Climate change and sustainability: student, parental and community action and engagement

Introduction

We each have a part to play in solving the climate emergency. Inspiring students, parents and the wider school environment to take action to improve and sustain the environment is key. We know that there are no greater advocates for environmental action than young people. Building a generation of eco-advocates and providing them with the tools to take positive actions and decisions together with providing them with the platform to share their work and inspire others is key.

This section provides information on programmes, audits and action plans that can be built within schools.

3 actions you can take now:

1. Adopt a child-led environment and action programme to empower and motivate pupils to drive change and improve environmental awareness in their school, local community and beyond.
2. Set a piece of action orientated homework – e.g. ask pupils to carry out an home energy or waste audit. 
3. Develop an age appropriate ideas board for environmental action locally, nationally and globally and invite your local MP or County Councillor to listen to the children talk through.

Campaigns 

Get inspired by getting pupils involved in one of the campaigns below.

30 Days Wild campaign

The Wildlife Trusts ran a 30 Days Wild campaign in the month of June. They have 30 simple, fun and exciting  Random Acts of Wildness. To still get involved either download the resource pack or the 30 Days Wild App.

The Wildlife Trusts: 30 Days Wild

Clean Air Day campaign

Clean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign and takes place annually. The Clean Air Hub has been created to bring together information on what air pollution is, how it affects your health and what actions you can take to protect yourself and others. The Hub also has air pollution forecasts so that you can see what the predicted air pollution is like in your area over the next few days, downloadable resources to help you get involved in clean air campaigning and the latest news stories on air pollution. 

Clean Air Hub: The UK's go to source for information on clean air and air pollution

Further air pollution data can also be found via the Air Quality England website:

Air Quality England: Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire monitoring data website

Climate Action Super Hero campaign

The UN campaign empowers children to be heroic leaders for change and believe in the impact they can have on the planet is crucial. There are eight climate action heroes. Each of their missions has downloadable content including activities for kids to do with the help of an adult.

United Nations Sustainable Development: Climate Action Superheroes

Count Us In campaign

Count Us In is building the world’s largest community of people, organizations and platforms taking practical action on climate change. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To not know where to begin - or what changes really make a difference. Count Us In have selected 16 Steps with experts from the UN Environment Programme based on 3 criteria: their impact on your personal carbon pollution, their power to influence leaders and their ability to involve everyone. These are the 16 steps that count.

Count Us In: What you can do

Earth School campaign

TED have created 30 quests for students around the world to celebrate, explore and connect with nature. Each Quest includes a discovery video and quiz, combined with a series of engaging learning resources — all curated by environmental experts. 

TED-Ed: Earth School - An immersive 30 day nature adventure

Greening campaign

The Greening Campaign was founded by Terena Plowright and engages residents to tackle climate change within their communities. The Greening Campaign is a structured approach which guides communities through a four-phase process. Each phase contains an information pack, online resources, videos and further tools to support communities to become more sustainable and resilient towards future climates and sees individuals as the key drivers for change.

The Greening Campaign

Save Our Streams campaign

Affinity Water: Save our streams

Campaign to waste less water. Affinity have a water dashboard which will tell you how much water your household uses, give you the opportunity to book a free one-to-one consultation with a water saving expert, and offer you some free water saving gadgets to use at home. Households can donate their earned points to schools.

Tree planting

There are currently a number of charities, companies and organisations providing individual trees and tree packs to schools for planting. The aim of the projects is to highlight the part trees play in achieving the UK goal of becoming carbon net-zero by 2050. Hertfordshire County Council supports the initiatives and in particular the Queen’s Green Canopy, to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Woodland Trust

Queen’s Green Canopy

Tree Tools for Schools

HCC Guidance note on tree planting on school sites

Share your successes, or ask us for resources

We are keen to hear from schools on the actions they are taking to reduce climate change. Contact us at climateactionschools@hertfordshire.gov.uk to share your success stories. The most inspiring will feature in our planned digital publication “Inspiring Stories to Reduce Climate Change in Schools”.