Join UK schools taking on climate change.
Let’s Go Zero 2030 unites schools working to become carbon zero by 2030. That’s a huge challenge – but transforming our schools will help safeguard the planet for future generations.
Let’s Go Zero is the national campaign uniting teachers, pupils, parents and their schools as they all work together to be zero carbon by 2030.
We’re also working with national government to ensure the right support is in place to help all schools reach this goal through seven policy actions.
From Glasgow to Belfast, Liverpool to Cardiff, school leaders are standing alongside students and taking action to tackle the climate crisis. Every school that signs up is pledging to work towards a more sustainable future while calling for much-needed government support to help all schools reach their zero carbon goals.
By raising our voices together, we are showing the overwhelming support for zero carbon schools up and down the UK. Together we’re harnessing the power of schools and young people to drive change and spark climate action in communities across the country, reducing emissions, increasing biodiversity and safeguarding our planet for future generations.
Let’s go for ambition. Let’s go for working together. Let’s go zero.
Schools up and down the country are already taking action to reduce their carbon impact. By joining Let’s Go Zero, your school will become part of a community of ambitious, forward-thinking schools all aiming for a better, fairer, zero carbon future. Together we can prove that pupils, parents, teachers and governors are united in calling for change.
As a school, when you sign up to Let’s Go Zero, you’ll get support on setting your zero carbon targets and developing roadmaps for delivery, and will help influence our discussions with politicians as we work to get more support for schools. The actions you take today will reach far beyond the school gates, inspiring families and sparking community action to tackle the climate crisis.
More funding and fresh policies will make zero carbon dreams a reality. So we’re working with government to speed up progress on sustainable schools. As more schools join the campaign, we can show the hunger for change – and highlight bright ideas that could be repeated across the country.
“Greater Manchester has declared a climate emergency and set a clear aim for the region to be carbon-neutral by 2038. We are asking that everyone in the region joins us on our journey to make a change, drive positive action and ask others to follow their lead. We know that young people can be environmental game-changers and getting schools on-board and committed to driving action each and every day is essential to tackling the climate crisis – today, tomorrow and together.”
“Warrington Borough Council is pleased to support this initiative to get students and teachers on board to tackle the climate crisis and work towards our shared ambition of net-zero by 2030. Children and young people are our future – so let’s go zero together!”
“At the Wildlife Aid Foundation, we believe that small actions add up to give big impacts. Ashden’s “Let’s Go Zero” campaign aligns perfectly with this ethos, by actively encouraging schools across the UK to play their part in tackling the climate crisis. The more schools that sign up, the more impact we can all have in safeguarding the future of British nature.”
‘Portsmouth is an island city and with sea levels and temperatures rising year on year its future can only be safeguarded if campaigns like this succeed. This is why we are promoting and endorsing Let’s Go Zero at every opportunity.’
“I don’t know of a more important campaign for schools than Let’s Go Zero. Not only is it pushing schools to do the right thing in reducing their carbon footprint, but I am excited by the potential to engage children and young people in an even more significant change in their behaviour. By signing up to Let’s Go Zero schools are committing to take their whole community on the journey we all need to a sustainable future.”
“EcoEd2030 are very pleased to be partnering with Ashden, and working together on the Let’s go Zero 2030 campaign”
‘Devon Climate Emergency supports the Let’s Go Zero campaign to create zero-carbon schools by 2030. As the partnership responsible for securing Devon’s net-zero future, we understand that carbon-free schools and climate education are vital to the net-zero transition. Putting schools at the heart of our net-zero goals will help to embed knowledge of the threats our planet faces and build resilience towards them.’
“Suffolk County Council are pleased to support this campaign, which harnesses the enthusiasm and skills of pupils in our shared aspiration to work towards a carbon neutral Suffolk by 2030”
“Schools across my constituency are working to reduce their carbon emissions. This will help our planet, create healthier schools and engage our children in developing solutions to the climate emergency. Schools are ready to go further but reaching net-zero requires investment to retrofit older buildings. Let’s Go Zero is a fantastic campaign giving our schools the tools they need to begin the transition, but the Government must commit to support this vital work in meaningful ways with funding and resources.”
The Let’s Go Zero campaign is brilliant. It inspires pupils and their schools to take the collaborative, holistic action at scale and pace we so urgently need. It provides a fantastic opportunity for all schools, all over the UK, to give their pupils a chance to engage in the climate emergency in a positive way, and reduce not just their carbon footprint, but their eco-anxiety. It’s a win-win for our planet, school-community, and young people as it’s so learner focused and engaging, and it provides extensive opportunities for the development of new skills and leadership. The Association of Colleges fully supports this excellent campaign.
“The NEU is fully supportive of Let’s Go Zero and backs schools in their efforts to go zero carbon. It’s time for the Government to step up to enable schools to achieve this goal.”
“I’m so pleased to have found the Let’s Go Zero campaign. This is such an important initiative and is something that every school can take part in. You can start off small and then work your way up to making really substantial changes that will make a real difference in the world. It’s really wonderful too that so many schools are now incorporating climate change and biodiversity loss into their teaching. I feel so inspired by all the work that’s being done in schools now and it gives me real hope for the future. I can’t wait to see amazing things happen through the Let’s Get Zero campaign!”
