Becoming net zero by 2030 requires a long-term plan with clear milestones, says John Barneby, COO of Oasis Community Learning
At its core, education is about shaping and supporting future generations to thrive in a changing world. But the sheer scale of the education sector means it also has tremendous latent power to address environmental threats and challenges. By harnessing that power, we’ll be tapping into a widespread desire among young people to drive change forward.
Reducing the amount of CO2 our schools produce and the energy they consume is crucial, but so too is supporting the biodiversity that enriches and supports all our lives, as well as addressing concerns about water scarcity, waste and pollution.
As a sector, we are lagging behind where we should be on tackling climate change and environmental damage, though pockets of excellence are emerging. Regulation has been slow to respond to the crises that lie ahead, and opportunities were missed in the academies’ school-building programme to employ the cutting-edge technologies that would have given us a head start in moving towards net zero. Even now, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) procurement framework for the public sector does not prioritise the environmental impact of the education supply chain enough, although this is slowly changing. Moreover, input across much of the school curriculum to date has been limited, with ad hoc add-ons rather than a radical rethink.
However, new opportunities are opening up and the DfE draft strategy (April 2022) on sustainability and climate change sets in motion a renewed focus on addressing these challenges across the sector. I would recommend that anyone involved in leadership takes the time to read it – I can see a future scenario where sustainability is considered part of a school Ofsted inspection, such is the need for change and the importance of the role of education.
To achieve net zero by 2030, schools and trusts need to be in a position where they do not contribute to climate change through carbon emissions across their site, or through other activities and procurement. This means taking a long hard look at energy use, travel, food, supplies, waste, procurement and school grounds. Schools will need to measure not only their direct impact, but their ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ effect too. For instance, with regard to canteen food, a school will need to audit not only the carbon used in producing certain foodstuffs (meat vs plant-based protein) but also what happens to food waste.
The first big step is to embed an environmental strategy across your organisation, whether you are a single school or large MAT. Assign a senior leader to have an environmental role and integrate environmental education into your curriculum in a way that makes your pupils reflect on their own actions. We are by no means perfect but below are the significant milestones along the Oasis Community Learning journey to net zero that might be helpful.
Further help
Many schools and MATs still grapple with where to start when it comes to auditing their energy usage and developing a more environmentally sustainable strategy for the future. MATs that need to produce Streamlined Energy Carbon Reports (SECR) can find themselves paying out a lot of money, whereas individual schools might only complete basic audits that have limited impact. School energy consultants Warneford Consulting can create bespoke energy strategies for academy trusts and have produced a Stage 1 Decarbonisation Energy Audit offer for those schools in receipt of the DfE’s energy efficiency grant.
September 2018
Leadership commitment
Call to arms – we made the decision that it was our duty to change as an organisation. Environmental Committee started.
August 2019
Planning and mobilisation
We split our actions into:
- Quick wins: Eco Schools, Sustainability Champions, local initiatives
- High impact: curriculum, solar, energy procurement and reduction, waste management, food
- Community: biodiversity, recycling, ‘Turn it off’ campaign.
We are among around 17,900 Eco Schools in the UK, embedding a student-driven awareness eco-campaign focused on reducing waste, saving energy and cutting water consumption.
We now have Eco Champions – who may be students, teachers, principals, site managers or hub staff – at each of our schools. We’ve set up communication channels to share good news stories to drive momentum for change across the trust.
September 2020
Solar panel contract signed
We completed our solar power procurement for more than 5,000 solar panels on every academy roof that could take them. We signed a PPA agreement (with no capital outlay) to give us an estimated saving of 15-20% per year on electricity bills. We started with solar because it was a visible change we could make to all of our schools. We used this change to launch a new cultural focus on sustainability. Partnership with our supplier, Eden Sustainable, was key, not just because the solar project was delivered effectively, but because Eden recognised this was part of a longer term journey. As a result, they added significant value, running sessions with teachers and students to help support cultural change.
October 2021
All electricity procured from renewable sources
We changed our tariff to buy only green electricity.
January 2022
Audit, baseline and focus on impact of IT estate
A milestone in reducing the environmental impact of IT, through reduced printing and energy usage. We use the Energy Sparks analysis tool and education programme to help us identify savings and measure impact. We saved the equivalent of 240 trees by cutting paper use and employing more environmentally-friendly technology. The introduction of iPads, which have lower power consumption than standard laptops, saved us around half a million KWH across the trust over the year.
January 2023
Employing specialist support LED deployment started
We recognised that we needed specialist support to measure impact, evaluate our plans and drive forward behavioural change so we employed the Eden Sustainable group. All our contracts now prioritise net zero and we’re looking at the best ways to reduce waste. One initiative we’ve introduced is to grade canteen foods in relation to whether they produce low, medium or high amounts of CO2, thereby allowing students to make educated choices about what they consume.
March 2024-5
Curriculum, biodiversity focus, EV charging points
We will expand our curriculum to ensure that we prepare students for current and future green jobs. We will develop margins around our academies to plant trees and stimulate biodiversity. We will make these community-driven projects. Electric vehicle points to become estate wide.
September 2026
Campaign for change
Campaign internally to keep the momentum up, offer incentives to academies and celebrate success. Drive forwards community change campaigns around our academies to maximise the impact we can have.
March 2028
All building work to be net zero, all energy to be renewable
All major building alterations will need to support the academies’ drive to get to net zero. All heating system replacements to use sustainable energy.
September 2030
Net zero
Celebrate... and then keep going!