Certification FAQ

EcoSchools Program FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the EcoSchools certification program.

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EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA) FAQ

Make the most of EcoSchools’ online application.

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EcoSchools Program FAQ

EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA) FAQ

My school has never registered for the EcoSchools program. How do we get started?

Welcome to the EcoSchools program!

  • Go to app.ecoschools.ca and click ‘Register’ to get started.
  • Select your role at your school, then you will be prompted to enter your email, password, and name. Please note that you should use your board/district email address, if possible.
  • Enter your school’s address in order to find and select your school, or enter your address and your school’s name if your school is not already in our system.
  • Are you a private/independent school? Please contact programs@ecoschools.ca to register.

For more support, book a one-on-one coaching session with our team.

My school has participated in the EcoSchools program in the past, but we haven’t registered with the new platform yet. How do we get started?

The registration process will prompt you to select the name of your school, and then you will have access to your school’s account.

  • Select your role at your school, then you will be prompted to enter your email, password, and name. Please note that you should use your board/district email address, if possible.
  • Enter your school’s address in order to find and select your school, or enter your address and your school’s name if your school is not already in our system.
  • Are you a private/independent school? Please contact programs@ecoschools.ca to register.

For more support, book a one-on-one coaching session with our team.

  • If you are a returning user to the EcoSchools program, you can log into the EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA) at any time at app.ecoschools.ca using your previous email/username as password.
  • As the EcoSchools program is an annual program, you create a new plan each school year, but you do not need to reregister your school or create a new user account each year.
  • To reset your password, please see ‘How do I reset my password?’
  • When you log in for the first time in a school year, you will see a pop up asking ‘Is this still your school?’
  • Select ‘Yes’ if you are at the same school, or you can search for your new school in the dropdown menu if you select ‘No’
  • If your school does not appear in the dropdown menu, or if you would like to change your school at a later point, please contact programs@ecoschools.ca

How do I create a plan for my school?

  • When you register or log in for the first time in a given school year, you will be prompted to choose from a selection of suggested plans or you can create your own.
  • Suggested plans can be changed throughout the year, so don’t worry if you have selected a suggested plan and then decide you would like to add or remove actions later.

Why are some actions locked in my plan?

There are three locked actions that appear in every school’s plan and will help to form the foundation of a strong EcoSchool. Locked actions have a small orange lock icon in the top right corner.

These actions cannot be removed from your plan. While it is recommended and encouraged that you try to fully implement these actions, you may complete as much, or little, of each of these actions as you choose.

These actions cannot be removed from your plan. While it is recommended and encouraged that you try to fully implement these actions, you may complete as much, or little, of each of these actions as you choose. 

The three locked actions are:

  • Getting Started
  • Environmental Literacy
  • EcoCode

Besides the three mandatory actions, the 50+ actions within the action library are all optional and can be added and removed from your plan at any time! . To remove an action, navigate to ‘Our Plan’ and select the red ‘X’ button that appears when you hover over the top right-corner of the action..

How do I add actions to my school’s plan?

  • Select “Library” from the main menu on the left of your screen.
  • Filter by Subject, Grade Level, Type, Resources, Theme, SDGs, or browse the complete list of actions. To reset the search filters, click the “Clear All” button.
  • For example, if you are teaching a Grade 3 mathematics lesson, and would like to connect it to a waste theme, you can select ‘Grade 1-3’, ‘Mathematics’ and ‘Waste’ to find action cards and resources that will support this lesson. 
  • From the list of actions shown, identify the action(s) you wish to add to your plan. This is a great activity to complete with your entire EcoTeam.
  • Click on the “+” button at the top right corner of the action(s) to add them to your plan.
  • Adding actions to your plan will increase the number of potential certification points your school can achieve.

How do I remove actions from my school’s plan?

  • Select “Our Plan” from the main menu.
  • From the “Open Actions” list, hover over an action that you wish to remove.
  • Click on the red “x” button that appears at the top right corner of the action to remove it from your plan.
  • Removing actions from your plan will decrease the number of potential certification points your school can achieve.

How can I tell how many points we’ve earned so far?

  • Select “Dashboard” from the main menu on the left of your screen.
  • Navigate to the “Plan Progress” section and find the number of points your school has earned so far in the blue box labeled “Points.”

How do I know what level my school’s plan is eligible for?

