green school

Source: Schools4Health

How can schools respond to the challenges of climate change, declining child wellbeing, and growing inequalities? The Schools4Health project argues that the answer lies in bringing health promotion and sustainability together under one whole-school approach.

Across Europe, nine in ten young people believe that tackling climate change will improve their wellbeing. Their voices remind us that health and sustainability are deeply connected — and that schools are uniquely placed to link these agendas.

While many schools already run health or environmental projects, they are often treated as separate initiatives. This fragmented approach risks missing opportunities to create a stronger, collective impact. The new Schools4Health Policy Brief Creating green and healthy schools for a sustainable future explores how schools can align these efforts, and how the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework can provide the foundation for this integration.

What does this mean in practice?

• School gardens, green play areas, and outdoor learning that support both physical activity and environmental awareness.
• Healthy eating programmes that also reduce food waste and promote sustainable choices.
• Whole-school strategies that embed both wellbeing and sustainability into curricula, policies, and partnerships.
• Student-led initiatives that empower young people to take action for their own health and the planet.

Lessons from Europe

The brief showcases examples of how countries are already moving in this direction:

• Finland integrates wellbeing and sustainability as cross-cutting themes in its National Core Curriculum.
• Italy has legislated for climate and sustainability education across all school levels.
• The Netherlands is expanding its Healthy School Programme to cover environmental and sustainability issues.
• Greece supports teachers with sustainability coordinators at district level.
• Hungary promotes environmental awareness from an early age through its Green Kindergarten Network.

Why Schools4Health?

Schools4Health is an EU-funded project bringing together partners from 11 countries to strengthen the Health Promoting Schools approach across Europe. By supporting local pilots, cross-country exchanges, and policy work, the project shows how schools can be catalysts for healthier, fairer, and more sustainable societies.

Our third policy brief, Creating green and healthy schools for a sustainable future, sets out recommendations for policymakers, educators, and communities — from embedding health and sustainability in curricula to building cross-sector structures and empowering students as agents of change.

Read the full brief here.

Access the second brief here: Health Promoting Schools as a Lever for Equity in Education  and the first one at: Why Invest in Health Promoting Schools.

Find out more at www.schools4health.eu