For over a year we’ve been campaigning to help schools become zero carbon by 2030, and now we want to share the experiences of some of our trailblazing schools so you can take your zero carbon journey to the next step!
We are running monthly webinars, with each session including a small update from the Let’s Go Zero team followed by speakers from schools talking about the actions they’ve taken to become zero carbon and a short Q&A session.
Join us for insights and information into real climate action that schools are taking right now.
Let’s Go Zero webinars are recorded so can be joined live or watched at a time that suits you.
Found out more about the campaign here.
Join the campaign here.
Theme: OVO Foundation Nature Prize
Date: Tuesday 22 October 2024, 3:45 – 4:30pm
Description:
In this webinar we will hear about the OVO Foundation Nature Prize and how schools, colleges and nurseries across the UK can apply for cash prizes of up to £1000. The competition is supported by The OVO Foundation and there are 25 chances to win: 10 prizes of £1000 and 15 prizes of £200.
We will hear from previous winners about how they spent the award money and how it benefitted their whole community, especially those from less advantaged backgrounds.
Their will be time for you to ask the team questions about the application and judging process so please register to attend.
We look forward to having you attend the event!
This webinar will be recorded and the recording shared in the following week.
If you are interested in any specific themes that we have not covered, email us, or catch up on our previous webinars below.
Watch this space for updates and follow us on twitter @Let’sGo_Zero.
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Get support in creating a Schools Climate Action Plan
In this webinar we will hear about the Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisors and how they support schools, collages and nurseries across England to create Climate Action Plans and reduce emissions.
Let’s Go Zero funds FREE Climate Action Advisors – a network of independent sustainability experts who can support schools on their journey to become zero carbon – helping schools go further, faster with their plans to take action on climate. They help schools meet the DfE target that all schools have a Sustainability Lead and Climate Action Plan in place by 2025. They meet schools where they are and offer a bespoke service, tailored to the setting, helping them to join the dots and develop a plan that tackles full-scope emissions across a range of sustainability pillars, including energy, water, waste, transport, food, nature, green skills and careers, curriculum, adaptation and resilience.
We will hear from two of the advisors who will explain how they support schools, alongside a couple of speakers from schools they have supported.
Running order
Useful links
Climate Action Advisors – Lets Go Zero
Email Us: letsgozero.org
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Zero Carbon Schools
Description:
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed a presentation from the team at Green Schools Project about their brilliant programme Zero Carbon Schools.
Zero Carbon Schools is an exciting, free, programme which enables pupils to learn more about climate change, investigate their school’s carbon footprint, lead projects to reduce it, and inspire others to take action. It also includes teacher training, and support to inform and involve the local community. Henry, Founder and Managing Director, will explain how the programme works, how it aligns with Let’s Go Zero, and how you can get your school on board!
We will also hear first hand from a school who has taken part in Zero Carbon Schools, how they found it and what they got up to.
Running order
Useful links
Climate Action Advisors
Climate Action Countdown
Let’s Go Zero Schools Webinars
Home page
https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Zero-Carbon-Schools-Information-Sheet-2024-25.pdf
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Supporting Students into Green Careers
Date: Wednesday 26 June 2024, 3:45 – 4:45pm
Description:
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a series of brilliant speakers discussing green jobs, skills and careers guidance.
Jessica Marshall from Oasis Community Learning will start things off by outlining how, as a trust, they are starting to integrate green skills and careers from primary to secondary academies, including staff CPD, cross curricula inclusion and making external connections.
Terry Watts is a Chartered Surveyor from Eos Surveyors. He will be discussing green jobs and representing My Environment My Future (MEMF) showing how they encourage more careers in the Built Environment through their programme. Additionally, he will be highlighting MEMF’s sustainability competition during the presentation.
Amy Ball from WWF will then go onto introduce Sustainable Futures. A free careers programme for UK secondary schools and colleges that equips young people to thrive in a future green economy, regardless of their career path. Amy will provide an overview of the programme and information on how you can access teaching resources and start to embed this within your school or college.
