Purpose: Take environmental action, for a better planet, for a sustainable school

“We want environmental action to become a daily routine,” says The Little Book of Nanjing School.  Our NIS Earth Hour event is evolving into a student-lead opportunity to spread the word about takingenvironmental action and about going “beyond the hour”.  This year, not only did Grade 4 students organise and run a range of activities to promote environmental awareness, MYP/DP students took on more responsibility for the planning of the whole event. Event planning provides a fantastic experience for students-they rise to the occasion. As teachers, and parents, we just have to be prepared to ‘let go’ more often and intervene less, so that students can learn from their mistakes.

In Earth Hour, we also have the opportunity to burst the bubble. Over the three years since the NIS Earth Hour event started, we have looked for ways of spreading our influence. The wider NIS community are welcome, the families of local staff particularly. In the past we have invited local government members to participate, we have encouraged local compounds to support Earth Hour and this year, we were able to involve a local Chinese school in the performances. Some Chinese students were also invited to attend with their families. The local school is now inspired to celebrate Earth Hour in their own way next year. We look forwards to making more connections with the local community next year.