At the beginning of each new school year, YCIS Shanghai Regency Park and Century Park campuses “plant the seeds” for a greener future with several Environment Assemblies, in order to share ways students can implement good environmental habits that will last throughout the entire year, and beyond. During this year’s assemblies, students learnt about the necessity of taking “positive action” to help the environment – at school, at home, and as part of the wider community. 

The series of assemblies also helped build excitement for other upcoming environmental events at YCIS, including Earth Hour, YCIS Environment Week, “TREEcycling”, “Green” Dress Day, and Global Child Day, where the YCIS Ecology Action Team runs a “Planet Earth” booth.

As part of a truly international curriculum that encourages holistic development, YCIS students are able to take part in an Ecology Action Team After-School Activity Programme, during which student members help organise eco-events and activities, such as tree-planting and gardening. Additionally, a new practice introduced this year is having students serve as Eco-Monitors, which empowers the group to help classes be more sustainable by turning off lights, moderating air conditioning, and monitoring recycling. 

Since environmental issues go beyond Shanghai, YCIS also partners with groups such as Roots and Shoots Shanghai, and the National Association for Environmental Education in the UK, in order to gain ideas and share best practices around the world.

Mr Henricus Peters, a teacher at YCIS Shanghai and a member of the YCIS Environment Committee, summarised the success of the series of environmental assemblies, saying “The assemblies are a window for students to see how we can be more eco-friendly and sustainable as individuals and as a school, which helps students become the global leaders who will help create a greener future.”