Lastly, we will hear from Hazel Obua from London South Bank University about green skills and potential career paths one could explore in this sector.
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-countdown/
https://letsgozero.org/lets-go-zero-schools-webinars/
Home – My Environment My Future (memf.careers)
Sustainable Futures – free secondary schools programme | WWF
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Teachers: Hear the Youth Perspective on Climate Education
Description:
Let’s Go Zero spotlight on Teach the Teacher.
In this webinar we will have a quick update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from the team at Teach the Teacher.
Join us for June’s webinar where we’ll be hearing all about the views of young people on the climate crisis. Young people are more passionate than ever about tackling climate change, however most of their conversations about climate are taking place outside of the classroom. Teach the Teacher wants to open a conversation between young people and teachers to understand what quality climate education looks like, and for teachers to hear about the simple yet impactful changes they can make to their teaching to support this.
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-countdown/
https://letsgozero.org/lets-go-zero-schools-webinars/
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below
Surfers Against Sewage and Positive Pupil Power!
In this webinar we will have a quick update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from the team at Surfers Against Sewage about their Plastic Free Schools programme. Surfers Against Sewage are the most recent members of the Let’s Go Zero Coalition, a network of organisations supporting schools and young people to take climate action.
The Education team from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) will discuss the various free programmes and resources they offer to young people across the UK. As a marine conservation and campaigning charity, SAS works to create ocean activists everywhere by connecting young people to their environment (especially blue spaces) and empowering them to use the power of their voices to make waves of positive change. In this session, SAS will talk through their Plastic Free Schools programme and how to navigate it with ease and impact in different education settings, as well as exploring their ocean school resources which can be used in person or virtually.
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-countdown/
https://letsgozero.org/lets-go-zero-schools-webinars/
https://www.sas.org.uk/take-action/education/ocean-school/
https://www.youtube.com/c/surfersagainstsewage
https://plasticfreeschools.org.uk/
https://plasticfreeschools.org.uk/trashmob2024/
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Let’s Go Zero spotlight on National Education Nature Park
Description:
In this webinar we will have a quick update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from the team at National Education Nature Park.
Join us for May’s webinar where we’ll be hearing all about the National Education Nature Park programme from colleagues at the Natural History Museum and Royal Horticultural Society, as well as some of the educators taking part. They’ll be talking through how the free programme aims to empower every young person in England to make a positive difference to both their own and nature’s future by creating a network of green spaces in schools, colleges and nurseries across the country. By following a five-step process, young people lead the way in getting to know their outdoor spaces and make a plan of how they can improve it for wildlife and for the school community, all while developing key green and digital skills and enhancing their connection to nature.
We’ll also be hearing about how you and your class can get involved in the National Education Nature Park by being #HabitatHeroes on Outdoor Classroom Day, by discovering what habitats you have on your learning site and adding them to a national map.
Find out more: www.educationnaturepark.org.uk
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-countdown/
https://letsgozero.org/lets-go-zero-schools-webinars/
https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/resource/hidden-nature-challenge
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Building a Sustainable World: embedding sustainability into the primary curriculum
Date: 25/04/2024, 3:45 – 4:30pm
Description
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from Oasis Community Learning and Worlds Largest Lesson.
You will hear from Oasis Community Learning Principal and Geography lead on how Oasis have integrated the global goals into a range of subjects and age groups throughout their primary academies, touching on how the curriculum itself was developed and how it incorporated ‘green careers’ through Futures and careers week. She’ll also share some tips on how to get schools/staff on board.
You will also hear from Kinvara who will present findings from her recent research into identifying what are the skills and mindsets young people need to have to act on sustainability issues. She will share findings from her mapping work of 154 learning programmes from around the world and look at how these insights can help to inform classroom practice. She will then run an inspiration session focusing on one of the sustainability competencies in detail – looking at how teachers can act as facilitators to develop creative problem skills in students.
