Green Schools Project

🏫 This week is a busy one for one of our #Bristol Zero Carbon Schools as they hold their annual Eco Week. Pupils at Brunel Field Primary School have held an annual Eco Week for the last 4 years. This year they're taking their commitment to the climate to the next level by taking part in #ZeroCarbonSchools for the first time - thanks to funding from the Triodos Foundation and support from their #PTA. This week they have a jam-packed programme of learning and activities that celebrate and protect our world. Throughout the week, every class and year group will have a visit, talk or workshop exploring different aspects of sustainability, nature and climate. Parents, families and the wider community will be able to get in on the action too - with extra-curricular activities each day after school. Today included: 🐳 An online visit from author, film-maker and whale expert Tom Mustill for the Year 2s which included a whale-song bath 🌱 An after-school gardening session getting messy making seed snails! We'll be following along this week - bringing you updates, stories, ideas and inspiration for how you could bring your community together to take action for the planet 🌍 Triodos Bank Future Leap | Certified B Corporation™ Bristol City Leap Nell Byron Loz Hennessy

📊 Our bespoke carbon calculator designed for schools is a key part of our Zero Carbon Schools programme. It helps pupils understand their school's #carbonfootprint, provides lots of learning opportunities and informs their climate action projects. Today we're celebrating all of the schools who have measured their carbon emissions and are taking action to reduce their footprint - including Leyburn Primary School who reduced their emissions by 19%! It's not too early to register your interest to join Zero Carbon Schools in the autumn - follow the 🔗link in comments! #carbonfootprint #climateeducation

🎥 Lights, Camera, (Climate) Action! Last week, Green Schools Project's Henry Greenwood and Bethany Jamal spent the day at St Mary Magdalene & St Stephen's Primary School in #Westminster filming our #ZeroCarbonSchools programme in action. The opportunity to showcase the school's commitment to embedding climate education and celebrate its pupils' climate action was thanks to Westminster City Council. They are creating the film for a Community Investment Platform that will highlight non-profits working within the borough to businesses that are looking to fund or develop #socialvalue partnerships and projects. As well as interviews with the school team and the Year 5 pupils taking part in Zero Carbon Schools, it was a great opportunity to hear from Helen J., Community & Social Value Manager at Derwent London, who are funding the programme at this school this year. Thank you to Westminster City Council, Hortensia K., Riaz Gomez and everyone involved in making it happen - we can't wait to see and share the finished product!

Our new #GreenSchoolsSpringboard celebrates people-and-pedal-powered climate action! Green Schools Springboard is our fortnightly, bitesize resource that aims to spark ideas, discussion and action. This week we're inspired by the #bikebus movement and how it's creating a cleaner and more sustainable #schoolrun The clickable PDF available in comments includes links to a news article as well as resources from Sustrans who can support you to set up your own school bike bus! 🚴 Let us know what you think of these new resources and how you're using them as a springboard at your school! 👇 Follow the link in comments for a clickable PDF you can use in your classroom this week 🔗 #climateaction #sustainabletravel

