We can’t fail to notice changes in our climate including more intense storms and heatwaves, heavier rainfall and rising sea levels.
These changes can lead to all sorts of disasters including flooding and coastal erosion as well as wildfires and a shortage of water in the summer alongside high pollution levels in cities.
But the good news is that UK schools are in a unique position to educate children about climate change, its impact on our lives and improve our climate resilience.
This is especially true come September when all schools need to have a Climate Sustainability Plan in place to help introduce sustainability measures.
Slash Your Carbon And Install Renewable Energy
Producing your own energy through solar or wind is a massive win for schools in terms of cutting how much they spend on energy and reducing their carbon emissions to help combat climate change.
This is really important when you consider schools alongside universities make up a huge 36 per cent of total UK public sector building emissions. Recognising this, the government has recently announced a £180 million pound investment in solar panels for schools and hospitals to help reduce their carbon emissions and energy costs.
Solar canopies are an excellent choice for schools because they massively reduce your carbon footprint, save money and mitigate against energy shortages and spikes in prices.
Schools often use solar canopies for extra outside classrooms or dining rooms and, compared to roofs, are more flexible in terms of space and orientation to get maximum sunlight.
Another huge bonus of installing green energy is nudging others such as parents and staff to think about how they can make changes too.
Turn Grey Into Natural Habitats
Part of the Climate Sustainability Plan encourages schools to sign up to the National Education Nature Park programme encouraging children to look at the playground, pathways, fences or unused concrete areas and start imagining a greener space to work and learn in.
For example. creating a pond or other freshwater habitat is one of the best things you can do to encourage wildlife to flourish.
Other measures are planting trees, wildflowers or growing fruit and vegetables on raised beds and creating green walls.
By growing a variety of plants that flower and fruit throughout the seasons, you’re providing valuable resources food sources for pollinators and other wildlife, especially if their food source is becoming scarce because of climate change.
Natural habitats not only boost wellbeing of the children but can improve water drainage and general climate resilience.
Collect Rainwater
One of the best and perhaps easiest measures is to install water butts and rain gardens to sustainably support nature on your site.
This can lead to plenty of available rainwater to top up ponds or for watering the plants in times of low rainfall.
Go Vegetarian A Couple of Days A Week
Our dependence on meat is driving climate change with an estimated 200 square feet of rainforest destroyed for each pound of beef produced.
Encourage students to go vegetarian for a couple of days a week at school with careful meal planning and always provide meals that children want to eat to avoid waste.
Always compost waste and buy food locally to cut down on food miles and carbon.
Transferable Skills For Future Climate Resilience
Over the long term, the Climate Sustainability Plan provides plenty of educational and environmental benefits into the future and may encourage children to choose science careers after experiencing data collection, identification and recording of data.
Installing green energy provides opportunities for lessons on how renewables work and how much money and carbon can be saved.
For more information on the where to start, visit Sustainability Support for Education.
If you’d like more information about solar canopies, then please contact us to speak to our experts.