  • Select “Dashboard” from the main menu on the left of your screen.
  • Under “Eligible for” you will see the number of points and the level that your school’s plan can achieve, based on the total points available in the actions currently in your plan.
  • If your school does not have enough points in its plan to be eligible for Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level certification, you will be recognized as a Participant. For about how schools are recognized, click here.
How do I claim points for completing an action?
  • Select “Our Plan” from the main menu on the left of your screen.
  • Click on an action in your plan and scroll down to the ‘Certification Questions’ section.
  • Answer the certification questions as you go. In some cases, you will be required to complete the question (for example, the Action Description) in order to complete the action. 
  • You can track the number of points that you are accumulating based on your responses to each question in the bottom left of the action.
  • If you need to come back later to finish answering the questions, click “Come back later” at the bottom of the “Certification Questions” section.
  • When you are finished answering the certification questions, click the “Done” button at the bottom of the “Certification Questions” section. Don’t worry! You can reopen an action after it has been completed, if you need to update or change any of your responses at a later date.

How do I find out how many points each action is worth?

  • Open an action from either the library or your plan.
  • Click on “Certification Questions” and find the point value at the bottom left corner of the action. Actions are typically worth 5, 10 or 20 points.

How do I create a .pdf or print out an action?

  • Under the ‘Our Plan’ section on the ECA, click on the action you wish to print out
  • Click on the printer icon in the top right corner.
  • Click the blue ‘Print’ button and select your printer destination, or click ‘Save as PDF’.
  • To return back to the action page, click the white ‘Close’ button.
  • Consider using GOOS or double-sided paper if you are printing out actions!

On the ECA, select “Our Plan” on the left of your screen.

  • You will need to complete or remove any actions under the “Open Actions” section (actions which are either “In Progress” or “Not Started”).EcoCode, Environmental Literacy, and Getting Started are mandatory actions and cannot be removed from your plan, so you will need to complete these actions before submitting. 
  • Click on the “Submit for [certification level]” blue button.

How can I see a snapshot of my school’s impact?

To view your school’s environmental impact:

  • Access the Impact page: Start by selecting “Impact” from the main menu. 
  • To view your school’s impact metrics for the current year: Make sure that your school name and the current school year (e.g., for the 2024-2025 school year, select 2025) are entered into the filters. Note that this should be the default view of your Impact page. 
  • To view metrics for all EcoSchools in Canada: Check the ‘Show Impact of ALL EcoSchools’ box located to the right of the Year and School filters. 
  • Review Impact metrics: View the numbers on the coloured tiles for each Impact metric.
    – Any grey tiles indicate that the corresponding certification question has not been filled out yet. 
  • View connected action cards. To navigate to the action card(s) connected to an Impact metric:
    – Click the three dots in the top right corner and select ‘Go to action card’. 
    – OR hover over a blank tile and select ‘Take me there!’ 
  • Take a deep dive into each Impact metric. To learn more about a specific Impact metric:
    – Select the three dots in the top right corner of the Impact metric of interest 
    – Choose Full Report to access in-depth information including description, connected action card(s), historical comparisons, and comparisons to the average of all participating EcoSchools in Canada.

How are the impact metrics calculated?

The Impact Page is a tool designed to be used by your school to track and support the metrics that are of interest to your EcoTeam. Here are some important things to know about how they are calculated: 

  • Connected Action Card(s): The data on the Impact Page is drawn directly from your EcoSchools application. Each Impact Tile links directly to a certification question within an action card. To view which action card and certification question is connected to a specific Impact Tile, select the three dots in the top right corner of the tile and choose Full Report. 
  • Real-time Data: Data shown on the Impact page is aggregated from live applications, meaning they are subject to change on an ongoing basis.

All EcoSchools in Canada: Metrics for All EcoSchools in Canada are based on data from schools that have answered the specific certification questions related to each Impact Tile and do not reflect all EcoSchools in the program. An example of how this works: the number of trees planted that appears on the impact page is drawn from your answer to the question in the Tree Planting and Maintenance action that asks about the number of trees your school has planted this year. Data will not appear from schools that did not select and complete this action.

Please note: The metrics shown on the Impact Page may differ from those in our reports and other public communications, as data is verified and any outliers are removed during the assessment process to ensure that the data is reported to a high degree of accuracy.  

  • Select “Our Plan” from the main menu.
  • Navigate to the bottom of the page to find the “Assessed Plans” section, where you will find your school’s certification history.
  • For more detailed information on your past plans, click on “Administration” on the main menu on the left of your screen, and navigate through “Plans,” “Actions,” and “Certification Questions.” Click the “Help” button in the upper right corner for more information on each section. 
  • For schools that have certified with EcoSchools prior to 2020-21, note that you will be able to view your past certification levels and download past seals, but because the certification program is now delivered through a new format, you will not be able to view full details for years prior to 2020.

Contact programs@ecoschools.ca for further details, if required.

