Lawthorn Primary has applied for its fifth green flag from Eco-Schools Scotland and has also received a gold award from the Woodland Trust, the United Kingdom’s leading woodland conservation charity. Over the last ten years, Lawthorn School has worked hard to earn these accolades, with support from UNESCO, WWF Scotland and other organisations such as Education Scotland and the Carbon Trust. Now the school’s success is being featured on UNESCO’s website ahead of the United Nations canference on Sustainable Devcelopment being held in Rio de Janeiro,  20-22 June 2012.

A major part of the school’s work has been to reduce its global footprint. Schools across Scotland now have access to the School’s Global Footprint resource – a handbook for teachers – and an interactive footprint calculator, which, through a series of questions relating to buildings, energy, food, transport, water and waste, gives an indication of carbon footprint and ecological footprint.

Action has come in many forms but most importantly the children are enthusiastic and passionate, with principal teacher Amanda Milne talking of having to rein the children in. “They wanted to ban all cars from coming into the playground” she says. “And they were convinced we weren’t planting enough trees.”

Visit the UNESCO site to read more, see the video and get the full case study>>