About Eco Clubs

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© Saara Huhtinen / WWF
Eco Clubs, Green Ambassadors, Environmental Agents, Green Teams ... pupils’ environmental groups have many names. The volunteer teams come up with ideas on how to make everyday life at the school more ecologically and socially sustainable, and put their ideas into practice. The team can also be a club or an action group under the student council.

© Katja Nuorvala / WWF
We consume three times more natural resources than is globally sustainable. If we want to continue to live on this planet, we must change our ways. A large number of pupils, teachers and other staff go to school every day, which is why schools can make big changes happen—and save money, too.

© Lilli Pukka / WWF
“This year, our favourite activities were making posters, holding morning assemblies, using the loudspeaker, learning how much sugar different snacks contain, calculating the answers of the vegetable quiz and rushing to a meeting in the middle of the siesta.” – Environmental agents at the Latokartano Comprehensive School.

© Antti Haavisto / WWF
Can you identify energy gluttons at your school? Do birds stay away from the school yard? How much food ends up as waste at your school? What needs to be changed at your school right now? Eco Club chooses the most urgent issues and organizes small or large-scale campaigns to solve them.

© Aki-Pekka Sinikoski / WWF
Advertise the Club’s activities: on the school website and notice board, during morning assemblies, at parent nights, in the local newspaper, on social media... The more marketing methods and tools you have, the better you will get your message across.

Do you want to start an Eco Club in your school?

It is easy and rewarding to start reducing your school's ecological footprint. Entrusting students as much responsibility as they feel comfortable with and involving whole personnel are the keys to succes. This document will help you to get started:

Eco Club ABC

Sharing your day-to-day actions

On this website you are able to report your Eco Club's actions and learn what other teams are doing. You can use Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to post photos and videos and, as a teacher, join the Opehuone group in Facebook to get more insight on actions.

By registering your team you will get better access to the WWF Koulussa website. After registration your team will be added to the school listing so other teams will find you. As a registered Eco Club you can post on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter using #wwfkoulussa hashtag and take part in Panda Challenges, which WWF organizes to activate environmental teams.

How to register

Registering is easy – just send an e-mail to WWF´s contact person. Before registering, discuss with your team and create a #hashtag for your group. You will later use this hashtag to tag all your Eco Club's reporting, photos and Panda Challenge actions.

Send an e-mail to hanna.seimola@wwf.fi including the following:

- name and postal address of your school

- name and #hashtag of your Eco Club

- name and contact details (e-mail) of Eco Club teacher in your school

- web address of your school and/or the Eco Club Blog

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© WWF
Each Eco Club has a teacher who supervises and supports their work, and the team can always turn to the teacher for help. The teacher acts as the point of contact between the team and other teachers and the principal, making sure that the team can work at the school. However, the teacher does not choose the activities. The pupils lead the Eco Club.

© naturepl.com / Steve Kazlowski / WWF-Canon
Environmental protection requires money—as might the team’s activities—and pupils are advised to practice fund-raising and budgeting. Eco Club could, for instance, raise funds by recycling bottles or set up an online conservationist fund-raising campaign. However, there are also many activities that are free.

© Alexandra Antell
When the team has achieved something exciting, it is time to celebrate. Eco Club should organize a fun get-together, such as an outing or a small party, at the end of each semester. Hard work feels more rewarding when you thank yourself and others afterwards. The outing is also a good chance to look back on the team’s successful projects during the year.

Panda Challenge

Every school term WWF challenges Eco Clubs to engage in special action and to share their experiences in social media tagged with #pandahaaste and #wwfkoulussa hashtags. The Clubs with most creative entries will be awarded with WWF products.

See what happened in the Birdhouse Challenge!