Sustainable School Indicators
Sustainable School Indicators -Greening Education Partnership (UNESCO)
To September 2026
Schools of all levels
Dear and esteemed colleagues,
Following the recognition of Aeiforum as a provider of certification of schools as Sustainable or Green, by Greening Education Partnership (GEP)–UNESCO , and taking into account the GEP set of indicators, we decided to adjust the number of indicators, providing schools with greater flexibility in choosing which ones to implement.
In order for a school to receive certification and given that the Quality Standard for Green or Sustainable Schools includes a large number of criteria-indicators, we chose, based on the reality of Greek schools today, to limit the number of required indicators to 34. At the same time, we offer our schools the flexibility to choose these 34 indicators from an expanded set of 110 Sustainable-Green School indicators.
In this way, each school, depending on its features, its particular characteristics, its geographical location, its experience, the number of pupils/students and teachers, can choose those indicators that will allow it to pursue its certification with claims. The Indicators will be posted on our website www.Aeiforum . eu , while we will offer a series of training and information seminars during the school year. Thus, schools will be able, with our assistance, to increase their chances of certification. Of course, we are always at the disposal of principals and teachers, for any additional information or assistance, in addition to the seminars we offer.
We are confident that these new regulations will make things much easier for schools.
The following table and the accompanying text present the Sustainable School Indicators- GEP, the 8 mandatory and the minimum number of optional indicators that must be implemented in order for the school to be certified as a Sustainable School- Greening. Education Partnership.
Sustainable School Indicators Table – G E P
|
|
Total
|
Fundamental (on/off)
|
Minimum number
|
Final mandatory number |
|
School Administration |
20 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
|
Facilities and Operations |
31 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
|
Teaching and Learning |
34 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
|
Community Participation |
25 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
|
Totals |
110 |
8 |
26 |
34 |
Column 1 of the table shows the total number of indicators from each field, from which the school will select the minimum number (column 3) of indicators that it is required to implement. Column 2 shows the number of mandatory indicators by field (a total of 8 indicators). Finally, column 4 shows the total of mandatory and optional indicators by field, with a final total of 34 indicators. The mandatory indicators are the first two of each field. This is the number of indicators (34) that each school is required to implement sufficiently, in order to claim its certification as a Sustainable School – GEP.
Below are the 110 indicators, classified by field, from which each candidate school will choose the 34 to implement, according to the table above. The fundamental ones are the first two in each category.
On behalf of Aeiforum
Dimitrios Kalaitzidis
Chairman
- SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION (20)
(D1). Create a representative Sustainable School Committee and appoint one of its members as the School Sustainability Coordinator.
(D2). Organize democratically and collaboratively the process of composing the School Action Plan (SAP), under the coordination of the Sustainable School Committee.
D3. Organize the democratic-participatory process of composing or revising the School Regulations, under the coordination of the Sustainable School Committee.
D4. Undertake initiatives, actions and measures to prevent, promote and protect the health of students and teachers.
D5. Undertake initiatives and actions to prevent and reduce conflicts between students at school and for the smooth integration of all students into school life.
D6. Provide strong incentives to teachers to actively participate in the creation and implementation of the School Action Plan (SAP).
D7. Provide strong incentives to students to actively participate in the creation and implementation of the School Action Plan (SAP).
(D8). Introduce the Whole School Approach to teaching Climate Change (diffusion in lessons, Skills Projects , Active Citizenship Actions, optional programs).
D9. Introduce a Sustainability Zone each week, where all related activities will be included.
D10. Ensure the regular and organized functioning of student communities.
D11. Provide constant encouragement and motivation to teachers to regularly attend training seminars, conferences, workshops, etc.
D12. Undertake initiatives and actions at school to prevent school dropout.
D13. Update the School Emergency and Disaster Management Plan every year.
D14. Take initiatives as a school to bring parents closer to it.
D15. Organize social events within the school or neighborhood.
D16. Collaborate with other schools, locally and internationally, on sustainability issues.
D17. Establish actions that complement the teaching of democratic institutions, in collaboration with social partners and competent bodies.
