These Gauteng schools just got their green stripes for putting the planet first!
Gauteng, South Africa (06 March 2026) – Over 120 Gauteng schools were recognised at the WESSA Eco-Schools Awards last week.
The Eco-Schools programme, run by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), helps schools embed real sustainability action into their daily operations, from waste and water management to biodiversity projects and saving energy.
Schools progress through internationally recognised award levels based on measurable results. It’s been running in South Africa since 2003 and is now active in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Through the eWASA & WESSA Schools Waste Management Project, schools reached more
than 2,700 learners and 70 teachers and recycled over 16,000kg of waste.
The UNICEF Green Rising Project went further, planting 2148 trees, cleaning 700 tonnes of waste, rehabilitating 260 hectares of land, and reaching more than 12,000 people across 66 schools and communities nationally.
ADvTECH – one of South Africa’s largest private education groups, whose school brands include Crawford, Trinityhouse and Pinnacle Colleges – ran 98 environmental projects across 42 campuses in 2025 alone, delivering 253 environmental days and 254 environmental lessons.
This is part of an even bigger picture nationally as 622 schools are currently participating in the Eco-Schools programme across the country, with Gauteng representing one of the strongest provincial showings.
Five schools took home special recognition on the night:
- Biodiversity Stewardship Award: Ipontshe Primary School
- Circular Economy Champion Award: Diepsloot Secondary School No. 3
- Water Wise Warriors Award: Moduopo Primary School
- Ubuntu for Nature Award: Pinnacle Colleges Rynfield
- Eco-Innovation Award: Waterkloof House Preparatory School
See the full list of all recognised schools here.
South Africa has water shortages, a waste problem, and biodiversity under serious pressure. The kids sitting in classrooms right now are going to inherit all of it. Programmes like this one gets them involved in doing something about it before they’re old enough to be cynical about it. What they learn at school goes home and that knowledge travels even further.
“Policy can shift, funding cycles can fluctuate, governments can change, economies can wobble – but a teacher in a classroom committed to raising environmentally conscious citizens, that is nation building; that is long-term change.” shared WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete.
The WESSA Eco-Schools programme has been active in South Africa since 2003, reaching more than 1.2 million learners and 45,000 teachers across all nine provinces.
Sources: WESSA.
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