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-countdown/
https://letsgozero.org/lets-go-zero-schools-webinars/
https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/
https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/campaign/sustainability-competencies/
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Act Local, Think Global! What Can Your School Do?
Date: Thursday 21 March 2024, 3:45 – 4:30pm
Description:
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from Fairtrade and how they are at the heart of fighting the climate crisis and how your school can get involved!
Find out about how their work is tackling deforestation and the other effects of the climate crisis that are threatening the lives and livelihoods of Fairtrade farmers.
Hear about how you can support this cause by joining Fairtrade Schools.
Fairtrade Schools is great for the school, putting it at the heart of the people’s movement for change; it’s great for teachers, offering loads of ways to enhance the curriculum and develop young people; it’s great for young people, because it’s fun and is part of something happening all over the world; and it’s great for farmers, who are earning a fair price, and feeling the support of people on the other side of the world.
Running order
Useful links
New Support for Schools in 2024
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a presentation from EcoSchools about their amazing new Schools Carbon Foot-Printing Tool.
Adam will introduce Eco-School’s ‘Count Your Carbon’ – a free, comprehensive carbon footprint calculator designed with and for schools. The session will include a walk through of the user journey and a look at the reporting and recommendations you’ll be able to access after completing a calculation. We will then hopefully hear from a school who has been using the tool for first hand experience.
We then have Andrew Charlton-Perez presenting on the newly funded Climate Ambassador programme, part of the Climate Action Planning projects within the Department for Education. He will outline what support is and will be available and how both settings and ambassadors can get involved.
In the final part of this webinar we will hear from Jasmine, a Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisor, about the free 1:2:1 support they offer to all educational settings throughout England.
Running order
Useful links
https://letsgozero.org/climate-action-advisors/
https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/count-your-carbon/
https://www.reading.ac.uk/planet/climate-education/climate-ambassador-scheme
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Greening ICT
Description
In this webinar we will hear from CAE, Cisco and the ICT Service at Cambridgeshire County Council showcasing projects of how blending networking technology with sustainability capabilities can really enable schools to reduce energy use, save money and carbon by up to 57%, with no impact in delivering the curriculum!
Join us for insights and information into real climate action that schools are taking right now.
Running order
Useful links
Rethinking IT infrastructure to reduce cost and carbon emissions across 70 schools:
https://meraki.cisco.com/customers/wrexham-county-borough-council/
Activate your schools free WiserWatts solution to drive down cost and carbon emissions:
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Bringing Students Closer to Nature and Improving Biodiversity
Description
In this webinar we will have an update from Let’s Go Zero followed by a talk from a previous OVO Foundation Nature Prize winner about the competition and what they have gone on to do. How they have increased biodiversity and access to green space in their school.
In the second half we will hear from Mary from Learning Through Landscapes who will give us an update on the Department for Educations Education Nature Park, followed by tips and support for green space improvement for both Primary and Secondary schools.
Running order
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Sustainability Support for School Operation Managers
In this webinar we will hear from three large Multi-Academy Trusts, United Learning, Hearts Academy and The Priory Learning Trust, alongside the Co-Chairs of Operations Group for UKSSN.
Hear about the strategies they are using to implement and inspire climate action throughout all schools in their trust. How they are creating climate action plans, finding base lines, and making savings in carbon and money.
Join us for insights and information into real climate action that schools are taking right now and have the chance to ask questions and get advice.
Running order
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Embedding Sustainability Throughout the Curriculum
In this webinar we will hear from two schools, a primary and secondary, about the ways in which they have embedded sustainability into all aspects of the curriculum. We will also hear from The Harmony Project, an organisation that works with teachers and educators to develop a curriculum that is based on a deep understanding of, and connection to, the natural world.
