ABSTRACT
Sustainable practices in schools pose various advantages and benefits among teachers and learners. Knowing its importance, the Department of Education keeps up its steadfast dedication to sustainable development through DepEd Order No. 52 s. 2011 and Republic Act 9512. Although the department supports such, there is still a missing link in the sustainable development practices of every public schools. The study of Balbi, S., et al. (2022) shows that lack of knowledge integration becomes an integral constraint in limiting the design and implementation of policies and practices in schools to support global sustainability efforts. It is in this parameter that this research explored the various sustainable development practices of five Cluster III public schools in the City Schools Division of Dasmariñas with the end view of identifying the sustainable programs being practiced and implemented in schools, find out its benefits to learners and address some challenges in its implementation. A mixed method design particularly descriptive- quantitative and descriptive- qualitative research design was used to attain the objectives of this study. There were 55 respondents, 11 from each school who answered and participated in the data collection process. Descriptive Statistics through Mean and Frequency was used for the quantitative part and Thematic Analysis was used for the qualitative part to analyse the responses of the participants. Results show that among five indicators for sustainable development initiatives, Toxic Reduction, Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Acoustical Performance, and Green Healthy Space are the top 2 sustainable practices implemented in these schools. The result also showed that Resources Sustainability particularly the use of renewable energy is the least implemented practice. The sustainable practices help achieve a conducive learning environment for learners. The findings of the study can be used for further research and basis for developing a groundwork for strengthening sustainability in schools.
Keywords: Sustainable development, school practices, conducive learning environment