Website – UKSSN Operations Group
LinkedIn – (3) UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group | Groups | LinkedIn
“Care for the planet is care for people. We must also see care for people as care for the planet.” (Anon)
For many reasons this week has been a challenging one, as I know it has for many others. Difficult times led me to reflect on writing about climate action. Is it right to ask friends and colleagues to focus their energy on addressing climate change at a time when they might be struggling with their own health and wellbeing. Addressing climate change requires energy, resilience, and innovation, all of which depend on our wellbeing. A group with strong mental and physical health is better equipped to stay motivated and resilient in the face of the challenge of climate action. Individuals and communities struggling with poor health are often far less able to engage in collective efforts, advocate for change, or implement new sustainable practices in their daily lives.
Recognising the interconnectedness of human and planetary health opens us up to designing solutions that help meet social, economic, and environmental priorities. Climate action that centres on people’s wellbeing not only mitigates climate risks but also helps build healthier, more sustainable societies. Protecting our health is not a nice-to-have; it is a moral and environmental imperative.
If you are interested in speaking to experts in the field of Triple-Wellbeing – self, people, and planet – I would recommend connecting with Thoughtbox Education who run courses for schools, educators, and leaders.
This week from UKSSN Ops Group –
- CPD: UKSSN Ops Group network meeting
- CPD: SALIX Finance Decarbonisation Dialogue
- People: Recruitment & Retention
- Catering: Veganuary
- Nature: Education Nature Park – Winter
- CPD: Sustainability conferences and events scheduled for 2025
- Climate Action Plan: Greener Schools Index
- New Year’s Resolution – measure your footprint
📅 CPD: UKSSN Ops Group Network Meeting – ICT (16th January, 4pm) 📅
Register here
We have our next online UKSSN Ops Group network meeting on 16th Jan on Teams where we have several expert speakers talking about the role of ICT in Climate Action Plans.
📅 CPD: Salix Finance – the Decarbonisation Dialogue 2025 series (29th January, 2pm) 📅
Register here
Decarbonisation Dialogue 2025 series is an opportunity to learn about how organisations across the public sector are addressing net zero challenges. Expert speakers will share insights into the opportunities, challenges and lessons learned through energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects completed on organisational estates.
🤔People: Recruitment and Retention🤔
Sustainability in recruitment | Guardian Recruiters
One in ten UK workers are actively seeking a new job this month, with the turn of the year proving a popular time for a new challenge. A growing body of evidence indicates that a organisation’s sustainability strategy may be an accessible and effective tool, playing a role in supporting both attraction of top talent and retention of existing talent.
- A 2023 KPMG survey found that 46% of respondents want the company they work for to show a commitment to ESG. 20% of people reported turning down a job because the company’s ESG commitments were not in line with their values. And, when asked, one in 10 job seekers place sustainability policies as one of the top aspects they look for in a job description.
- Deloitte has found that companies which implement a sustainability strategy achieve up to a 50% reduction in turnover. Digging a bit deeper, according to a recent Kite Survey, 49% of employees say that it is particularly important to their motivation and wellbeing that they can act on climate change at work. This raises to 81% if you include those who said it was quite important.
As we look ahead to 2025 consider if sustainability is a thread that runs through your People/HR strategy. Is sustainability referenced in adverts, job descriptions, interview questions, line manager meetings? If not, perhaps HR could be the next new addition to your Climate Action Plan.
🍅Catering: Veganuary🍅
January Foodsight 2025 by allmanhall – Issuu
Increasing plant-based food in our diets is a way of supporting our own health and the health of our planet. Allmanhall has published their January update – go to page 6 for information on seasonal fruit and vegetables as well as links to ‘Hero Recipes’ dedicated to Veganuary. The magazine also looks are commodity outlook for 2025 and references the risk of climate change and extreme weather on food availability. Global warming is already affecting our food. It tripled cacao prices last year and is contributing to rising food prices world-wide. Bananas will be harder to grow in a warmer world and coffee supply is also at risk. Warmer waters are making fish smaller, while higher levels of carbon pollution in the air is making many fruits and vegetables less nutritious.
🦋Nature: Education Nature Park – Winter🦋
What to do with the Nature Park this winter | Education Nature Park
From the Nature Park (who now have 4,000 schools signed up and working to improve nature and biodiversity in their school grounds 🙂) – short days and grey skies may lead you to think that there’s not much going on outside at this time of year, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Embrace the winter season by having a go at some of their suggested activities over the next few months.
📅 CPD: Sustainability Events 📅
It is great to see an increase in regional and national events to support schools and Trusts.
- Education Estates and School Building Conference, London (28th January 2025)
- Climate and Nature Action Event in Cambridgeshire (3rd February 2025)
- East of England Sustainability in Education Series with updates from DfE in Bedfordshire (12th February 2025), Essex (26th March 2025) and Suffolk (2nd Apil 2025)
- ASCL Annual Sustainability Conference, Manchester (5th June 2025)
PLUS – School Resource Management training (by Entrust) on ‘A Sustainable Estate and Climate Action Plans‘ running in the new year.
If you are planning an event let us know and we will share with colleagues in the network.
📋Planning – Greener School Index (GSI)📋
Greener Schools Index
The GSI is a free tool self-assessment tool designed to support all schools, however big or small, and at whatever stage they are on their net zero journey.
- Helps you evaluate your school’s progress, strengths and areas for improvement in essential areas such as air quality, biodiversity, catering management, energy, ICT, procurement, waste management and water.
- Each completed survey generates an individual pdf report of responses that can be shared with Governors and Trustees, or used to inform a Climate Action Plan and help develop your school’s sustainability roadmap.
The initial pilot of the GSI will run until 28th February 2025 and will help you assess your current level of climate action and identify areas for further development. Give it a try…it’s free and a very useful planning tool.
🎯New Year’s Resolution – measure your footprint🎯
The World’s Largest Media Platform for Climate Action
The decisions we make every day—what we buy, how we travel, what we invest in, and the energy we use—impact our planet and send strong signals to policymakers and businesses alike. This year, take a meaningful step: calculate your carbon footprint for 2025 and commit to reducing it. The We Don’t have Time community has a great mobile app for measuring your footprint with plenty of tips for making positive changes.
And finally….
We are living through a time of rapid and unsettling change. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 was officially the warmest year on record, surpassing 2023, which had previously held the record. Global temperature data going back to 1850 shows an alarming trend of escalating heat.
A Year of Heat and Havoc: Why 2024 Must Be a Wake-Up Call – Global Center on Adaptation
At the same time there is space for optimism and hope. The UK’s electricity was the cleanest it has ever been in 2024, according to new Carbon Brief analysis that was covered by the Times, the Guardian and other news outlets. CO2 emissions per unit have fallen by 70% over the past decade. This trend can be attributed to the UK phasing out coal while expanding its use of renewables, which reached a record 45% of electricity generation last year.
Whilst we navigate through the challenges that lie ahead, please make sure you take the time to focus on your own health as well as the health and wellbeing of family, friends, colleagues, and your community.
‘He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything’ (Anon)
Have a great weekend 💚