5 Ways to Make an Attainable Classroom Eco-Resolution

There’s no shortage of work to be done to make schools and classes more eco-friendly! But with so many possibilities, setting an eco-resolution for your classroom can be daunting. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of tips to make your goal-setting easy, realistic and achievable.

1. Do an eco-audit

First thing’s first—before making a resolution, find out what needs to be done at your school or in your classroom. Maybe you could start a recycling program? Try going plastic-free? Or maybe your school could save energy by turning off lights or computers? If you’re thinking of taking on the latter, be sure to check out these energy auditing resources for some help!

2. Choose something you’re passionate about

Understanding the work that needs to be done in your school or classroom is great, but you’ll be more likely to stick to your resolution if you’re passionate about whatever project you’re taking on. Are you interested in environmental advocacy? Send eCards to decision-makers with your students! Maybe you love being outside and have noticed the school yard floods regularly. Whatever you choose, if you’re passionate about the subject, you’ll be more likely to achieve your goal!

3. Research, research, research

Now that you’ve chosen a subject, do some research; the most effective way to reach any goal is to find the most efficient way to meet it! Depending on your resolution, you may need to source materials, get permits or talk to your administration and school board before starting out. Seek out online programs and resources to help you meet your goal, and check out similar projects! This will give you a good idea of what your practical concerns will be and help you create a realistic timeline.

4. Be realistic and make a plan

The most important part of setting an eco-resolution is being practical about your ability and capacity to meet your goal. Setting a resolution to remove all single-use plastics in your school, for example, is a lot for a single person to take on; aiming to remove all single-use plastics from the cafeteria may be more realistic! Our top tip is to be conservative in your goals; a year is a long time, and there are bound to be unforeseen roadblocks. If you find that you complete your resolution quickly, you can always set another one before the year is out! Wanting to make big and impactful change in your community is a noble endeavor, but making unrealistic demands of yourself and those around you will no doubt end in frustration; making small changes is better than no change at all!

5. Use GreenLearning!

We know that eco-resolutions can seem daunting; there’s so much to do that it can be hard to narrow your focus to a single topic, and projects that create lasting change seem to be so huge that they require unreasonable amounts of time and resources. Luckily, we’re here to provide some much-needed support! Eco-resolutions can be tough, yes, but they don’t have to be big, and we’ve got free programs and resources on a myriad of topics (renewable energy, energy management, flood management, climate policy, Indigenous knowledge-sharing and kinship, ocean policy, plastic waste, etc.) to help you along the way—no matter your resolution, you’re bound to find something! And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us at: connect@greenlearning.ca or use our website chatbox.