The Certification Process

Certification recognizes a school for its environmental initiatives, awarding the school bronze, silver or gold EcoSchool status depending on how successfully the school has met the requirements of the program. (More information about the levels of certification may be found on page 4 of the Guide to Online Certification).

To become certified, a school must demonstrate achievement in at least 4 key areas: energy conservation, waste minimization, ecological literacy and school ground greening for shade and energy conservation.

Unlike other voluntary programs, EcoSchools uses an innovative teaching model that helps students develop ecological literacy while engaged in practices to become environmentally responsible citizens. The Certification process is designed to be achievable by beginners while allowing experienced schools to take
the program to its limits.

To begin, students along with other members of the school community form an EcoTeam. The EcoTeam reviews the energy and waste practices of the school, creates and implements an action plan for improvement and then reassesses the energy and waste practices again near the end of the school year.

Teachers help students develop ecological literacy through the curriculum. School ground greening projects may be undertaken that focus on providing shade for students and the school building.

Certification criteria changes every year. Schools must reapply for certification every year. Schools must successfully complete a certification application and provide documents to support their application. Site visits are conducted in a cross section of schools to verify their application.

Eligibility – elementary and secondary schools are eligible to apply for certification, as are board-run, board-dedicated outdoor education centres.

If you have any questions regarding eligibility please contact: cmahler (at) ontarioecoschools.org

Private schools — for important information about 2009-2010 certification, please click here.

It is not mandatory for a school to apply for certification. Schools may choose to participate in the EcoSchools program but not apply for certification. This can be a good way to get started. The most important goal of the EcoSchools program is to involve your students in environmental education and ecological literacy.