Our Keep Britain Tidy COP 26 Call to Action
This autumn, world leaders will come together in Glasgow for COP26 with a single purpose – to limit global warming and pull the planet back from the brink of disaster. The hope is that COP26 will kickstart immediate and dramatic change, and one thing is certain, everyone will have a role to play as the world tries to limit global warming.
As you know, the Eco-Schools programme is designed to raise environmental awareness amongst young people, whilst preparing them for future career and lifestyle choices that will help take our country and planet closer to net zero. Essentially, the Eco-Schools programme ensures young people have the understanding, skills and passion needed to lead positive change and become better custodians of our planet than their predecessors.
There are currently 8.9 million pupils attending schools in England. Imagine the collective influence of all these institutions and pupils, if they were empowered to create positive change, reduce carbon emissions and use their voice to inspire their wider communities to do the same.
That’s why Keep Britain Tidy and Eco-Schools England need your help to Make Every School an Eco-School!
Get Involved: Educators
Register your school, college or nursery and become an Eco-School today! When you register you will be able to access nearly 100 resources, which have all been designed to help young people drive environmental change in their schools and local communities.
You may be hesitant, or worried about lack of time, knowledge, funds or support, but our message to you is: doing something is better than doing nothing, you can only succeed if you try. Remember, the Eco-Schools Team are always available to answer questions and provide support.
Eco-Schools and Keep Britain Tidy also realise how challenging working in a school environment can be, so alongside asking for every school to become an Eco-School, we are also calling for all Eco-Coordinators to be offered remission (time or financial) in recognition of additional work undertaken to coordinate youth-led environmental action.
Get Involved: Parents
If you are a parent who would like your child’s school to work towards an Eco-Schools Green Flag, you can download our editable Primary or Secondary letter to senior leadership teams and headteachers below.
The letter contains: information about the Eco-Schools programme; why it is important to engage young people in environmentalism and how the Eco-Schools programme can benefit their school and its pupils. It is also fully editable, so you can include your name, contact details and any other relevant information.
Get Involved: Local Authorities
We know that many local authorities have targets around carbon reduction, and the most robust strategies seek to make changes – and see results – at scale.
With just under 25,000 schools in England, it’s clear that schools can play a pivotal role in carbon reduction. Estimates suggest that schools collectively could prevent more than 600,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere – the same carbon reduction as taking more than 130,000 cars off the road each year.
The Eco-Schools programme can help you to achieve your net zero carbon targets. Our long-standing, tried-and-tested international environmental education programme can help you reduce your carbon at scale, providing a blueprint for engaging schools en masse, with the educational benefits that come from a programme that is led students.
Sign up to our webinar now to learn how the Eco-Schools programme can help you deliver carbon reductions across your borough. The session will take place on Monday 15th November, from 3:00 – 4:00 PM and speakers include Allison Ogden-Newton CEO of Keep Britain Tidy, Lee Wray-Davies Eco-Schools Manager for England, Lee Jowett Sustainable Schools Coordinator Leicester, Graham Frost representing the National Association of Head Teachers and Paul Akin Chair of NEU’s Climate Change Network.
Get Involved: MPs
Currently, the climate crisis is not a fully embedded part of the National Curriculum, largely only appearing in Science and Geography. This means that many young people will not learn the knowledge and skills they need to tackle the climate crisis in later life. This is why Eco-Schools and Keep Britain Tidy are asking all MPs and the Secretary of State for Education to help us achieve our vision: every school an Eco-School.
MPs and peers are invited to join the next meeting of the Tidy Britain All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wednesday 24th November 2021 at 10- 11am (virtually), to hear why making every school an Eco-School can empower young people to tackle the climate crisis whilst delivering significant carbon reductions right now.
The Tidy Britain APPG, for which Keep Britain Tidy provides the Secretariat, is chaired by Kevin Hollinrake MP and brings together parliamentarians, experts and stakeholders to discuss solutions to resource and waste issues. At the event, you will hear from:
- Allison Ogden-Newton OBE CEO of Keep Britain Tidy
- Peter Kyle MP Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
- Lesley Jones, President of the Foundation for Environmental Education and CEO of Keep Wales Tidy
- Graham Frost, Representing the National Association of Head Teachers, and Head Teacher at Robert Ferguson Primary School
- A Minister from the Department of Education (to be confirmed).
