Registration for the 2020-2021 school year is now open to all schools in Canada for the first time in EcoSchools history! Whether you’re a seasoned certified EcoSchool from Ottawa, or a first-time school registering from Saskatoon, anyone can now engage in environmental learning and climate action while working on your certification application!
Remember, certification is free for all publicly-funded schools in Canada.
If you’re curious about certification in the time of COVID, we’ve got you covered. All EcoSchools actions included in the certification program this year can be modified for in-person, cohort, hybrid, and remote learning. Visit our EcoSchools during COVID-19 page for guidance and suggestions.
We’ve changed how the program works to make it better than ever
Our returning EcoSchools will notice a few changes to how the program works this year. After over three years of consultation and development with leaders across the education and environment sectors, we are pleased to launch the new online EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA). This new tool will:
- Make the certification experience more flexible by allowing schools to manage their own customized action plan created from a library of over 40 environmental actions;
- Showcase the impacts of your school’s actions, as well as the collective impact of all EcoSchools across Canada, with new data questions and more sophisticated reporting;
- Make the application more accessible by allowing multiple user accounts for each school, enabling teachers, students, and other EcoTeam members to work on their certification application together online – at school or at home.
NOTE: If your school has participated in EcoSchools in past years, please note that for 2020-21, you will have to register on the platform as a new user. The registration process will prompt you to select the name of your school, and then you will have access to your school’s account, including past certification seals.
Exception: If you participated in the Lighthouse Pilot, please log in using the email and password you created last year (or reset your password if you have forgotten).
Find full details about the new program framework and ECA by visiting our Certification FAQ, your one-stop-shop for answers to your EcoSchools certification questions.
The new EcoSchools Certification Application platform was created with generous support from the RBC Foundation, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
ecoschools.ca has a new look (and we think it’s pretty cool)
Not only have we refreshed the look and feel of our website, but we’ve also reorganized its content and information to serve you better. Find a program overview on the What is Certification? page, discover our mission, vision and values on the Who We Are page, and visit the ever-popular Eco Calendar and updated EcoSchools Map.
Have we missed something you’d like to see? Send us an email at outreach@ecoschools.ca.
Lastly, don’t forget to keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram channels for certification news, updates, and tips.
