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sample policies |
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the green flag school program for environmental leadership |
The Process of Writing Policies
Developing, passing and implementing environmental policies is an integral tool to move school and work environments towards environmentally conscious and healthy behaviors.They provide the community with a common goal, and clear steps to get there. With an environmentally responsible policy in place, the environmentally conscious path becomes the accepted norm. Designing a policy may seem difficult at first, but if you follow these steps and take a look at the above environmental policies from partner organizations, you will be well on your way!Let's use the example of a Green Flag Team who wants to implement an Integrated Pest Management Policy:
Step #1: Set your long and short term goals:
Brainstorm goals with your Green Flag School team. If you don't want pesticides used on campus, what will convince others to agree? First off, you need to know your information! What pesticides are used inside and outside of your school? What are the potential health affects? What insects and plants are killed by using the pesticide? Look to see if there is truly a problem with insect infestation, often times pesticides are applied routinely, even if there is no insect problem. Get to know the issue, and design several alternatives. Have students do internet and library research on Integrated Pest Managment, pesticdes, insects and plants, and talk to local experts on non-toxic pest management. After you have gathered your information, set your goals. Within three months, what would you like to see happen? Within 6 months? Within the year?
Step #2: Present your information to decision makers:
Share all of the information you have gathered with school administration, the facilities or maintenance staff, the school board, the PTA or Parent/Teacher group, and the environmental committee, if there is one. Teach them about the health risks posed by pesticides, the available alternatives, examples of other schools who have stopped using pesticides on campus. State what your group would like to see happen at your school. Be clear about your goals, and give decision makers a time line for adopting your ideas. Provide those at the meeting with a list of resources for more information, including contacts at other schools who have eliminated pesticides on campus.
Step #3: Follow up with decision makers:
Stay in touch with decision makers to offer them help in gathering their information, writing the policy, coming up with an alternative pest management plan, etc. Thank them for their efforts to make your school a healthier place!
Step #4: Write and pass the policy:
Policies should be written and edited with the help of the Green Flag team, maintenance and facilities representatives, and administration. The most successful policies take into consideration the concerns of the people who will need to change their practicies to adhere to the new policies. For instance, when adopting a pest management policy, the maintenance staff will need to be educated on the risks of pesticides, the available alternatives, the costs of alternatives, training on alternative pest management strategies, and provided with success stories to convince them of the need for this policy. A policy implementation timeline should be agreed upon when the policy is passed.
Step #5: Implementation:
These policies are a step in the right direction. Implementation is another matter! Implementation relies on informed, voluntary cooperation by members of the school. That means that the whole school community should know about the policy, and given ideas on what they can do to help out. Schools should monitor their progress, successes and setbacks with their new policies througout the first year, and adjust their new practices as necessary.