Getting schools to cut down their carbon and to establish more sustainable habits is a tall order: that’s not their essential purpose, and can come a long way down their list of important tasks to achieve. That’s why it has been great for Church of England Birmingham to partner with Let’s Go Zero this year. Let’s Go Zero is part of the Ashden Charity and has been set up to support schools to give practical support in enabling schools to make necessary changes to lifestyle, practices and habits.
This year, Let’s Go Zero have run a total of four webinars for schools in Birmingham diocese, for two cohorts: Group 1 in November and April and Group 2 in April and June. We invited schools to send a representative who could be a headteacher, sustainability lead, governor, vicar, site manager, business manager – anyone who might be contributing to climate focussed activity in the school.
The first area was focussed on decarbonisation. Breaking this large topic into discrete areas, advisors introduced the attendees to actions that would assist with cutting down their use of carbon. These included ways to cut down use of electricity, harnessing the ‘pester power’ of pupils for reminding teachers about switching off lights; encouraging pupils to travel to school more sustainably rather than arriving by car; reviewing menus to reduce reliance on meat products; promoting recycling and composting, as well as reviewing the sustainability quotient of purchasing decisions. The break out rooms generated lots of discussion and there was plenty of sharing ideas, tips and potentials for funding. People inspired each other with ideas about how to pass on ‘pre-loved’ school uniform; getting children involved in collecting recycling; composting food waste and walk to school week initiatives.
The format was similar for the follow up session which looked at how schools adapt to climate change; how to introduce pupils and staff to climate education, and how to increase biodiversity on the school site. Again, colleagues shared stories of how, assisted by community members and parents, they had revamped their outdoor areas to make them places of wonder for outdoor learning, or of fun planting trees funded by external agencies. Colleagues were inspired to go and increase the amount of shade in outdoor spaces, or to take advantage of carbon literacy courses for their staff.
The Let’s Go Zero webinars have nurtured a lot of discussion about sustainability and colleagues have spurred each other on to do more, recognising that every small thing they do makes a difference. Out of 52 diocesan schools, 35 schools sent a representative to at least one of the two sessions. Talking with colleagues in schools after the webinars, they said that attending the webinars made it so easy to start a Climate Action Plan, as people could select from a range of actions, the ones most appropriate to their setting. Schools have been kickstarted into getting their Climate Action Plans on the move – they are on their way to Net Zero!
Jill Stolberg
Net Zero Carbon Schools Officer