2023 IKEA X Let’s Go Zero Competition
2023 Winners
This spring, the IKEA x Let’s Go Zero competition has returned to help more schools bring their sustainability ideas to life.
We asked students and teachers across the UK to send us creative ideas to make their school more sustainable and tackle climate change. We were delighted to receive so many brilliant and ambitious entries – from growing vegetables to creating uniform swap shops and eco-hubs, the ozone was the limit!
Through their products, solutions and funds (worth up to £2,000 per project), IKEA will now work with four winning schools to bring their visions to life.
We received nearly 100 amazing entries, and selecting our winners was no easy feat. But the final four from Glasgow, Blackburn, Barnet and Huddersfield are all great schemes to embed a culture of sustainability within the wider school community.
During the summer term, IKEA will work closely with each school, using their products and expertise in sustainable living to bring each winning idea to life, helping teachers and pupils do more to tackle climate change.
- Meet the 4 winning schools
The Lochfield Gardens project involves all students in the school taking part in the building and running of a sustainable garden project.
This garden will be a community and whole school project, creating raised beds for food growing and wildflower areas to attract insects and wildlife. The students will learn about sustainability, life cycles and respect for plants and animals whilst taking on the responsibility of a seasonal gardening calendar. They will gain an understanding of ground-to-table food growing involving sowing, planting, harvesting and cooking for consumption.
The students will take part in community projects such as offering flowers and produce to local retirement homes and food banks.
Together with IKEA, they will build an outdoor seating area, creating a space for outdoor learning to take place around the garden, and supporting garden events such as a tearoom to increase community involvement.
Accrington St Christopher’s CE High School
The school is creating a refill station and a pre-loved uniform shop.
Over 1.4 million wearable school uniforms are thrown away each year in the UK. The pre-loved uniform shop will create a space for parents and students to donate and replace school uniforms, creating a culture of reusing and upcycling.
The refill station will allow all cleaning products across the school to be easily refilled, reducing plastic usage considerably, whilst also helping to shift mindsets around waste.
Together with IKEA, they will build a new dedicated space for parents, students and families to choose their school clothes or prom dresses and get access to refilling stations.
East Barnet school
Inspired by the students themselves, this is an exciting new project to revitalise the school’s outdoor allotment and create a space where students can learn and enjoy their enrichment time.
Pupils are passionate about growing plants, herbs, and vegetables that they will either cook within food lessons or take home. The outdoor space will embed a culture of sustainability across the whole school body. Teachers will be able to book the space for science lessons, using the allotment alongside, as well as other lessons like English, where the students can read and learn in a more relaxed outdoor setting.
Together with IKEA, they will use products to create an inclusive and enjoyable place for students and teachers.
Fixby Junior and Infant School
Inspired by the students, an exciting idea to reduce waste and give back to the community is through a swap shop where parents and families can come and buy or swap items for produce, eggs, or seedlings from the school’s allotment and chickens.
Fixby students are already committed to reducing the school’s environmental impact through their Forest School Club, engaging in exciting outdoor activities and learning fun new skills.
Local residents will also be able to use the allotment, embedding a community culture of sustainability.
Building on what the school has already managed to achieve, together with IKEA, they will build a new, dedicated space for families, staff and the local community to choose or swap products, promoting a circular economy.
Need some inspiration for what to do next? Or are you just starting your climate action journey?
Let’s Go Zero Schools have been taken action in many different areas around the school, from energy saving to community engagement. Have a read and become inspired.
Contact us
Email: letsgozero@ashden.org
Twitter: @LetsGo_Zero
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