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First of all, children and young people participating
in The Kids' ISO 14000 Programme learn to apply the
Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle at the heart of the
ISO 14000 environmental management system standards.
They do so by implementing PDCA in their own homes to:
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measure environmental aspects such as water and energy consumption
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set targets to reduce negative
impacts |
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achieve concrete results and
compare them with the target |
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draw lessons from the experience
in order to make further improvements. |
 Children
thus learn by experience that they can reduce negative environmental
impacts and improve environmental performance.
Next, in cases where the children's parents
work in organizations pursuing certification to ISO
14001, there is a potential for synergy between programmes
in the work place and activities at home. The possibilities are
increased when they live in a community where the local authority
too is promoting the use of ISO 14001.
This creates opportunities for joint action programmes between schools,
enterprises and local government.
In any case, The Kids' ISO
14000 Programme encourages participants to network with
children engaged in the programme in other schools and communities,
both nationally and internationally. Children learn by direct experience
that cooperation and team work, regardless of frontiers multiplies
the efficiency and effectiveness of their environmental management
efforts.
Throughout the programme, there is an emphasis
on feedback and two-way communication between the children and their
teachers. This helps to build self-confidence in the young people
which will serve them well as they grow up, giving them the strength
to tackle environmental and other challenges in their adult lives.
The Kids' ISO
14000 Programme is a powerful learning tool. Here and
now, it helps children to achieve measurable environmental results
on their own doorsteps. For tomorrow, it forms responsible, environmentally
mature citizens with a global perspective.
The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle is
the operating principle of ISO's management system standards
for the environment (ISO 14000) and quality (ISO 9000).
- establish objectives and make
plans (analyse the situation you are in, establish your overall
objectives and set your interim targets, and develop plans to
achieve them). |
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- implement your plans (do what
you planned to do) |
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- measure your results (measure/monitor
how far your actual achievements meet your planned objectives). |
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- correct and improve your plans
and how you put them into practice (correct and learn from your
mistakes to improve your plans in order to achieve better results
next time). |
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