Benefits of the EcoSchools Program
The Ontario EcoSchools program is aligned with and supports all the goals and strategies of the framework for environmental education in Ontario – Acting today, Shaping Tomorrow. 

This framework echoes the recommendations in Shaping our Schools, Shaping our Future: Environmental Education in Ontario Schools (the Bondar report) which Ontario EcoSchools also supports.

Schools and school boards implementing EcoSchools reflect the goals and strategies outlined in the Ministry of Education’s framework and respond to the increasingly urgent issue of climate change. More details on how the EcoSchools program aligns with the Ministry's policy framework can be found here.

Ontario EcoSchools helps schools and school boards through achieving the following goals and strategies:

• promote ecological literacy for all students with teaching resources linked to the Ontario curriculum Gr. 1-12
• provide leadership opportunities for students by establishing an EcoTeam;
• establish environmentally sound operational practices by adapting the Ontario EcoSchools templates for use throughout the board
• develop a process for continual improvement in environmental education and operational practices within each school through the initial and follow-up EcoReviews
• incorporate an environmental education component into the school planning process through the creation of a board-level environmental committee
• provide an opportunity for the whole school community to work together to develop environmentally-responsible practices at school through the Action Plan templates
• benchmark their environmental practices, assess their progress and be recognized for their achievements through an annual certification process