D18. Establish a student cooperative for exchanges of reusable items and clothing.
D19. Encourage students to participate in volunteer programs and student competitions. Keep participation data.
D20. Adopt a transparent decision-making function in the school.
- Facilities and Operations (31)
E1. Designate a school monitoring and control team (students and the coordinator)
E2. Every year, you should prepare a program for the aesthetic improvement of the school by the students, in collaboration with teachers, parents, the Municipality and other partners .
E3. Organize a waste sorting system at source.
E4. Utilize recyclable materials for reuse, for craft projects and student artwork.
E5. Implement a water consumption reduction system at school (photocell-equipped taps, drip irrigation, planting resistant plants, rainwater collection)
E6. Implement a system to reduce electricity consumption in the school (avoidance of standby, low-consumption devices, turning off unnecessary lights, reducing lighting intensity where possible, utilizing sunlight, etc.).
E7. Implement a system to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling in the school (bioclimatic solutions, planting deciduous trees on the sunny side, etc.)
E8. Implement a system to reduce photocopy paper consumption in the school (no unnecessary photocopies, printing on both sides, electronic distribution of materials, etc.).
E9. Perform annual maintenance of the radiator burner
E10. Create at least one vegetable garden and one flower garden that operate throughout the school year
E11. Consider the possibility of creating a rooftop garden at the school.
E12. Do you have at least one composter in operation?
E13. Organize planting of native trees, shrubs and other plants in or outside the school by students, parents and other stakeholders.
E14. Develop awareness-raising actions for the school community to reduce waste and sort materials at source by type.
E15. Install a collection system or other way of utilizing rainwater.
E16. Train the school cleaning staff in resource-saving techniques (water, detergents, energy, etc.)
E17. Include the school in a municipality or other institution’s waste reduction program
E18. Place appropriate signs throughout the school (e.g. Lights-out )
E19. Organize innovation competitions among students in collaboration with relevant bodies, on issues of sustainability and climate change.
E20. Promote green transportation, car sharing, bicycle use, etc.
E21. Organize exchange bazaars in collaboration with parents and other stakeholders.
E22. Set up a collection point within the school for items (books, clothes, shoes, devices, etc.) for the purpose of exchange or sale at a symbolic price.
E23. Organize reuse events and seminars for students and adults at school and in the neighborhood.
E24. Strengthen the building’s insulation, possibly taking advantage of national or European programs
E25. Install a gray water recovery system for toilets
E26. Install photovoltaic panels or a small wind turbine for teaching purposes and for energy production
E27. Organize seminars on repairing objects and devices, in collaboration with parents, local technicians and scientists.
E28. Construct, with the cooperation of parents and students, wooden nests for birds and houses for stray dogs and cats.
E29. Put pressure on the relevant bodies to create safe bike lanes for school students throughout the neighborhood.
E30. Replace part of the asphalt or cement in the yard with soil or gravel or with flower beds for planting flowering plants or shrubs.
E31. Train cleaning staff in the use of environmentally friendly detergents for cleaning the school.
- Teaching and learning (34)
P1. Introduce organized and planned pedagogical methods and teaching techniques for the development of students’ critical thinking.
P2. Create lesson plans focused on climate change and related sustainability issues.
P3. Enrich school lessons with topics related to sustainability (climate change, human rights, animal rights, biodiversity, contamination, etc.).
P4. Introduce alternative teaching techniques or methods in an organized and planned manner in teaching, in order to make the lesson more attractive and more efficient.
P5. Implement student programs of all kinds (environmental, cultural, health education, climate change, etc.), with school teacher coordinators.
P6. Organize in-service training for all teachers and support staff from the beginning of the school year, based on a training needs survey.
P7. Carry out the planned teaching and educational visits in an organized manner (preparation, implementation, feedback) during the school year.
P8. Ensure that the teaching of all courses includes extensive references to climate change and other sustainability issues.
P9. Incorporate the concept of climate resilience (people, environment, infrastructure) into lessons
P10. Support students to implement research projects with interesting (for them) issues.
