Sustainability: Part 1 - How to become sustainable

In December 2015, the Paris conference saw the first universal, legally binding global agreement on climate change. Today’s three-year-olds will be the adults driving this forward in the future, and their educational experiences ought to equip them with relevant skills and understanding. This doesn’t mean formal lessons in environmental issues; it is about experiences that will inspire children and enable them to grow up seeing sustainability as the norm.

Our three nurseries are all within country parks. Our setting at Durlston Country Park in Swanage is on a coastal nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site. The nursery is in the former visitor centre, which has solar panels providing both heating and hot water. At Avon Heath, near Bournemouth, a log burner provides the heating, with the wood coming from trees felled as part of the management of the heath. The setting is nestled in 600 acres of protected land, with many of the animals only found within this habitat. The rangers here work with children and teachers for two-hour ‘explorer’ sessions in the morning and afternoon. Sustainability involves considering economic, social and cultural issues: these systems mean our heating costs are negligible and that we are working in harmony with the needs of the country park. The children grow and eat their own produce on all our sites.