Creating Value In Schools
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In Let the children lead: growing greener schools and communities, eco-champion Edd Moore shares experience gathered from years of teaching and inspiring pupils with environmental learning. We’ve drawn out 10 top tips for teachers and school staff who want to integrate climate activities in the classroom and empower the green leaders of the future. Whatever your setting – urban or rural, big garden or no garden (yet!) – waste audits and ‘I wonder’ questions will get things going. The key is starting somewhere and building from there.
Gather a group of students to form an eco crew and conduct an audit of your school. Assess what you're doing well and what needs improvement. Use free templates from organisations like Eco Schools, Transform Our World or Climate Friendly Schools to get started.
Watch Edd Moore talking about how to get started.
Remember: you're there to mentor, coach, and facilitate – not to run the show. When children lead environmental projects, they're more likely to sustain enthusiasm and encourage others in the school and community to get involved.
Waste is an ideal starting topic because it's broad and offers endless possibilities: litter picks, reducing single-use plastics, composting, examining stationery waste, or exploring refillable options for glue sticks and whiteboard pens.
Start lessons with engaging questions like ‘How can we keep our rivers looking beautiful?’ or ‘Is it worth saving the natural wonders of the world?’. Then follow the children's interests and let learning unfold naturally. What ‘I wonder…?’ questions do they want to address?
Always recommend activities and experiences that are free, ensuring every family can participate regardless of their circumstances. This removes barriers and shows environmental education is for everyone.
Take learning outdoors regularly. Start a school garden, go on nature walks, use apps like Seek to identify plants and insects, or create wildlife journals. Many children will eventually prefer outdoor exploration over screen time.
Environmental topics should run like a golden thread through all subjects – literacy, maths, geography, history, and science. This integrated approach makes learning more meaningful and makes environmental learning a fundamental part of the curriculum, rather than an add-on.
Teach children that recycling should be far down the list. Prioritising refusing, reducing, and reusing helps schools find quick wins and cost savings – a compelling argument for budget-conscious leaders!
Connect environmental projects to practical skills. Have students sell eco-products, practice pitching ideas, use money and weighing skills at stalls, or become community guides for biodiversity projects.
Frame environmental education positively by focusing on solutions and empowering action. When children feel they can make a difference through campaigns, gardens, or community projects, they develop agency rather than anxiety.
For more suggestions from Edd Moore, listen to the full podcast (21 minutes).
Download the 10 tips
