Publish at September 10 2025 Updated September 10 2025
Some trends are ephemeral and correspond to a zeitgeist. Pokémon Go, for example, took the world by storm in the summer of 2016, sending hordes of admirers roaming the streets of their cities to capture virtual creatures. While the game still exists today, it has clearly lost global appeal. Other trends are taking a more permanent hold, for a variety of reasons. The Pokémon brand is still present with its many titles, the content format imposed by Tik Tok persists, given people's loss of attention online, and green technologies and eco-responsible approaches are gaining in popularity.
Because it's no longer a question of avoiding climate change, but of preventing the most catastrophic scenarios from occurring. The effects are already being felt all over the planet: intense forest fires, interminable heatwaves, droughts or, on the contrary, excessive rainfall, landslides, melting glaciers, and so on. And while the most skeptical still maintain that these phenomena have always existed, scientific studies show that their number is far greater than would normally be the case.
Let's start by reviewing the concept of green technologies. We know that the use of modern techniques and approaches has a significant ecological footprint on our planet. The principle is therefore to think about and promote innovative methods that significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the pollution they create. Ideally, the techniques used would produce none at all. To give you an idea of green technologies, we can mention the following:
So, as most environmental specialists say, school is the place to be to not only get to grips with the subject, but also to be a place that embraces the idea. Institutions of higher learning are urged to use these themes as much as possible with their students, in order to generate potential research in the field. UNESCO has asserted that schools can act as a bridge to the ecological transition of societies by taking an interest in current phenomena, proposing solutions that combine technology and a green turn.
This means firstly offering children environmental literacy, scientific foundations using life and earth sciences and mathematics to provide angles for analysis and problem-solving, and finally exposing them to the least polluting digital technologies. It's a far-reaching program, which inevitably requires schools to reflect on the methods they use. Ideally, schools around the world would go green to set an example for learners and the community.
The concept of green technologies is not universally embraced by environmental specialists. Some feel it's more like a Band-Aid on an open fracture. It's an illusion to ease one's conscience by contributing to a disproportionate growth that pollutes more than it does good. Indeed, the technology giants have understood this, often using greenwashing as a marketing tool. They bring out new models of appliance every year, and try to talk about sustainability when in fact they are participating in an ultra-polluting programmed obsolescence.
This subject, moreover, should not escape the attention of schools, which can address it while already presenting young people with present or future solutions.
For example, many schools suggest turning to distributed cloud computing, which uses existing devices rather than huge data centers that consume energy and water.
For schools, this means setting as much of an example as they can afford. It means developing an eco-responsible culture from the outset, creating clubs for students to take an interest in the subject, involving parents and the local community, and rolling out comprehensive curricula that incorporate both conventional knowledge and the environment.
A green school will minimize the use of paper and plastic, promote active transportation, recycling and, above all, composting. In fact, eco-responsible canteens are gaining in popularity, offering students the opportunity to help themselves to what they're really hungry for, avoiding waste and over-packaging, and composting leftovers rather than throwing them away.
These are, of course, short-term financial investments at the outset, but they will quickly pay for themselves in the form of lower costs for equipment, electricity and water, and so on. What's more, local partners can help to reduce the initial bill by working together. It's not surprising to see schools on almost every continent taking the ecological turn.
From Scandinavia to Australia, schools are adopting curricula based on eco-responsibility, proposing projects in which learners are involved in creating gardens, renewable energy sources such as solar panels, and so on. Teachers have access, via the Internet, to green technology recipes to easily create potted compost or seed sowers.
The aim is not to be perfectly eco-responsible. It's not a virtue contest. However, by adopting a transition, by showing the younger generations that it is possible to live without excessive polluting growth, public authorities and the world will be under increasing pressure to change.
Climate marches have already shown that this is a subject close to their hearts. The bridge that schools can build could prove crucial in the near future.
Image: Pixabay
References
Akhouri, Simran. "Top 5 green technology project ideas that every student must know." Jagranjosh.com. Last updated July 17, 2025. https://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/green-technology-project-ideas-for-school-student-1800000564-1.
"Bridging the digital and green transitions through education." UNESCO. Last updated: February 26, 2025. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/bridging-digital-and-green-transitions-through-education.
"Green Schools." UNESCO. Last updated: January 24, 2025. https://www.unesco.org/fr/sustainable-development/education/greening-future/schools.
"Green Technology and Students." Ecobnb. Last updated February 23, 2025. https://ecobnb.com/blog/2025/02/green-technology-students-innovations-help-save-planet/.
Hoffman, Evelyne. "How to create an eco-friendly school canteen." Winssolutions. Last updated May 8, 2025. https://www.winssolutions.org/how-to-create-an-eco-friendly-school-canteen/.
Jark, Daniel. "What is green tech? How it works, types, adoption, and examples." Investopedia. Last updated January 26, 2025. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/green_tech.asp.
Laurienti, Bill. "How to teach sustainability using green technology in elementary schools." Smartlab. Last updated July 2025. https://www.smartlablearning.com/teach-sustainability-green-technology/.
"The essential role of education in promoting environmental sustainability." Hivenet. Last updated August 29, 2025. https://www.hivenet.com/fr/post/the-critical-role-of-education-in-driving-environmental-sustainability.
"Green Technology Education." 100% Green Solutions. Last updated October 3, 2024. https://www.100greensolutions.com/publication/leducation-aux-technologies-vertes/.
Olwan, Shaimaa. "Eco-friendly school initiatives: inspiring student-led sustainability efforts." LearningMole. Last updated January 23, 2025. https://learningmole.com/eco-friendly-school-initiatives/.
"What role does education play in green tech?" Climate → Sustainability Directory. Last updated April 10, 2025. https://climate.sustainability-directory.com/question/what-role-does-education-play-in-green-tech/.
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