Climate Action Plan - Does your school have one?

Climate Action Plan - Does your school have one?

By Liz Painter 

Are you grappling with green careers, green skills and sustainability issues in your education setting?  

What is your school or college doing to become net zero?  

How does sustainable development education feature in your curriculum?  

The Department for Education (DfE) states in its Sustainability and climate change strategy that “by 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan”.1  

Developing a climate action plan for your school or college could be the answer to the complex issue of how to fit ‘sustainability’ and ‘green careers’ into an already busy organisation and curriculum.  

The DfE suggests that a holistic climate action plan should cover the following four areas: 

  1. Decarbonisation and becoming more energy efficient.
  2. Adaptation and resilience in the buildings and school/college grounds.
  3. Improving the environment and biodiversity in the school/college grounds.
  4. Climate education and green careers. 

Let’s take a look at each area in turn 

Decarbonisation and becoming more energy efficient 

This involves reducing the carbon emissions from your buildings, transport (to and from school, including staff, students and suppliers) and the things your school uses (such as food, stationery and plastics). Carbon dioxide is released when fossil fuels are used to produce electricity, in the manufacture of resources such as stationery, and in the production of food. 

  • Have members of staff and students received carbon literacy training?
  • Does the school use low carbon/green energy?
  • Are staff and students encouraged to use more sustainable methods of transport?
  • Is everyone in the school community encouraged to reduce waste and embrace a circular economy?
  • Are suppliers questioned about their sustainability strategy? 

For more information, visit: https://letsgozero.org/  

 

Adaptation and resilience in the buildings and school/college grounds 

Many education buildings are old with inadequate insulation and window fittings, and poor circulation of air. This may lead to rooms being too hot in the summer, poor ventilation causing mould to grow, and extra heating required in winter due to heat escaping from the building. Grounds may be prone to flooding during wet weather and soils may dry out during dry spells.  

  • Have staff and students been asked which classrooms are uncomfortable in particularly warm or cold weather? 
  • Could older buildings be retro-fitted to improve insulation and ventilation?
  • Are drought-resistant plants used in the school ground planting schemes?
  • Have drainage systems been installed in areas that flood? 

 

Improving the environment and biodiversity in the school/college grounds 

This involves using all the outdoor space in the school grounds to encourage the right variety of plants and animals to live there. Creating different habitats, such as hedges, tree cover, wildflower areas and ponds, will lead to greater biodiversity (i.e. a range of living things) and will in turn improve air quality. 

  • How are the school ground’s managed to ensure there are areas for wildlife?
  • Is outside learning encouraged and are staff supported to develop this?
  • Are students involved in choosing and designing outdoor spaces?
  • For more information, visit: https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/ 

 

Climate education and green careers 

The curriculum and extra-curricular activities are important in helping young people to learn about climate change and nature restoration, and how individuals and organisations have a part to play in ensuring a fair and just world for all members of society.  

  • Do staff in all curriculum areas understand how they can be involved?
  • Are students given a variety of opportunities to learn about the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
  • How does the school’s careers education policy embrace green careers and skills? 

 

Why is this important? 

The government has legislated that the UK will be net zero by 2050; that is, our overall greenhouse gas emissions will be zero. For this target to be met, education must play an active part, both in terms of school infrastructure and activities, and contributing more widely to the development of society and the workforce, to help the country achieve this target. 

 

Where to start? 

This is a whole school approach, and a Sustainability Lead and support team, should be identified, with the backing of the school’s senior leadership team and governors.  

Using the climate action planner tool from Transform Our World is a good place to start as it can help your school to develop a plan of action and signpost further support:  

Once your actions have been identified, there are many resources you can use from both the third sector and industry. One example is the planning checklist from Friends of the Earth: 

 

Who should be involved? 

Everyone!  

This includes academic staff, non-teaching staff (such as finance, maintenance and catering) - and, most importantly, the students! Involving and engaging both staff and young people is crucial to the success of your school’s climate action plan. 

 

How does this help the curriculum? 

People and the planet are interconnected, and education empowers young people to understand the relationship between consumption and its environmental impact. Many young people are passionate about helping to minimise climate change and improve the environment. But not every student and member of staff will want to actively save the planet; most of us just want to have a good life in a comfortable environment. By supporting teachers to include sustainable development for education in the curriculum, young people can see how the learning they do in the classroom can help them to live in a society with economic stability and a safe environment 

 

How does this help career education? 

The school’s climate action plan intersects all aspects of career education. Students can learn how the operational side of school life is contributing towards decarbonisation and nature restoration and also be involved in making decisions about building design and creating new habitats. 

Young people should be aware that everybody’s job, in fact, all work and careers, has a part to play in reducing carbon emissions, reducing waste and conserving resources, such as water. This will help the environment, which in turn will help societies to be more stable and biodiversity to be restored.  

Career leaders and career advisers are an important part of ‘green transition, providing young people with the opportunity to learn about how sectors are responding to the challenges of decarbonisation and nature restoration. Career guidance can excite students to create a better world for themselves, others and nature.  

 

For more information and practical advice about careers in sustainability and sustainable development for education, please read Liz Painter’s new book, Sustainable Careers, published by Trotman 

 

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