Running order:
0 – 2 mins: Welcome and update on Let’s Go Zero
2 – 13 mins: Michael Jones, Northfleet Technology College
13 – 24 mins: Edd Moore, Damers First School
24 – 30 mins: Q&A
30 – 57 mins: Lisa Atkinson, The Harmony Project
57 mins – end: Q&A and closing remarks
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Minimising Waste in Schools
In
this webinar we will hear from a school in Lewisham who are doing an amazing
amount of projects to minimise waste and even more, through embedding the SDG’s
throughout the school.
Alongside
them we will also hear from WRAP, a climate action NGO working around the globe
to tackle the causes of the climate crisis and give the planet a sustainable
future. They are transforming our food and textile systems, eliminating plastic
pollution, and increasing recycling. Watch the webinar below to hear how they
can support your school.
Running order
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: New support for schools working on sustainability (June 2023)
We are running a webinar series this summer 2023 to help schools take action on the climate and biodiversity crisis.
To start things off we want to update you on the latest support there is for schools in a variety of areas. Hear from:
Running order
** Unfortunately there were problems with the Natural History Museum presentation and we will be updating this presentation ASAP
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Green Jobs and Skills
Running order
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Curriculum
How are schools embedding climate into the curriculum? Hear from two schools on the work they are doing to teach their students and staff about the climate and biodiversity crisis, empowering them to take action. Hear from Paul from The Ministry of Eco Education who help schools to weave together the best free resources into series of lessons that help schools embed sustainability across the curriculum for every pupil in every lesson. The MEE approach helps schools engage with the wealth of opportunities and save teachers time but incorporating initiatives into every lesson, whilst linked to the national curriculum.
Running order
Useful links
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Theme: Food
Watch this webinar to hear how schools are taking action on Food from food growing to composting, minimising food waste to the curriculum, to creating more healthy and sustainable food options on the school menu. One school is even tackling the cost-of-living crisis through food distribution and food growing. Be inspired on what you could do in your school and hear from ProVeg on how they support schools to take action and the impact food has on our planet.
Running order
Useful links
Theme: Nature
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order
Useful links
Theme: The Power of Schools
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order
Useful Links
Theme: Biodiveristy and School Grounds
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order
Useful Links
Primary Awards for Green Education in Schools (PAGES awards)
“Green Grid” AKA Ofsted Outstanding Descriptors for Sustainability actions – Credit to Jo Pettifer
Schools and education – The Tree Council
https://youngtreechampions.org/
Theme: Getting started with action in your school
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order
Useful Links
Theme: Reducing energy use in your school
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order:
Useful Links
Theme: Governance and reviewing the DfE Strategy
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order:
Useful Links
Department for Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy
Theme: Engaging Students in Climate Action
Here is the running order in case you want to skip to a certain section:
0 – 3 mins – Update on Let’s Go Zero
3 – 17mins – Ana Romeo, Head of Sustainability and Global Education Coordinator, Wellington College, Berkshire
17 – 27mins – John Patterson, Headteacher from St Vincent’s School, Liverpool
27 – 40 mins – Q+A
40 – 53 mins- Francis Hyland, Eco-Schools Coordinator
53 mins – end Final Q+A/ closing remarks
Useful links
#TheLittleFreeGreenhouse
@STVincentsL12
Eco Schools
UK School Eco Network:
Theme: Making Sustainable Travel the Norm
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order:
Useful Links
Modeshift STARS
Modeshift Stars – Travel Plan in Education, Business & Communities
Transform Our World – Free Teaching Resources
Theme: Climate Action Planning
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order:
Useful Links
Schools Climate Action Planner
Department for Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy
Theme: Saving Energy
This event has now taken place, you can watch the recording below.
Running order:
Useful Links
The Let’s Go Zero campaign is led by Ashden, and supported by IKEA and a powerful coalition of organisations like WWF, Fairtrade Foundation, Global Action Plan, Soil Association, Eco Schools, Sustrans, Carbon Trust and The Tree Council.
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