Sustainable Development
Our commitment is visible through the employment of a staff member entirely dedicated to sustainability questions, as well as through various changes made to our facilities and the numerous initiatives and activities aimed at our students and community.
A school committed to environmental protection
Being a green and community-conscious school has been one of the priorities of FIS.
Among the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development objectives, FIS has been active on several, including:
After a comprehensive carbon audit was conducted several years ago, the school has implemented various ecofriendly practices such as:
- the installation of LED lights;
- anti-UV filters on windows;
- donating surplus from the canteen to people in need, in partnership with Foodlink (NGO);
- increase the proportion of local and organic food in the canteen food supplies;
- collection boxes on our 4 campuses to collect outgrown second-hand uniforms, which will then be sold by NGO Mayaa to raise funds for their activities;
- plastic collection box at TKO, in collaboration with V-Cycle, with a 10-ton clean P.E.T. collection challenge.
Additionally, our TKO campus, which opened in September 2018, has been optimised to decrease energy consumption. The architecture lets natural ventilation prevail, and therefore reduce heat gain and the need for air conditioning. As for the hundreds of ceramic sun breakers that cover the campus’ facade, they diffuse light softly and help reduce the use of artificial light.
Finally, a 3-year food waste reduction scheme initiated by the Hong Kong government, is being implemented on 3 of our 4 campuses. The compost generated through this programme is then being reused into our gardening activities.
Raising our students' awareness on environmental issues
FIS incorporates many initiatives on various environmental themes into its annual timetable. Our yearly agenda involves many teacher-led activities aimed at raising the importance of environmental awareness among FIS students. These activities include:
- green camps;
- beach cleaning;
- collaboration with environmental NGOs;
- participation in the annual Greenpower race to raise funds for sustainable development projects in Hong Kong;
- « Ocean 3C » Symposium, collaboratively with 4 other schools (local and international), focused on the ocean protection.
The school is also a pioneer in teaching sustainable development and has gradually introduced environmental concepts into the curriculum by providing diverse activities allowing students to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world:
- workshops to encourage students to sort their food waste;
- elective class “Ecology & Territories” (54 hours/year) added in Seconde (Year 11);
- introduction to gardening for our Primary students and creation of a Gardening club at Blue Pool Road;
- talks given by specialists in their fields.
Involving the FIS community
The FIS community as a whole is involved in these issues, including thanks to the Green Committee that gathers a dozen of volonteers and publishes a Green Gazette on a regular basis.
3 main axes of work have been defined for the 2018-2021 period:
- Plastic and oceans
- Food, gardening and wellbeing
- Saving resources and renewable energy
For its upcoming 8th annual Gala converted into an online auction, FIS has chosen to promote Sustainable Development and will raise funds for 3 distinct sustainability projects across its 4 campuses.