P11. Assign local and international topics for case studies that present real challenges of our time (e.g. climate change, migration, war-peace, etc.)
P12. Introduce students to literature, poetry, and art not only through language lessons, but on every occasion (e.g. intra-school competitions, international competitions, or campaigns).
P13. Integrate living heritage themes (e.g. traditional arts and crafts) into teaching, in cross-curricular activities, in collaboration with extracurricular artisans and scientists.
P14. Incorporate local knowledge into the curriculum, depending on the region and its physiognomy.
P15. Integrate the curriculum Environment and Education for Sustainable Development in teaching the lessons.
P16. Organize discussions and debates around current and timeless issues
P17. Develop and implement value recognition workshops with students
P18. Invite speakers on topics that are of the interest students and complement classroom learning.
P19. Foster a culture of lifelong learning with appropriate methods and techniques
P20. Organize discussions after attending films or documentaries
P21. Use the students’s parents as speakers for school-related issues.
P22. Organize environmental conferences and symposia
P23. Actively involve students in social solidarity and pro-life programs
P24. Organize programs and actions to promote art, aesthetics and beauty.
P25. Talk about sustainable food choices (food produced with minimal impact on the soil, with few food kilometers, without excessive processing, etc.).
P26. Motivate students to commit to sustainable choices in their lives
P27. Create action-oriented student environmental teams
P28. Assign the organization of school events to seniors
in collaboration with teachers, students and parents.
P29. Organize experiential environmental activities for students outside of school.
P30. Encourage students to take responsibility by adopting and hosting stray animals, with the aim of finding foster parents.
P31. Participate with the largest possible number of students in important events for World or Panhellenic Days (e.g. Panhellenic School Charity Day, Sports Day, World Environment Day, etc.)
P32. Institutionalize the student of the month, with criteria other than performance in classes (morals, volunteer work at school), avoiding individual sports.
P33. Organize nature walks or study visits to the countryside or to suitable places in the city.
P34. Enhance empathy with visits to nursing homes, municipal shelters for stray animals, war refugee reception centers, etc.
- Community participation (25)
K1. Organize information campaigns for the school and the neighborhood
K2. Convene the School Council at least 3 times a year, incorporating school sustainability issues into the agenda.
K3. Organize workshops and meetings with organizations and individuals who support the school.
K4. Organize social activities inside or outside of school, in the neighborhood
K5. Organize events with the collaboration of students and teachers, with an audience of students/parents/members of the local community.
K6. Establish stable collaboration between the school and scientists, artists, professionals, members or civil society organizations and other local, national and international organizations.
K7. Undertake initiatives and actions to promote fair trade and solidarity trade and include their products in school supplies.
K8. Create synergies with civil society actors
K 9. Organize a neighborhood cleanup campaign with the participation of students, teachers, parents, and neighbors
K10. Create informational materials (brochures, podcasts, posters, presentations) to inform students and the community
K11. Encourage students to conduct research (social, environmental, cultural) or needs assessments for their school or neighborhood.
K12. Encourage students to create and present local issues in seminars and symposia
K13. Utilize outdoor spaces in the school and neighborhood as teaching and event spaces (e.g. film screenings, cultural events, etc.)
K14. Collaborate with the local community to promote adoption of stray animals
K15. Create informational programs and implement them in the neighborhood.
K16. Create a program of meetings and events for school alumni
K17. Utilize citizen science and participate as a school in research
K18. Implement problem-solving programs with students on neighborhood issues
K19. Promote the idea of repair and organize related seminars for the local community, parents and students
K20. Organize study visits to the neighborhood (to identify problems and highlight them and for synergies with residents)
K21. Encourage students to talk about climate change and other sustainability issues
K22. Facilitate the utilization of community resources (elderly people, municipal structures, businesses, etc.)
K23. Plan and organize annual celebrations for the neighborhood.
K24. Invite, regularly, members of local organizations, municipalities, public services, etc.
K25. Create a “tourist guide” for the neighborhood, in collaboration with the local community.