“This is a brilliant campaign which taps into the real sense of urgency children and young people have about the climate crisis. They are a real driving force for climate action around the world and an inspiration to politicians like me. Let’s Go Zero gives them the chance to support practical steps in their own schools to reduce their carbon footprint.”
“The importance of a campaign like Let’s Go Zero should not be underestimated. Not only is it playing a fundamental part in bringing schools and the education system on board in fighting the climate crisis. It allowing the schools to lead by example in inspiring the young people it educates about how to act on climate change and keeping the earth’s health at the heart of every decision we make.”
“Schools play a fundamental role in educating and empowering our children to give them a brighter future. That’s why it’s so exciting to see schools across the UK coming together to become carbon zero by 2030 and to make this future safe, healthy and resilient for our future generations.”
“As Chile hands over the baton for global climate talks to the UK, we are thrilled to see this initiative engaging schools in cutting carbon. In fact, we really hope that the campaign will go global – and that schools here in Chile will be early adopters, showing real leadership in starting now to reduce their carbon footprint.”
“This is a fantastic campaign which can help all schools to get to Net Zero. Church Schools are part of the Church of England’s commitment to care for all God’s creation, and aim to achieve Net Zero by 2030.”
“It’s so inspiring to see the action being taken by schools to tackle the climate crisis and increase biodiversity, from growing their own vegetables and encouraging wildlife back into their playgrounds, to reducing their energy use and switching to renewables.”
“Young people are demanding action on the climate. They’re already leading the way in their schools and this campaign pulls all their efforts together behind the exciting ambition to reach zero carbon in schools by 2030. It’s the way to go so let’s hope the campaign spreads across the world.”
“I am proud to support the Let’s Go Zero campaign for zero-carbon schools across the country. With the UK holding COP26 this year, there is not a moment to lose in building a better, more sustainable future for our children. The Government must act now to help bring schools into a new, zero-carbon world.”
“This decade is vital to tackling some of the biggest issues facing the world and creating a better future for us all. As future leaders and carers for the Earth, it is brilliant to see children and young people leading the way with Let’s Go Zero 2030. We hope that many more are inspired by this optimistic, action-focused initiative.”
“At Theirworld, we are a children’s charity committed to ending the global education crisis – and that means tackling climate change too. We see first-hand how climate change is hitting the poorest children the hardest. Let’s Go Zero is a campaign that answers the call to action from school children everywhere to ask the world’s leaders and policy makers to act faster and better to protect their future. I hope their voices are heard quickly.”
“This is a brilliant idea. Climate change affects all of us of course, but especially future generations. Our schools are the perfect place to start, inspiring young people and teachers to make the environment in which they spend so much time zero carbon by 2030. Starting small in this way, where the goal is attainable and everyone in the school can become personally involved and enthused, stands a real chance of working. Multiply that across Britain’s 32,000 schools and you are making a real difference, raising local and national awareness and galvanising the Government into providing more support.”
Let’s Go Zero brings together UK schools who want to be zero carbon, are reducing their own climate impact, and demanding greater UK government support to achieve this goal. The campaign will show national government that there is a substantial demand amongst teachers and pupils to become zero carbon, with the potential for schools to catalyse wider change in their communities.
Let’s Go Zero is a campaign for schools based in the UK. Any school or educational setting in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland can sign up to the campaign. Sign up can only be done by a person with authority. This means the headteacher, a member of the senior leadership team or a governor.
You will need to use an email address when signing up and to provide some basic information about your school. We will verify the email address that you provide.
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By joining the campaign, a school is publicly declaring that they want to be zero carbon by 2030, and that it wants the UK government to enable schools in the UK to take more action on this issue.
This campaign is about showing aspiration. We know that being zero carbon is currently beyond the reach of most schools, but by working together and with government we believe it is achievable by 2030.
To be part of the campaign, schools are expected to be taking action to reduce their carbon impact, measuring this where feasible, and have ‘next step’ actions planned for the following year. They can indicate the steps they are taking from a checklist on the sign-up form.
By joining the campaign, schools commit to telling their students, communities and suppliers that they are part of Let’s Go Zero and aim to be zero carbon by 2030. We can provide the Let’s Go Zero logo for schools to do this.
We have released an online tool to help schools with their ongoing action planning. This can be found on the Transform Our World website – a source of great teacher-approved programmes and resources for schools.
A school that, on its site and through all its activities and procurement, does not contribute to climate change through carbon emissions. Key impact areas include energy use, travel, waste, water, procurement, food and school grounds.
The information we collect about schools helps us build a picture of carbon action in schools across the UK. This information is used to:
We will share the information gathered by the campaign with our campaign partners, funders and with key policy and decision makers to help support the progress of decarbonising schools.
We will send schools the latest news and information on our work, campaigns, fundraising, events and other ways they can support Let’s Go Zero (schools can unsubscribe from these messages).
We hold and manage your details in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. We won’t share, sell or swap your information with other organisations for their own marketing purposes. You can read our Privacy Policy page for more information.
Let’s Go Zero is currently only available for schools based in the UK as it is brought to you by a coalition of UK-based organisations. If you are a school or organisation based outside of the UK, and are interested in finding out how you can start your own Let’s Go Zero campaign, please get in touch with us via the email below.
The campaign is run by Ashden (a UK-based climate solutions charity) in partnership with Global Action Plan, and a coalition of sustainable schools organisations.
Email letsgozero@ashden.org – or contact us on Twitter.
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