Schools are among the biggest carbon emitters in the UK and many have now embarked on the journey to zero carbon. Alex Green offers quick and effective hacks for busy schools

We know that our climate is changing. We see it all around us. It is not just happening far away, it is happening in our UK towns and villages too in the form of increasing temperatures and extreme weather events, impacting both people and nature.

Reducing our carbon footprint is a key step in the fight against climate change – and schools have the power to contribute to significant national emission reductions, as well as trailblaze change in their communities.

Drawing on my work with Let’s Go Zero – a national campaign for all schools to be zero carbon by 2030 – here are some practical steps to support you on this journey, and remember: small steps can have far-reaching results that can dramatically improve the lives of children, their families and communities.

 

Understand your carbon footprint

Lots of things add up to make your carbon footprint – from what you eat and how you travel, to the energy used and waste you produce each day.

Assessing the carbon footprint of schools is complicated because they are generally big and so different from each other. The exciting consequence of this, however, is that you have the capacity to make a big impact in your own way.

You can identify the areas where you can have great bang for your buck in terms of climate action. To help you think about what your school’s carbon footprint might be, here is an example from a typical UK school in terms of the make-up of your carbon footprint:

  • Purchasing school equipment and services (54%)
  • The impact of commuting (28%)
  • Electricity-use (9%)
  • Burning natural gas for heating (6%)
  • Other emissions (3%)

SecEd Podcast: Inspired by the Lets Go Zero campaign this episode of the SecEd Podcast looks at student-led eco-work and how schools can reduce carbon emissions – lots of practical ideas, large and small, for student-led projects, #energy reduction and cost-saving initiatives. Listen back via https://bit.ly/2W6TL4D

 

Identify areas of opportunity

Once you have got an idea of where your school’s carbon footprint is coming from, you can examine these areas and set about working to reduce them. Generally speaking however, there are major areas of opportunity and simple actions that apply to most schools:

Procurement – the things you buy: Positive actions you can take include using only recycled paper, using catering suppliers that provide plastic-free drink options, supplying food in biodegradable or no plastic packaging, and writing sustainable procurement into the school sustainability policy.

Travel – how staff and pupils make their daily journeys: Can you implement active travel schemes to encourage walking, scooting, cycling or taking the bus to school? Could staff use liftshare apps?

Energy – how you use electricity: Get someone to regularly walk around the building switching off devices, lights and anything else that is adding to your energy bill that doesn’t need to be on. You can make a printing pledge to reduce printing by 10% – try printing double-sided or create a password that people need to use before printing.

Energy – how you use heating: Remember that 19 degrees Celsius is the best classroom temperature for teaching and learning. Corridors and bathrooms can be a little less. Adjusting the timings of the heating systems within the school can quickly cut an hour or more off your heating bill every day.

Water – what water you use and where it comes from: Consider adding timers to taps to reduce wastage, harvesting rainwater using water butts and installing a smart meter to help you capture daily information and avoid costly leaks. Engage the pupils in helping you to track your usage.

Food – what you serve and sell: Consuming less meat can make a big difference. This doesn’t mean offering completely vegan or vegetarian menus, but cutting back on the number of times meat is offered and what type of meat is provided – i.e. less or no beef and lamb. Think about how you can supply locally sourced, seasonal, Fairtrade foods, as well as grow and use food on-site.

Nature – how you use your school grounds to support biodiversity: From setting up a garden club to organising or joining tree-planting initiatives, or planting pollinator-friendly herbaceous beds and stopping the use of peat and pesticides – there is lots you can do with your school grounds to support nature. Just introducing a “no-mow” area can make a difference.

Waste – of food, clothing and more: If you’re not doing so already, collect food waste from school lunches and recycling separately – you could also speak to your waste contractor to see how they can help. Encouraging re-use wherever possible is key, for example, second-hand school uniform sales, inspiring staff and pupils to reuse their water bottles or to shop second-hand.

The curriculum – how you teach about sustainable habits and messaging: There are lots of opportunities to educate your learners on these issues through every subject in the curriculum and it was great to see in Pearson’s recent School report (2022) that half of schools are planning to teach climate change and sustainability in the next year. When doing this, think beyond just using geography and science to cover such topics. What about teaching how pupils are “stewards for the environment” in RE, exploring eco-anxiety in arts and drama lessons, or translating the school’s eco-code into different languages?

 

Final thoughts

Make sure to involve the pupils, parents, staff and governors on this zero carbon journey – sharing information and ideas will inspire people to get involved and be committed. Empower pupils to speak up and question decisions in and out of school – whether by writing to their local MP, business leaders, or via an in-school council. And no matter how big or small the impact, be sure to tell your community about it in your school newsletter, website, social media, local press, or on noticeboards. By having pride in your efforts, you are far more likely to connect with other schools and organisations making similar changes.

Good luck – and enjoy the opportunity to be brilliant on this journey! Together we can work to give our young people the amazing zero carbon future they deserve.

  • Alex Green is schools manager of the Let’s Go Zero campaign, working with schools to achieve zero carbon by 2030. Alex has collaborated with Pearson to provide free practical advice for schools to become more sustainable as part of Pearson’s Brighter Futures resources (see below).

 

Further information & resources