🙌 This #ThankyouThursday we are highlighting one of our key and longest-standing corporate partners - Wates Group 🏗️ Development, building and property maintenance company Wates Group has supported Green Schools Project since 2019. Over the last 6 years, our partnership has gone from strength to strength - bringing climate education and pupil-powered climate action together with real-world insight of sustainability in action at the heart of a large national organisation. This year, Wates are funding our Zero Carbon Schools programme in nine schools around the country. This is bringing comprehensive climate education to 217 pupils directly, with 5,078 young people benefiting from their schools embedding sustainability and taking action for the climate. In turn, the partnership is delivering social value for Wates, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and the value of developing green skills for the workforce of the future. The Wates teams have had a busy few weeks as they’ve headed out and about to visit some of the schools and young people taking part in Zero Carbon Schools and seeing their pupil-powered climate action. In February, Daniel Sherlock MCIOB, Construction Manager at Wates, visited Thompson Primary School in Norfolk to watch our assembly introducing Zero Carbon Schools and also participated in a teacher training session where he took part in conversations about the climate crisis and how the school can respond. This month has seen visits to Plymouth Grove Primary School in Manchester, where Rasheed Lawal participated in a workshop and talked to pupils about sustainability in construction. Next up, Steven Cartwright visited Outwood Academy Shafton where he spoke to pupils about a career at Wates and what sustainability looks like in his role as Operations Manager. The pupils loved the #GreenJobs workshop we delivered - choosing to explore how to build a sustainable football club - even designing their own kit with Wates as the sponsor! Beechwood Primary School in Leeds welcomed Michelle C., Social Value Manager at Wates, for an assembly for Key Stage 2 to introduce herself and the local Wates construction site, before joining a teacher training session, introducing school staff to climate education and encouraging them to reflect on what their school community could do to embed sustainability and support their pupils' climate action. And this week, Regional Social Value Manager Christina Byrne (She/Her) visited Shooters Hill Sixth Form College in Greenwich where she participated in three workshops with pupils exploring different careers, the importance of green skills, climate and sustainability and what it’s like working at Wates. A huge Thank You to everyone at Wates for their support and commitment to bringing climate education and pupil-powered action to schools and young people across the UK. #socialvalue #sustainablebusiness Tracy T. Kawsar Abdi Su Pickerill FICRS Daniel Proffitt

So thrilled to see Ashden recognised as NGO of the Year at the edie Awards for its Let's Go Zero campaign! Let's Go Zero has brought together over 30 environmental organisations in a coalition that is supporting schools to be Net Zero by 2030 - and Green Schools Project is proud to be one of them! 👏Well done to the team for encouraging collaboration, shared learning and partnerships across the sector 🤝 #climateaction #netzero

🌳 A strong start to the week at Green Schools Project! 🌳 We welcomed our new team member, Loz Hennessy, who has joined us in Bristol as Community Climate Action Manager. Over the next few months, Loz will be working with our Bristol Zero Carbon Schools to help them take their pupil-powered climate action beyond the school gates into the community. A big welcome to Loz and huge thanks to Bristol City Leap for funding this new role. Loz got stuck in straight away, attending an event organised by the Cabot Institute for the Environment and School of Education, University of Bristol on Green Skills and Climate Education. The event brought together academics and staff from across the university who heard from Tom Hague about Green Schools Project's work and to discuss opportunities to collaborate on climate education and development of green skills for the future. Lots of energy, ideas and opportunity that we are excited to make happen! Particular thanks to Ed Atkins and Vicky Jones for organising the event and to everyone who came along. 👇For those interested in reading more about our programme and impact - see link in comments for our most recent Impact Report 👇 University of Bristol Business School Dr Nicola Warren-Lee Paul Howard-Jones Josie Maskell Terra Sprague Megha Phadkay Andy Wakefield

🌍 Today's #ThankyouThursday must go to Grosvenor 🌳 Support for Green Schools Project from their #GreenerFuturesFund is enabling pupil-powered climate action in schools in #Westminster Thank you to everyone at Grosvenor for your ongoing support. Merlene Austin

Feeling unheard and seeing insufficient action from adults is a common frustration for young people when it comes to climate change. In a report from UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education only 16% of students surveyed agreed that adults are doing enough to look after the environment - a clear indication that we need to do better! We think it's crucial that young people seeing the adults around them taking climate change seriously, and taking action. Schools have a key role to play here and an opportunity to demonstrate visible commitment to sustainability. In our recent Impact Report we shared some key findings that show how Zero Carbon Schools is helping provide a framework for a whole-school approach to sustainability: 👩🏫 95% of teachers report the program has influenced their response to climate change and 🌍 Schools saw a 30% increase in carbon-reducing actions by the end of the programme Read more in our Impact Report - link in comments 🔗 🌳 How can you show your commitment to tackling climate change today? Share thoughts in comments 👇 #climateeducation #climateleadership

Calling all young people: what can the Government #DeliverYou? Volunteering Matters are seeking young people's experiences and voices to inform the Government's National Youth Strategy. 👇 Read more in their post below and get your young people involved in placing their orders 🥡 #youthvoice