Our Approach to Tackling Climate Change

At the Three Rivers Learning Trust, we are committed to doing all we can to address climate change. All our schools have signed up to “Lets Go Zero” - a national campaign to get schools net carbon zero by 2030. That’s a huge challenge but transforming our schools will help safeguard the planet for future generations. To become net carbon zero, our schools through all their activities and purchasing won’t contribute to climate change through carbon emissions. Key areas for us to focus on include: energy use, travel, waste, water, purchases, food and school grounds.

We are undertaking this journey at a time when the Government and the local council have declared climate emergencies. Furthermore, we are following science which tells us that action is needed now. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, “We’re facing a man-made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years - climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon”.

However, we are convinced that by being confident, positive and proactive we can make a difference. And we are not alone, the government believes that education must lie at the heart of the country’s response to climate change. Indeed, it is a key factor and requirement of the Paris Climate Agreement which states that “countries should empower all young people in the importance of conserving and protecting our planet, as well as developing the skills needed to solve the problems”. Surveys we have conducted of our staff and students show high levels of concern and support for taking action. There is every indication that the general public shares our concerns and also wants to know what they can do to make a difference. Schools like ours are really well placed to take a lead - 1 in 6 people have a contact with a school every day and all the school grounds in England are bigger than the three largest National Parks put together.

We’ve lots of things going on already. Our board of trustees have appointed a climate champion and we now have someone to coordinate this work in each school. We’ve given our staff resources and opportunities to find out more about climate change and are developing a comprehensive plan of action towards 2030. We are reflecting on how we can best use of the National Curriculum to teach about climate change and are using enrichment opportunities like assemblies, visits, clubs and others to really make a difference. Each school now has a student group focusing on climate change and are helping to guide the actions we take. We are also working with lots of other groups and interested individuals to amplify the difference we can make. We’d love more people to engage and help us. Please contact climate@the3rivers.net  Finally, we’re doing lots to get our school grounds and buildings fit for the future - renewable energy, low energy bulbs, solar panels, tree planting and more. So far we’ve saved over 250 tonnes of CO2 per year, but still a long way to go! Join us!

To find out more about our Trust approach, click here!