Sustainable development is an integral part of pupils' and students' lives
Sustainable development is one of the cornerstones of the Espoo story and responsible pioneering is one of the city's values. These are also an integral part of the activities in the field of growth and learning, throughout the study path, all the way to upper secondary education. Sustainable development plays an important role in both the national curriculum and the municipal curriculum of Espoo.
Considering the different age levels of children and young people, economically, ecologically, socially and culturally sustainable development is discussed in classes of different subjects, specialised courses and clubs. Sustainability is both the goal of education and the principle guiding the activities.
The local curriculum guides the activities of schools, and the annual plan describes sustainable development in basic education
The school-specific annual plan contains a separate section for sustainable development, in which measures to promote sustainable development in each school are specified. Measures may include completing the Green Flag, promoting socially sustainable development, recycling or reducing food waste.
The commitment to sustainable development measures is an integral part of the school's own annual plan. The schools ensure that the commitment can be found on the Commitment2050 website. This is a service where both organisations and private individuals can make operational commitments for sustainable development, report on their results and browse the commitments made by others.
Each commitment identifies which Agenda 2030 objectives are supported through it. The objectives may include responsible consumption, good education, reducing inequality, climate actions, or fairness and good governance.
The schools carry out an annual academic year assessment in which they examine how the specified measures and objectives have been achieved.
From mask-free local nature to energy saving efforts
The most common concrete measures of sustainable development in schools are related to, for example, crafting on recycled materials, reducing food waste, environmentally friendly transport, as well as energy saving. Especially in the coming winter, energy saving measures will be very topical. Matters that support ecological sustainability also promote economic sustainability in the long term.
The schools have also taken other topical measures. For example, the Karakallio School implemented a "Mask-free Local Nature" project. The school and its pupils wanted to commit to keeping the surroundings tidy.
"Espoo schools have been promoting responsibility issues well for years," says Senior Planning Officer Piritta Honkanen.
"In the local curriculum, socially, ecologically and economically sustainable development is both the goal of education and the principle guiding all activities and school culture. The pupils learn to make conscious decisions from the perspective of sustainable development. Choices in line with sustainable development are made more concrete in teaching and subjects, considering the pupils' age level," emphasises Honkanen.
Honkanen adds that it is important to encourage pupils to reflect on how eco-social education can be reinforced from the perspectives of equality, fair treatment and sustainable lifestyle.
"Eco-social civilisation is an activity in which values, knowledge, skills and operating methods are in line with sustainable development," Honkanen continues.
The educational development service area coordinates the preparation of the action plan for sustainable development education for 2022–2026.
"I am extremely glad that we are involved in this. We are now in the first phase of the three-phase plan, i.e. we will examine the current situation of sustainable development. In the second phase, we will define the target state and more detailed objectives. In the final phase, we will present concrete measures for promoting sustainable education both at the profit centre level and at the school level. At the same time, we will consider the development of teachers' competence in promoting sustainable education," Honkanen continues.
Sustainable development as part of the daily life of general upper secondary school students
Espoo general upper secondary schools have active student associations that promote charity and sustainable development. For example, in Etelä-Tapiola general upper secondary school, also known as Etis, the Sustainable Development Team has been operating for over 20 years.
The club activities for sustainable development have a support teacher, but the youngsters are often so active that they come up with ideas for measures unprompted. The task of the Keke (sustainable development) team is to support the projects of upper secondary school students and help with the arrangements.
The Keke team of Etis meets on recesses and afternoons. Students participate voluntarily. The team has an average of 10-15 students, but the idea is to expand the activities to the student association's board and attract even the entire upper secondary school community to join.
All subjects can have a sustainable development perspective, in which case sustainable development policies can be included in daily activities. In Etis, the Agenda 2030 is implemented, for example, by participating in demonstrations on slowing down climate change, charities, well-being week, Nose Day and blood donations. In addition, the students have planted spruce saplings, grown crickets for food, mapped the bicycle roads in the area, as well as commented on the bike parking areas under development.
Over the past couple of years, Etis students have managed to collect significant amounts for charity. Thousands of euros have been collected for various purposes, such as to support Ukraine.
"Supporting the Ukrainians has been an important theme for us. Immediately after the war started, we set up our first Ukraine café. For example, we collected toys for Ukrainian children arriving in Finland's reception centres," explains Pentti Heikkinen, Teacher of Biology and Geography at Etelä-Tapiola general upper secondary school and Director of the Sustainable Development Team.
Etis has also participated in the Nose Day for over ten years, as long as Nose Day has been organised in Finland. Each year, students invent a new campaign for collecting money.
"Last year they shaved my head bald. This year, we will dye my hair red, if we can collect enough charity money for the Nose Day Foundation", Heikkinen laughs.
According to Heikkinen, the main objective is for young people to learn to help others and to incorporate this into their lifestyle.
This year, all general upper secondary schools will invest in social sustainability by piloting cultural instructors. Read more about cultural instructors and their work at: espoo.fi/en/cultural-instructor.