Website – UKSSN Operations Group

LinkedIn – (3) UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group | Groups | LinkedIn

“The future will be green, or not at all.” (Jonathan Porritt CBE) 

The climate crisis has never been clearer, yet responses remain inadequate. Recent events exemplify the contradiction: the USA administration froze funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, slashed climate aid, and engaged in greenhushing—removing references to climate change from government websites— whilst scientists reported that January was the hottest on record. Recent extreme weather events, such as Los Angeles wildfires and devastating Spanish floods, suggest evermore worrying shifts in climate patterns.

Yet, political resistance to climate action is intensifying. Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice MP, said this week that it is “absolute garbage” to claim that human activity is the main cause of climate change. In Germany, the far-right AfD party, polling second ahead of elections, campaigns to dismantle wind farms. Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, set to lead a coalition government, actively opposes climate measures. Across Europe and beyond, politicians argue that green policies impose excessive costs on ordinary workers—a message that is gaining traction worldwide.

Meanwhile, businesses retreat from sustainability commitments. BP has announced a shift away from renewables back to oil and gas to protect short-term profits, following similar moves from rivals Shell and Equinor. HSBC has become the latest bank to water down its environmental commitments, pushing back key targets from 2030 to 2050. Last year Amazon actually increased its reported emissions and appears to be moving further in the wrong direction.

This shift comes as the world marks the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris Agreement. While the energy transition has begun, implementing real change proves far harder than making pledges. With rising climate risks, the challenge remains: can leaders turn promises into action before it is too late?

School leaders are not immune to the pressures other sector leaders are facing. The challenge for us –

🤔 Being prepared to show climate leadership to our children and communities. Staying the course when the going gets tough.

🤔 Avoiding greenwashing and greenhushing and acting with honesty and integrity.

🤔 Investing time and resource in action and bringing people with us.

(Inspiration for the comments above attributed to Pilita Clark, Financial Times)

🌞Grow your climate shadow – the easiest way to grow your shadow is to talk about climate action. If you have a story to tell about climate action in your school or Trust or want to get more involved with the work of UKSSN get in touch. Our network is growing and there is lots to do to achieve our objectives.🌞

This week from UKSSN Ops Group –

  • Curriculum: Shadow Review
  • Procurement with Purpose
  • Regulation: Simpler Recycling
  • Catering: Surplus food and Olio
  • Decarbonisation: Banking
  • Support: Let’s Go Zero training and advice
  • Planning: Greener Schools Index
  • CPD: Sustainability Events
  • UKSSN Network Meeting – Retrofit (27th Feb)
  • Communication: Science Moms
  • And finally…Climate Leadership
  • Plus: Advice and Support

🏫Curriculum: Teach the Future🏫
Interim report | Youth Shadow Panel
We are not experts in curriculum design or how best to teach climate education. We recognise this is a particularly complex subject area (if it wasn’t I suspect we would all be doing it by now). We work closely with CAPE Alliance to help keep us well-informed.

We do believe in the importance of the ‘student voice’ in the education system. Last year, the government launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review. Feeling that young people were not given enough opportunities to engage with the review meaningfully, Teach the Future helped form the Shadow review to ensure that young people’s voices on education are heard. The youth shadow panel just published their interim report, showing that young people are overwhelmingly calling for a more relevant curriculum with a greater focus on climate and nature. Teach the Future representative on the youth shadow panel, Liv, has written this blog post to reveal more on the findings related to climate education.

🛒Procurement with Purpose🛒
Value Match delivered a workshop at the recent CST Finance and Operations conference. Feedback and discussion involving a wide range of multi-academy trusts is the basis of the attached paper. The paper details a number of short-term tactical interventions and longer-term strategic action which schools could consider taking to strengthen sustainability and social value in procurement.

CST Procurement With Purpose (February 2025)

⚖️Regulation: Simpler Recycling⚖️
Conduct a waste audit
In 2023, the UK Government announced a new recycling plan to create a new, simpler common-sense approach to recycling. The new requirements aim to improve recycling rates and standardise recycling practices by having a simpler recycling system where we can recycle the same items at home, work, or school. All schools in England must follow the new regulations. From 31 March 2025, recycling and collection measures for all types of recyclable waste are required to be in place in your school (except garden waste and plastic film). Attached is a guidance paper to help ensure your school or Trust is compliant.

2025 02 21 Simpler Recycling Regulations

🍌Catering: Surplus Food and Olio🍌
Multi-academy trusts | Olio brochure | 2024
400 schools are now fighting food waste with Olio.🎉

What if your surplus school lunches could feed local people, rather than going to waste? With Olio, schools get matched with local volunteers, who collect any food that did not get eaten at lunch that day. Volunteers then take that food home, and upload it to Olio’s app, for local people to request and collect.

