We’re thrilled to be able to share a blog post from Helen Burge, a well-known oracle on sustainability, who has recently formed ‘Buoyant Impact’ to support schools and trusts in navigating their sustainability strategy ready for September 2025.
If you’d like to talk to Helen about how she can help you and your SLT get started on your sustainability strategy, you can contact her via Helen.Burge@Buoyantimpact.co.uk (and say 1st Pillar sent you).
Based on annual safeguarding training, and how I see schools respond to safeguarding incidents, I take it for granted that schools are serious about safeguarding. I believe that most schools are trying their hardest with health & safety, and I’m beginning to feel that more schools are beginning to consider their approach to sustainability. It still feels that there is a long way to go until sustainability is fully embedded in school culture like safeguarding, and hopefully health and safety, is though. Sustainability is no longer a choice or a buzzword it is an essential part of any responsible organisation’s strategy, including schools. School leaders have a duty to prepare the next generation for a rapidly changing world while ensuring that our institutions operate in a way that protects the environment, supports communities, and remains financially viable. But how many of us are genuinely serious about sustainability?
Indifference
Have you watched the Netflix political satire “Don’t look up”? Two astronomers attempt to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilisation. They are met with indifference and ridicule. The film is a metaphor for the climate crisis. I watched it with a mix of despair and hope. I was hopeful that surely people watching the film will see how dangerous their indifference to the climate crisis is and will therefore start taking positive action. I’m yet to be convinced that indifference, whether at governmental policy level or within corporate or industry, has shifted consumer or media output into a more informed approach, taking positive action to reduce their impact on the climate crisis. It feels to me that indifference to the climate crisis is still too dangerously high.
Inaction
In an article in Tapio eco blog, they referenced the triangle of inaction, which documents why Governments, Industry and the General Public blame each other for inaction and therefore create a vicious circle reinforcing respondents’ beliefs that there is nothing more they can do.
Do you have a similar triangle of inaction within your school? Who are the stakeholders blaming each other for inaction? How can you reverse this negative cycle?
This complexity of conflicting values, along with the seemingly never-ending list of demands placed on the education sector, establishes sustainability as a wicked problem for schools to resolve. There is no straightforward and simple solution, it is complex and its interconnectedness with other issues can see the prioritisation of sustainability rise and fall. Let’s face it, if it was an easy solution to resolve politicians, companies and the public would be rushing to demonstrate the solutions and accept the accolades that follow. Instead, for some in leadership, it appears to be easier to ignore, ridicule or attack the concept of the climate crisis.
The reality is that sustainability in schools goes far beyond recycling bins and energy-efficient light bulbs. While these are good starting points, true sustainability requires a holistic approach that integrates environmental responsibility, social impact, and financial resilience. If we are to be serious about sustainability, we must embed it into every aspect of our school business operations, from procurement and facilities management to curriculum and community engagement.
Embedding sustainability in school culture
When sustainability becomes part of the school’s ethos, it moves beyond a checklist of actions and becomes a driving force for positive change by embedding sustainable values into everyday decision making, operations, and school ethos.
So how serious is your leadership team about sustainability? If they’re not demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility, it’s going to be very hard for any sustainability vision to be realised and will be nigh on impossible for any sustainability leader to successfully implement initiatives and demonstrate progress to meeting sustainability goals.
School business leaders are in a unique position to drive sustainability efforts. With oversight of budgets, facilities, operations, and procurement, they have the power to implement real change. However, this requires strong leadership, collaboration, a clear vision and data! The SBL who shares their environmental data with their leadership team, governing body or Trustees is one who is informing and influencing. This might be a slow burn approach, or you could target key stakeholders that you have identified are already informed and values driven to support embedding a culture of sustainability within your school. Reporting environmental data on a regular basis will help leaders see patterns in the data, and how they link to other areas of school operations. It may encourage them to make strategic sustainability decisions.
The question remains: Are you serious about sustainability? If so, it’s time to move beyond token gestures and take meaningful action. Sustainability is not just about protecting the planet it’s about securing the future of our schools, our students, and our communities. How are you going to break the triangle of inaction?
Helen
