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Eco-Schools: A Tale of Three Countries
The global dimensions pathway guides students to make connections to the global community, to learn about and respect the cultures and environmental issues facing countries around the world. It is so easy for those of us in the United States to focus on our needs and concerns, but to truly grasp the concept of global climate change we must reach out beyond the comfort of our national boundaries. Eco-Schools USA was proud to receive members of Eco-Schools Ghana and Norway.
Lesson Learned
- There are 79 languages spoken in Ghana. Students learn three languages, English, the regional language, and their local dialect.
- Norway has over 800 Eco-Schools and Ghana has Eco-Schools in 5 out 10 of its provinces.
- Students in Ghana do not have consistent access to electricity.
- Norway and Ghana consider eachother sister programs because many of the students have pen pals and participate in an Eco-Schools exchange program.
- The US shares 4 of its pathways with Norway, waste and consumption, energy, climate change, and transportation.
Energy Consumption
Watch how these Ghanian students decided to help the community become more aware of its electrcity consumption during Ghana’s electricity shortage. The video aired with the local energy company’s commercial!
The Power of Eco-Schools
When students in Ghana and Norway visit eachother they have the opportunity to have face to face conversations and present wonderful sustainabilty projects they are working on. I listened to my new friend Hilde Opoku, recount a powerful story. Ghanaian students listened to Norwegian students present on school waste disposal, specifically the separation of hazardous from nonhazardous materials.
The Ghanaian students had no idea the environmental impacts related to improper waste disposal and immediately upon return shared what they had learned with their school.
An action plan was created and now the wheels have been set in motion to implement a school waste program.
This is the power of Eco-Schools, the power of students!