Building a Greener Future: LAS Strengthens Sustainability Commitment at Swiss Summit

Last week, 17 LAS students joined over 100 delegates from eight international schools at the Swiss Schools Sustainability Summit, hosted by Aiglon College in Villars. This year’s summit, themed “Our Commitment to the Future: People, Planet, and Prosperity,” was an inspiring platform for collaboration and learning, reinforcing our commitment as a school to becoming an Eco-School and educating our students on the importance of sustainability and conservation.

The summit featured engaging speakers who encouraged proactive leadership:

• Nick Bubb, CEO of TUSK, emphasized grassroots conservation, biodiversity’s role in climate action, and career pathways incorporating sustainability.
• Marie-Claire Graf, live from COP29 in Baku, connected students to the global impact of climate negotiations and highlighted the power of intergenerational leadership.
• Gill Einhorn of the World Economic Forum shared insights into decarbonization and the role of systemic change in creating a sustainable future.
   

Students from the eight schools exchanged ideas and strategies during the summit. This opportunity to network greatly enhances our student experience, and allows our young learners to meet others with similar interests. Together, students brainstormed innovative projects such as advanced waste composting, sustainable food initiatives, and reuse systems for clothing.

This summit was another step toward LAS achieving Eco-Schools status, a global sustainable school program. Currently our focus is on 'water citizenship', where we are raising awareness of global water access in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Current campus initiatives include: 

• Carrying water bottles to reduce plastic waste.
• Using our new water fountains and refill stations to trust water sources here in Switzerland.
• Raising awareness that four billion out of eight billion people currently do not have access to clean drinking water in their homes.
• Developing an eco-code with our Savoy music and art students to see and hear the aim's artistic expression.
• Teaching about water access across the curriculum.

Potential future initiatives include:

• Electrifying our transport and reducing private transport.
• Expanding sustainable travel options.
• Increasing on-campus biodiversity through the school garden, tree planting on campus, reducing leaf blowing, planting wildflowers, and managing mowing.

From our Alpine location to our ongoing sustainability projects, LAS demonstrated its dedication to protecting the environment and promoting responsible citizenship through our curriculum, after-school programs, and involvement in conferences like this one. The Swiss Schools Sustainability Summit was a fantastic event that enabled our students to see their classroom studies in practice, and meet other like-minded students who have a passion for sustainability and the future of our planet. 

 

Learn more about Eco-Schools here.