The top Eco-School regions in Scotland have been revealed and East Renfrewshire tops the table.
The Eco-Schools Green Flag is a prestigious annual accreditation, which rewards a school for their ecological achievements and provides young people with confidence and motivation to continue to actively engage with environmental issues throughout their lifetime.
The data, which looked at the number of Eco-School registered and Green Flag accredited schools reveals that 94.5% of schools are currently registered to the programme and are on their way to achieving a Green Flag accreditation.
With only 22% of all Scotland’s schools having been awarded a Green Flag, despite the high number of schools registered to the programme, 54.8% of East Renfrewshire’s schools have been awarded with an Eco-Schools Green Flag, making the county an eco-leader.
East-Renfrewshire is followed by Stirling(38.5%) and Perth & Kinross who sits in third place (37.5%).
With 22% of Scotland’s schools currently accredited, here is a list of the top 10 counties where you will find the most Green Flag accredited schools:
THE TOP GREEN FLAG REGIONS: RANKED
| Counties with the most Eco-Schools Green Flags | |
| East Renfrewshire | 54.8% |
| Stirling | 38.5% |
| Perth & Kinross | 37.5% |
| Edinburgh | 36.3% |
| North Ayrshire | 32.8% |
| South Ayrshire | 30.6% |
| City of Glasgow | 29.2% |
| Renfrewshire | 29.2% |
| Clackmannanshire | 27.5% |
| Midlothian | 27.5% |
TOP COUNTIES REGISTED WITH ECO-SCHOOLS: REVEALED
| Top counties registered with Eco-Schools | |
| Aberdeenshire, Falkirk, Inverclyde, Moray, Perth & Kinross, Shetland | 100% |
| Fife | 99.3% |
| South Ayrshire | 97.4% |
| City of Glasgow | 97.4% |
| East Renfrewshire | 96.7% |
| Clackmannanshire | 96% |
| Aberdeen Centre | 95.5% |
| Orkney | 95.4% |
| Renfrewshire | 95.3% |
| Highland | 95.1% |
SIMPLE STEPS THAT YOUR SCHOOL CAN TAKE TO BECOME MORE ECO-FRIENDLY:
- Get pupils involved in recycling: It is crucial to demonstrate how easy recycling is by asking pupils to do it themselves. Why not get in touch with your local recycling plant and ask them to conduct a tour for the school.
- Grow a garden: School gardens provide opportunities to teach students about natural food-growing methods including mulching, composting, soil cycles, plant diversity, and supporting beneficial insect habitats.
- Switch to eco cleaning products: Switching to eco ranges of cleaning products means schools will use non-toxic cleaning products that perform just as well as the chemicals we are used to. By using environmentally friendly cleaning products, you contribute to the reduction of water and air pollution, climate change and disposable plastic use. You can find out more about Direct365’s new eco-friendly cleaning range here.
