Three-quarters of children are worried about the state of the planet and Clare Garey argues that makes sustainability not just an environmental issue, but a wellbeing one. In this conversation, Clare, founder of Sustainability at School, challenges the idea that hanging up an eco poster or marking Earth Day is enough. Drawing on her work with international schools across Spain, India, Singapore and beyond, she makes the case that young people who learn about climate change but have no opportunity to take real action become disempowered and that school leaders have the ability to change that.
You'll learn why trying to tackle every sustainability issue at once leads to overwhelm and why choosing one focused theme in year one is the most powerful thing a school can do. Clare walks through the four pillars that stop sustainability becoming just another initiative; a clear \"why\", a representative team, a simple action plan, and treating it with the same strategic weight as any curriculum change. You'll also hear why language matters more than leaders realise (calling it a \"project\" is, in Clare's words, \"curtains\"), how students in Hyderabad reduced their school's energy consumption by 11% by asking the operations team for monthly data, and how a school in Barcelona is on track to eliminate 250,000 single-use yogurt pots in a single year. If sustainability has felt overwhelming or abstract for your school, this conversation will make it feel both urgent and entirely achievable.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Episode Partners
","author_name":"Shane Leaning | School Leadership & Organisational Development Coach"}