New network to help Bedford's schools go green

A Bedford-based group of schools is developing a network so that the region’s primaries and secondaries can be the greenest in the country.

HEART Academies Trust, which has three primaries and a secondary in Bedford, has set up a Schools Sustainability Network for Bedfordshire.

The network, which plans to be fully up and running by September, will support its member schools to reduce their carbon footprint, teach about the climate to students and share ideas and resources.

It will be one of several regional networks of its kind, all of whom come under the umbrella of the UK Schools Sustainability Network.

Paul Edmond, HEART Academies Trust’s Chief Finance and Sustainability Officer, said:

“We all want our pupils to become the climate innovators of the future. This network will enable us to learn how to make that happen. It will also help us as a region ensure that our schools as organisations are playing their part in responding to the climate and ecological crisis. We can do so much more if we work together.

“I hope this network brings together as many of the region’s schools as possible. We will be able to show each other what works well and what doesn’t and have a more powerful voice on local, national and international campaigns and initiatives.”

Paul Edmond, who is also on the Board of the UK Schools Sustainability Network, has ensured HEART Academies Trust is doing more than most when it comes to going green.

All schools in his Trust are looking at how they teach about the climate across the curriculum and, over the next academic year, they will be working with the Green Schools Project, which offers schools training, support and resources about climate education.

HEART has already:

> Pledged to become carbon zero by 2030

> Commissioned experts to help it reduce its carbon footprint

> Invested in renewable energies and energy-efficient technologies

> Worked in collaboration with charities and food banks to reduce local food waste