Background The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) of the European Communities (Regulation EC 761/2001) aims to promote improvements in the environmental performance of organisations from all sectors in Europe, not least of which the public sector. Furthermore, the 5th Environmental Action Programme of the European Community obliged every educational institution to incorporate sustainable development into its activities. However, in Europe the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) and the number of EMAS-registrations has been very limited in the education sector. In Finland, although a recent report published by the National Board of Education has pointed to the effectiveness of sustainable development training for personnel, there are no EMAS-registered educational institutions in the country. Furthermore, fewer than ten educational institutions have received an ISO 14001 certificate, which deals with the environmental management of organisations. Objectives The “ENVEDU” project aimed to support the incorporation of sustainable development in the management, teaching and maintenance activities of educational institutions in Finland. It sought to develop an environmental evaluation system that would provide a step-by-step process leading to EMAS-registration. The system was to be structured according to the criteria of the Environmental Certification Applying to Education, and would be subject to the approval of a network of qualified auditors for the public sector. It would also include training supports for educational establishments. The model developed in the project was to be disseminated throughout Europe and was to go some way towards addressing the limited number of EMAS-registered educational establishments, of which there were only twenty three at the time (18 in Germany, three in Sweden, and two in Austria). Results Under the framework of the project, a national environmental certification system for educational institutions has indeed been developed. The project thus demonstrated an innovative way of supporting sustainable development and environmental concerns in the management, teaching and maintenance activities of secondary schools and vocational educational establishments. This system is now being implemented and managed in close co-operation with different education and environment stakeholders. The developed system successfully implemented the international requirements of EMAS registration and ISO14001 certification, while also taking into consideration the new Finnish national schools curricula. Thus in the process, the project demonstrated how environmental concerns can be implemented in the syllabi of different courses. It addressed the goals of sustainable development and the implementation of environmental education in accordance with the 6th Environmental Action Programme. The project developed guidelines that are published and available in printed and electronic versions. Educational establishments that wish to develop the system can use these materials. A number of trainers were trained in assisting the educational establishments in introducing the system. These trainers can be used by potentially interested stakeholders.