Bringing others along with your climate action plan!

New to the sustainabilty lead in school? Bringing others along with you is vital when building your climate action plan- and can be a difficult area.

Net Zero, The ‘green agenda’, ‘Zero Carbon’ – all can have negative connotations amongst the wider communty. Finding the way to motivate others to play their part in what you are trying to do will make your job easier, and support the strategy you are working towards.

Not a sustainablity lead – but a sustainability team.

Many areas of the climate action plan require more than one job role in school. Curriculum, green careers, energy saving and biodiversty are all wildly different. So start your climate action planning by building a team – premises, leadership, parents, pupils. A team means that you have a shared agenda and a shared strategy, pulling people in from the start.

Find people’s motivations

It’s true that ‘reducing carbon emissions’ is not on everyone’s priority list – for a number of reasons that we can explore later. And it is only one element of the Climate Action Plan – much of what is on the plan will reduce emissions. Just indirectly. Other priorities can be used to bring people with you.

Building a community

Enlist the help of local sustainability groups. Local action, events, knowledge of grants – plus they may have other connections to the school that will help build a supportive community.

What else can motivate climate action?

Reducing carbon emissions without mentioning carbon…

• Speak of the future – remember it is a school after all. Building a wildife garden for future generations to enjoy, devleoping food waste habits that will support young people for years.
• Saving money – always a big one. Exploring energy loss in school via windows, draughts and lighting could save money instantly.
• Careers and building skills – local business or industry increasingly need employees that understand the change to regulations or can contribute to the sustinability ethos of the company.

Working together for co-benefits.

Much climate action has crossover benefits that will support other areas of school life.

• Pupil voice – a project or an idea could come from the student body. Think of engagement, motivation or looking at the next phase of education.
• Current strategy – is there already a big focus in school? a healthy school focus? Growing food, walking to school, bus travel planning all provide co-benefits for this. Energy saving will save money in the long run.
• Curriculum areas – green careers, science education?

Read the DfE guidance in full here