By sharing any spare food, schools can reduce food waste costs, operate more sustainably, and provide even more support to your community. You can also lead by example and inspire your students by taking a strong stance on food waste.

Email sophie.leader@olioapp.com to have a conversation about getting started with Olio and your school or multi-academy trust.
Olio also work with major UK education caterers (like Aspens, Impact Food Group, Olive Dining, Chartwells and more), so you can speak to your caterer to learn more.

💰Decarbonisation: Banking 💰
Triodos Bank’s €500m Commitment to Nature-Based Solutions versus HSBC weakens 2030 emissions targets – edie
Last year HEART partnered with MotherTree to help us better understand the impact of our choice of bank on our carbon footprint. You can find the impact assessment and recommendations if you follow this link to our website. The decision to switch bank is not an easy one and cannot be taken in isolation but if we are serious about our role in protecting the planet and our communities it a conversation we need to have.

⛑️Support: Let’s Go Zero⛑️
Free Carbon Literacy training from Let’s Go Zero
Starting 11 March, Let’s Go Zero are running brand new Carbon Literacy training programme which will support school staff members looking to boost their confidence and understanding of climate change and carbon emissions. The course will focus on key topics like recycling, pollution, climate change and how to inspire the next generation to act on environmental issues. You can also contact your local Climate Advisor for support in developing your climate action plan and reducing your emissions.

📋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 first 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 is free and a particularly useful planning tool.

📅 CPD: Sustainability Events 📅
Conferences and events for climate and nature are great for CPD and building your network. We promote training on the website where all Members have facility to add local or regional events. Here are just a few more to look forward to –

  • East of England Sustainability in Education Series with updates from DfE in Essex (26th March 2025) and Suffolk (2nd Apil 2025)
  • Education Estates Net Zero Conference, LSE London (24th April 2025)
  • Schools Sustainability Showcase, ARU Peterborough (22nd May 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.

🎓UKSSN Ops Group: Network Meeting – Retrofit🎓
UKSSN Operations Group Online Community
A reminder that we have our next UKSSN Ops Group network meeting on 27th February at 16.00 (MS Teams). The theme of the meeting is retrofit. It is estimated that most of the improved performance needed to meet the 1.5C goals for 2050 must come from existing buildings. Given that almost 80% of the UK’s current non-domestic building stock will still be in use by 2050, it is clear that much must be done to update, improve, and innovate current buildings. We need to retrofit what we have to make sure it is fit-for-purpose and supports both people and planet.

 

📢Communcation: Science Moms 📢
Science Moms – a non-partisan group of climate scientists and mothers created a brilliant advert to urge climate action for the next generation. The advert was played during last Sunday’s Super Bowl, one of the most-watched global events. The advert highlights climate change events against the life of a girl from birth to college. Watch it here, pass it on, and think about the communications you and your pupils create and the impact you might be able to achieve 💚.

And finally….Climate Leadership
All schools need to appoint at least one climate leader in 2025. Their role and their voice matters, now more than ever. Let them know they are joining a powerful movement of people from across communities, sectors and countries who are inspiring climate action throughout the world.

“Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that despite the heroic efforts by many, international diplomacy and national policy leadership in this age of extreme polarization and powerful special interests aren’t getting the job done. While both matter a great deal – and we cannot let our political representatives off the hook – we must engage other leaders to get climate action back on track.

We should exalt extraordinary climate leaders from our neighbourhoods, cities, states, and provinces – including elected officials, civil servants, grassroots organizers, non-profit leaders, faith leaders, local entrepreneurs, and other change-makers. We should engage effective climate leaders in start-ups, businesses, investment firms, and philanthropic organizations – leaders leveraging the power of markets, technology, and private capital to accelerate climate solutions. Moreover, we should amplify thought leaders in media, public affairs, science, technology, the arts, and popular culture who are inspiring bold climate action across the globe.

Those of us working in climate know that the most effective leadership often comes from grassroots communities, local and state governments, business leaders, technology innovators, engineers, investors, and philanthropists – not elected officials and diplomats.”

Jonathan Foley is a climate scientist and the Executive Director of Project Drawdown

Have a great weekend 💚


Fig. 2: Annual and cumulative glacier mass change from 2000 to 2023. | Nature

 

Sources of advice and support

References
HM Government Net Zero Strategy (October 2021, page 29)
‘Government is leading the way – embedding climate into our policy and spending decisions, increasing the transparency of our progress on climate goals, and providing funding to drive ambitious emissions reductions in schools and hospitals.’
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6194dfa4d3bf7f0555071b1b/net-zero-strategy-beis.pdf

Department for Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (April 2022)
Sustainability and climate change strategy – GOV.UK

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)
Environmental reporting guidelines: including Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting requirements – GOV.UK

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Personal Data Consent

The information you submit using this form will be approved by staff before publication. If you are aged 13 or under, you will need parent/ guardian permission. For help and more details on how this data is used, please see our privacy policy.