Sustainability at St Alban's
"We are guardians of God’s creation, living sustainably and enhancing the wellbeing of our planet."
This powerful quote sums up our responsibility to look after our Earth. We need to preserve and protect all that our Earth has to offer to esure that it is in good condition for generations to come. We are but simple human beings who have been invited to live on the Earth during out time here...we do not own it but do have a responsibility to look after it.
At St. Alban's, we are comitted to becoming more sustaible to help care for God's creation and improve our world for ourselves and future generations. If we act now, we can help to slow the rate of climate change, as well as educate and give hope to the future generations. Through our curriculum, assemblies, visits and visitors, as well as with the support of our Climate Action Team, St. Alban's hopes to work to put sustainability at the forefront of everything we do.
The Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP states;
"The challenge of climate change is formidable. For children and young people to meet it with determination, and not with despair, we must offer them not just truth, but also hope. Learners need to know the truth about climate change – through knowledge-rich education. They must also be given the hope that they can be agents of change, through hands-on activity."
In April 2022, the Department for Education released a sustainability and climate change strategy specifically for education. By 2025, all education settings are expected to appoint a sustainability lead and develop a climate action plan. This plan will guide schools in both implementing and educating about various sustainability initiatives.
The DfE sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2037 across all education settings. By creating a climate action plan, St. Peter's is taking the important first step to reach this target. We plan to do this by:
- reducing our energy bills. Using energy more efficiently can lower our schools' costs
- by being more prepared. St. Peter's will be better adapted to deal with the negative effects of climate change, such as overheating
- opportunity for students and staff to understand more about green careers and skills
- improving St. Peter's reputation. Wecan become a leading example by showing that oour school is taking climate action
- improved staff and student wellbeing
You can find out more about the Governments Sustainability and Climate Strategy in schools by clicking the image below: