We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Climate Action Plan, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable future for our schools and communities. As educators, we understand the crucial role we play in fostering a culture of environmental responsibility among our students. This academic year, we are setting ambitious goals to create meaningful change.

We have researched and collaborated with experts to build our extensive Greensand Climate Action Plan and here are just a few of the things that will be taking place this year across our Greensand schools.

Decarbonisation

• We are launching ecoDriver, an energy monitoring system that can help reduce carbon emissions by potentially 20% just by monitoring and changing behaviours.
• We are working with Surrey and West Sussex Local Authorities and hope to have solar panels on up to five of our school roofs by the end of the academic year.
• We have an ongoing programme of LED light replacement to reduce our energy consumption.

Climate Education, Green Skills and Careers

• Some of our schools are already Eco Schools and have a Green Flag Accreditation or equivalent, which is great. It is our aim for all our schools to follow suit.

Biodiversity

• All schools will sign up to the National Nature Education Park, map their green spaces and start recording their biodiversity.

In order for us to Step into Sustainability Success and achieve all these fantastic goals we need to lay the foundations following the four steps below:

By the end of this half term we will have appointed our Sustainability Leaders across all the ten schools within the Trust.

These passionate individuals will be responsible for spearheading eco-friendly initiatives, promoting environmental awareness and encouraging student engagement in sustainability practices. By empowering our students and staff to take the lead, we will make positive change.

By the end of the Autumn term we will have established a Trust-wide Sustainability Committee

This committee will enable us to collaborate and share best practices. All our schools are on varying points in their sustainability journey but together we can develop and implement strategies that align with our shared vision for a greener future.

By the end of the Spring term, we will be well on our way to collecting data to establish a baseline to measure our Carbon Footprint across the Trust.

Understanding our current environmental impact is essential. By assessing our energy consumption and waste production, we will identify key areas for improvement and set measurable targets for reducing our emissions.

By the end of the Summer term, we will have designed our communication strategy

Effective communication is vital for our Climate Action Plan’s success. We will develop a comprehensive communication strategy to share our initiatives, progress and successes with students, staff, parents and the wider community. By keeping everyone informed and engaged, we will foster a culture of collaboration and collective action toward sustainability and we look forward to sharing this with you!

A big thank you to the Let’s Go Zero campaign for their advice and support and the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) which provides a great platform to share ideas and resources.

Remember, every step counts as we embark our Sustainability journey and together we can make a big impact. Together we will create a brighter, greener future!

Alice Catling

Sustainability & Procurement Manager