Campus transformations include external wilding and reintroduction of nature, insulation, renewable energy production and more.
So far, the Let’s Go Zero campaign is estimated to have saved 13,610 tonnes of CO2 savings. According to analysts, this is the equivalent of 266,464 individual passenger flights from London to New York.
Almost 6,000 schools are signed up to the initiative, and more than 16,000 have been reached by the messaging. Combined, these institutions account for more than 2million young people and 302,000 members of staff.
Coordinated by climate solutions charity Ashden, the campaign aims to tackle the huge carbon footprint of Britain’s education system. Currently, 36% of England’s building emissions come from schools and universities, with the government’s recent announcement of £80million to install solar PV on 200 school roofs proof that Downing Street is beginning to acknowledge the huge effort needed to bring overall impact down.
‘We work with schools on a range of issues – not just in order to reduce carbon or protect the environment, but to get right down to the issues that affect everyday school life,’ said Alex Green. ‘Our Climate Action Advisors work with schools to find ways to keep classrooms warmer in winter, cooler in the summer, cheaper to run, and for schools to be healthier and happier places for learning.
‘Our country owes it to schools and young people to deliver more support, more progress and more ambition on this important issue – it makes total sense in terms of helping schools make their budgets go further by not having to cover ever-increasing energy bills, cutting the country’s carbon emissions and helping children be proactive in their response to climate change,’ they added.
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