  • Click “Administration” on the main menu to open the administration menu, then select “Plans,” “Actions,” or “Certification Questions.”
  • At the top right corner of the data table, click “Download CSV.”
  • Click the “Help” button in the right-hand corner for more instructions.
  • At the top right corner of the data table, click “Download CSV.”
  • Once it downloads, don’t click on the file to open it directly.
  • Open a new sheet in Excel and under the “Data” tab, click “From Text.”
  • Your file explorer will open. Locate the CSV file that you downloaded, select it, and click “Import.”
  • In step 1 of the import, match the settings with what is in the screenshot below and then click “Next.”
  • In step 2, match the settings with what is in the screenshot below and then click “Next.”
  • In step 3, match the settings with what is in the screenshot below, and then click “Finish.”
  • A final prompt will appear. Click “Ok” as seen in the screenshot below.

Certified EcoSchools can download a digital seal for each year they have been certified:

  • Log-in to your school’s online application.
  • Navigate to the “Achievements” page from the main menu.
  • Under the “Your Past Certifications” section, you will see certification seals for all of the years your school has been certified. 
  • Click the “Download Seal” link located under the seal. 
  • You will be directed to  a new webpage—follow instructions to download your seal.

What is the difference between staff and student user accounts?

  • Both staff and student users can help create their school’s plan, and contribute to and complete actions within their school’s plan.
  • Student users cannot submit the final application. Applications (i.e., Plans) must be submitted by a staff user.
  • Student users do not have access to the “Administration” menu and cannot upload documentation.
  • Student users cannot register for their school account on their own. A staff member who is already a member of the school’s account must create a username and password for the student. See below for how to add more staff or student users to a school account.

How do I add more staff members to my school account?

  • Click “Administration” on the main menu to open the administration menu, then select “Users.”
  • At the top right corner of the data table, click the “+” button.
  • In the pop-up that appears, fill out the information fields. Select “Staff Member” for the role. 
  • Click the “Save” button and send the login information to the new members.
  • There is no limit to the number of staff and students you can add to your school account, but we encourage EcoTeam leads to keep this number at a manageable size. 
  • If you cannot see the Users tab under Administration, please contact programs@ecoschools.ca.

How do I add student members to my school account?

  • Click “Administration” on the main menu to uncollapse the administration menu, then select “Users.”
  • At the top right corner of the data table, click the “+” button.
  • In the popup that appears, fill out the information fields. Select “Student” for the role. For the “School” field, ensure that your school is selected.
  • When selecting a username and password for students, please ensure that there is no identifying information in the username, such as the student’s email address, initials, first name, last name, etc. 
  • Click the “Save” button and send the login information to the new student members.

How do I manage existing staff and student users on my school account?

  • Click “Administration” on the main menu to uncollapse the administration menu, then select “Users.”
  • In the data table, find the user you wish to manage. Use the filter functions or page controls to navigate the table.
  • Once you have found the user, click on the row that corresponds to them. 
  • In the “User Details” box that appears on the right, update the fields you wish to change. Click the “Apply” button.
  • To update a user’s password, use the “Change Password” box that appears on the right or below the table. Click the “Apply” button.
  • When selecting a username and password for students, please ensure that there is no identifying information in the username, such as the student’s email address, initials, first name, last name, etc.
  • When you log in for the first time in a school year, you will see a pop up asking ‘Is this still your school?’ 
  • Select ‘Yes’ if you are at the same school, or you can search for your new school in the dropdown menu if you select ‘No’
  • If your school does not appear in the dropdown menu, or if you would like to change your school at a later point, please contact programs@ecoschools.ca
  • IF YOUR SCHOOL NAME HAS CHANGED: please contact programs@ecoschools.ca 
  • To edit information including your school’s phone number and enrollment number, navigate to “My School” on the main menu and click the pencil icon. 
  • In the popup that appears, edit the fields you wish to update.
  • While logged in to your ECA account, click your name or avatar at the top right corner of the page.
  • On the blue dropdown that appears, click “My Account” to update information such as your position at your school, then click the “Save” button.
  • To update your avatar, select the “Profile Photo” tab and pick an avatar from the existing ones or upload your own by clicking the “Select a file” button.

IF YOUR SCHOOL, OR THE NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL, HAS CHANGED: please contact programs@ecoschools.ca

To reset your password when you are logged in to the ECA, click your avatar in the right-hand corner and then select “Change Password.”

If you need to reset your password and are not able to log into the ECA: 

  • Go to app.ecoschools.ca and click “Forgot your password”. Enter your account email address when prompted and click “Send Me Instructions.”
  • In your inbox, open the email you received from EcoSchools and follow the instructions to reset your password. If the email is not in your inbox, please check your junk and spam folders.
  • If you did not receive the password reset email, this may be due to your school board/district’s email filters. In this case, contact programs@ecoschools.ca.
  • At the top right section of any page, click the button that says either “en” or “fr.”
  • On the blue dropdown that appears, select the language you wish to use on the platform.