Website – UKSSN Operations Group
LinkedIn – UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group
“Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.” Dalai Lama
Climate change compounds poverty and disadvantage; poverty increases vulnerability to climate impacts. As we near the end of another year where greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, I thought it timely to reflect on the challenges we face and the some of the progress we are making.
😟 Bad news first (provided by Earth.org):
- Ocean warming intensified wind speed for all Atlantic hurricanes in 2024, analysis reveals.
- COP29 $300 billion climate finance pledge an ‘insult’, say developing nations, campaigners.
- 2024 ‘virtually certain’ to be hottest on record, marking ‘new milestone’ in temperature records.
- Global carbon budget: only 6 years left before global warming exceeds 1.5C, new report warns.
- ‘Deeply troubling’: Climate experts weigh in on Trump election victory. Environmentalists weigh in on Trump cabinet picks.
- ‘Not ambitious enough’: COP16 delegates disappointed at lack of finance deal despite breakthroughs on genetic data and Indigenous representation.
- Floods and droughts driving increasing displacement in Africa: report.
- Gas stoves linked to 40,000 premature deaths in EU and UK annually: Study.
- Five chemical and oil firms behind alliance to end plastic have produced 1,000 times more plastic than they cleaned up, analysis finds.
😊Reasons for hope –
- Global electricity generation from solar will quadruple by 2030 and help to push coal power into reverse.
- A strengthening of the UK Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) will aim to reduce our emissions by 81% by 2035.
- The UK commitment to include education in our NDC, with leadership from the Department for Education.
- The United Kingdom is the first country to pledge to the Universal NDC Youth Clause, urging governments to engage youth as collaborators in delivering the next generation of national climate plans.
- The OECD introducing new PISA Climate Literacy ranking from 2029.
- The emergence of Climate Action Advisors, Climate Ambassadors and Nature Park regional teams.
- The emergence of new sustainability standards and increasing expertise in the education sector, with more guidance (e.g. Sustainability Support for Education, Greener Schools Index, Sustainability guide for schools in Hertfordshire), and opportunities for training and support.
- An increasing number of schools and Trusts are appointing sustainability leaders and signing off Climate Action Plans ready for the 2025 deadline.
🤔 As we start to look ahead to 2025, the one thing that is certain is we need to double down on building the reasons for hope – locally, regionally, and nationally – and achieve better outcomes for the children and communities we serve.
In the newsletter this week:
- Catering: Food Waste
- Procurement: Plastic pollution
- Grounds Management: Climate-ready
- Energy: Optimisation
- Inspiration for your Climate Action Plan: SEEd and the GSI
- CPD: Upcoming sustainability events
🥗Catering: Food waste 🥗
We know that an estimated one-third of all the food produced ends up in landfill, where it produces greenhouse gases. There are plenty of steps we can take to reduce or end food waste from schools. A first step is to conduct a waste audit:
🎯Cool Food Pro: Methodology – How to carry out food waste weighings?
🎯Energy Sparks: Find out exactly how much food your school is wasting | Energy Sparks
🎯Or a more comprehensive package of support from organisations like Buro Happold – May 2024 Circular Tools project brief
A couple of other useful resources to help :
Olio – Your Local Sharing App – we have a great partnership with Olio, helping divert decent food back into our community.
Too Good To Go is an app you can use to help food from ending up in landfills. And you can save a bit of money doing it.
Neighbourly food waste hub
It is also worth noting that new food waste legislation coming into force in March 2025 – New food waste legislation coming in 2025 | allmanhall. We would suggest engaging with your waste contractors as early as possible to understand what they are doing to ensure compliance and how they can support your Climate Action Plan.
🚮 Procurement: Plastic🚮
Discussions on a global treaty on plastic, touted as the most important environmental treaty since the 2015 Paris Agreement, were sadly pushed back to 2025 this week when countries failed to reach agreement. Plastic is responsible for approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers project that the emissions from plastic will exceed 2.5 billion metric tons by 2050 if the current pace of growth and manner of production continue. Plastic production will continue its explosive growth, and that’s by design. Oil majors have explicitly said they expect plastic to help make up for declining revenues from fuel sales as countries shift to clean energy.
Schools have a key role to play in reducing demand for plastic and setting a great example. Single-use plastic, drinks bottles, glue-sticks, plastic wallets, laminators, school uniforms – there are lots of ways plastic is used in schools that can be reduced or eliminated. Surfers Against Sewage has created a programme to support schools transition to plastic-free environments:
Pupil Power – Plastic Free Schools – Surfers Against Sewage
Circular Economy: If you are interested in knowing more about the Circular Economy and using procurement as a tool to help achieve your sustainability ambition Value Match are running an online ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinar on Wednesday 11th December (12.30-13.15): Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
🌲 Grounds Management: Climate-ready🌲
School grounds across the UK add up to an area equivalent to a new national park, twice the size of Birmingham. Currently 84% of existing school grounds are hard surfacing or maintained grass, both of which offer little mitigation against a changing climate. Two highly recommended (and free resources) to help schools redesign their outdoor space to support climate action, outdoor learning, health, and wellbeing.
- Learning through Landscapes – Climate Ready School Grounds – Learning through Landscapes
- Education Nature Park – Home | Education Nature Park
We have also worked with the team at PECT to help redesign our outdoor spaces – Nature – PECT.
⚡Energy: Optimisation & Management⚡
Technology to better manage energy demand continues to rapidly improve. Edie recently released a useful on-demand Energy Data Optimisation webinar –
data.edie.net/Webinar/Play/846
The broad principle of the webinar is for schools and Trusts to consider investment in modern data systems to help manage energy demand, generation, storage, and use. The webinar provides a sense of what is achievable and some of the questions you may want to ask the specialists charged with managing your systems. If you want recommendations for specialist support – which is becoming more or a necessity than ever before – do get in touch.
💚Inspiration: Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd)💚
Commitment, Joy and Impact – November 2024 | SEEd
If you are looking for inspiration on some next steps for your Climate Action Plan, the team at SEEd might be able to help. Sign up for their free monthly newsletter and find a new commitment, a new joy, and an impact idea to share with colleagues, family, and friends.
Greener Schools Index
For more ideas and support with developing a plan have a look at Greener Schools Index – Greener Schools Index – Greener Schools Index (GSI). The GSI was designed as a free-to-use practical aid to help schools and Trusts find strengths and gaps in their climate action. By answering a series of self-assessment questions, organisations receive a report that shows work that is already underway (and should be celebrated) and suggestions for targeted improvement. All schools need a Climate Action Plan by 2025; GSI has been designed to help.
📅 CPD: Sustainability Events 📅
It is great to see an increase in regional and national events to support schools and Trusts. We list and promote events on the website, here are just a few:
- Climate and Nature Action Event in Cambridgeshire (3rd February 2025)
- East of England Sustainability in Education Series in Bedfordshire (12th February 2025), Essex (26th March 2025) and Suffolk (2nd Apil 2025)
- Climate Leaders Conference, Sheffield Hallan University (6th March 2025)
- ASCL Annual Sustainability Conference, Manchester – 5th June 2025 (ASCL – ASCL Sustainability Conference 2025)
- North-West Sustainability Learning Conference – 26th June 2025
Plus, we have our next online UKSSN Ops Group network meeting on 16th January 2025 at 16.00. The link to register is on the website.
And finally…..the importance of listening
A short piece from the Action for Climate Emergency – shared by Renee Lertzman – is a great reminder that the simplest acts can be the most important.
We cannot change the world if we do not bring everyone along with us.
Have a great weekend