In their annual Eco Week, pupils at Brunel Field Primary School in Bishopston had some Future Leap visitors to support them for the day! Brunel Field are participating in the Green Schools Project‘s award-winning ‘Zero Carbon Schools’ programme this year, our Non-Profit Partners here at Future Leap.

Currently, the students are in the ‘Act’ stage of the programme and were ready to develop project plans to reduce their school’s carbon footprint, much like we do with businesses we work with! In the earlier stages of the programme, the students learnt about the causes and effects of climate change and calculated their school’s carbon footprint. It was now time to act by designing a number of pupil-led projects to reduce it.

We were blown away by the calibre of ideas the students shared, from dairy-free days in the canteen to reducing laminated paper waste, each group we worked with were brimming with enthusiasm to make change in their school. Projects like this engage young people, the adults in their lives and their communities with tackling the climate crisis, while building key skills such as leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and communication. We saw all of these come to the fore in just a few short sessions with the students! Maybe some future Carbon Consultants in our midst?!

Looking at the wider impact, 95% of participating teachers in school year 2023/4 thought that their pupils felt more positive about taking action on climate after the programme. We’re really proud to support such high impact work and the brilliant Green Schools Project team with access to Future Leap Clifton co-working space, participation in our annual Festival of Sustainable Business and access to the Future Leap Network, and it was even better getting to experience the impact they have firsthand!

Teachers and school leadership shared how powerful it was for pupils to feel listened to in their ideas, to see that adults are taking an interest in climate action, and to feel championed by them. Next these pupils will activate their action plans and then inspire others by engaging with other students at their schools, teachers, families and wider community.

If you or your organisation would like to partner with Green Schools Project to help more young people take action on climate by decarbonising their schools, please get in touch with Tom Hague, Green Schools Project’s Head of Development, at tom@greenschoolsproject.org.uk

Similarly, if you have connections with local schools in Bristol who would be interested in taking part in Zero Carbon Schools next school year, Tom would love to hear from you. You can also catch him around Future Leap Clifton!