Use your latent power A


t 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


SEPTEMBER 2018 Leadership commitment Call to arms – we made the decision that it was our duty to change as an organisation. Environmental Committee started.


OCTOBER 2021 All electricity procured from renewable sources We changed our tariff to buy only green electricity.


Meeting a target to become net zero and environmentally sustainable by 2030 requires a long-term plan with clear milestones. John Barneby, COO of Oasis Community Learning, explains how his MAT is addressing the challenges


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.


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.


AUGUST 2019 Planning and mobilisation We split our actions into: n Quick wins: Eco Schools, Sustainability Champions, local initiatives n High impact: curriculum, solar, energy procurement and reduction, waste management, food n Community: biodiversity, recycling, ‘Turn it off’ campaign. We are among around


17,900 Eco Schools in the UK, embedding a student-driven


38 SUMMER 2023 FundEd


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.


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