There are five objectives in the Deforestation Free Action Plan that a school needs to do to achieve their Deforestation Free Communities Award.
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Help Ensure a Future with Forests!
Committed to tackling tropical deforestation in our supply chains
Your school will embark on an exciting journey that empowers children to become ‘ethical, informed citizens’ by learning about the threats to tropical forests and the solutions to protect them. They will be empowered to use their voices to take action on ingredients and products linked to deforestation within their school and inspire others to do the same.
It is an opportunity for the learners in your school to engage with a wide range of audiences, including decision makers and take part in authentic learning experiences that fully align with the four purposes of the curriculum for Wales. Learn about and from Indigenous Peoples and forest communities.
There are five objectives in the Deforestation Free Action Plan that a school needs to do to achieve their Deforestation Free Communities Award.
There are five objectives in the Deforestation Free Action Plan that a school needs to do to achieve their Deforestation Free Champions Award:
You’ll need to provide evidence for your journey, but it’s up to you how you present this. E.g. you could write a summary of your activities, detailing the work you’ve done and including any supporting evidence, such as, letters, photos of community events or press cuttings, or you could make a documentary style video or art project of your Deforestation Free process. However you decide to do it, you’ll need to send your evidence to [email protected] and the team will get back to you as soon as possible!
Tackling food waste
Reducing how much we consume
Ethical certifications (eco labels)
Currently, no eco label is 100% perfect, but along with the other actions outlined here, they are an essential tool to help us reduce our impact on forests, people and nature.
Using your voice
Making ethical choices for the products we buy, use and eat is not always easy. There are many things that can get in the way. This could be a lack of information due to poor labelling, cost, time or even opportunity. There is only so much we can do as individuals.
This is why the power of our collective voice is so important. We have to shout loudly to make our governments, councils and businesses do their bit to stop tropical deforestation, habitat loss and social impacts.
Everyone has a part to play.
School meals are paid for by the local council who set up contracts with food suppliers and caterers to ensure you get nutritious meals at school. The council, as a public sector body, has to work towards achieving seven well-being goals from a unique Welsh law, known as the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
Three of these goals focus on making Wales:
By working with the council and school caterers on your deforestation free journey, you can demonstrate how climate and nature friendly food for schools is achievable. There are already lots of cities and communities around the world who are doing this through practical measures, such as local and ethical procurement, training and education and reducing food waste, often within the same budget as before.
Furthermore, today, ethically sourced does not always mean higher costs, for example, many Fairtrade products are now as cheap – if not cheaper – than non-Fairtrade alternatives.
To help you in your conversations with the local council and caterers, here are some examples of the places already sourcing climate friendly meals for schools.