from books and take part in fun reading activities. Schools Packs are available from the World Book Day website. These include promotional literature, promotional merchandise and ideas as to how to make World Book Day activities go with a bang in your school.

World Book Day is made possible with the collaboration of booksellers and publishers who work together to promote World Book Day with the help of promotional products such as £1 book token and special edition £1 books. Schools also hold Book Fairs, which encourage children to buy and read books as well as raising money for the schools themselves. 

Supporting children’s love of literature is a vital part of their education, as is promoting environmental and eco issues. Schools can combine the two with promotional products and promotional merchandise such as Promotional Eco Bookmarks.

Promotional Eco Bookmarks are made from materials such as recycled waste polypropylene, recycled drink bottles, recycled tyres and other eco friendly materials which include the mixture of recycled paper and plastic used in creating Eco Bookmarks.

Promotional Eco Bookmarks are a surprisingly budget friendly product – which makes them all the more appealing! They can be personalised and printed with company/school/council information, addresses, messages or telephone numbers. Promotional Eco Bookmarks are stylish and of great quality, ensuring that they have mass appeal and usability – two essential factors when producing promotional materials of any kind.

5th February 2010 is almost upon us and with it comes the closing registration date for the Eco-Schools Grow Your Own Potatoes Project. There were an initial 15,000 packs available to schools on a first come first served basis and over 13,346 schools have already registered for the fantastic opportunity to take part in this project. The Grow Your Own Potatoes Project is a superb initiative that incorporates farming and growing food into the curriculum. The school that harvests the heaviest load of potatoes by June will win an allotment makeover.

It is evident by the uptake of the Grow Your Own Potatoes Project that schools are making more of an effort to do their bit for the environment. Whilst organised competitions and projects – such as the one being run by the successful Foundation for Environmental Education Eco-Schools scheme – are an ideal way in which schools can encourage their pupils to become more environmentally aware, smaller competitions and incentives run by schools can be just as successful.

It is an accepted truth that schools and teachers buy treats, raffle gifts and awards (sometimes out of their own pockets) for their pupils. Many teachers will employ the use of star charts or raffle tickets as a means to award good behaviour and hard work. Teachers may then have an array of goods such as headbands, pencils, pens and erasers on offer as a ‘incentive’ or ‘prize’. Ideally, these too would be eco friendly products.

There are plenty of excellent value and ethically made eco-friendly promotional products and promotional merchandise that schools can use to promote the benefits of good behaviour, hard work and eco-friendly living amongst their students. Eco-friendly promotional products such as badges or school promotional merchandise such as pens and pencils function as both an environmentally friendly product and an incentive for children.