'We need to believe that change is possible. Don’t be worried about guilt, just think about what you can start with and take small steps,’ said keynote speaker June O’Sullivan, chief executive of London Early Years Foundation (LEYF).
O’Sullivan highlighted the importance of sustainability within the context of early years and noted how it is interconnected with other political issues, adding that ‘being in the early years is a political act because you often touch on things that are hugely political’.
She said, ‘We are working with children who are growing and we need to see what we can do to shape a world that’s going to protect them. In order to do that we need to think how we can become sustainability informed.’
O’Sullivan’s practical advice for becoming more informed and integrating sustainability included:
- Start by defining what sustainability means for your setting and discuss it with your staff team.
- Explore the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (see Further information) and identify which ones are most relevant to your nursery.
- Weave sustainability into your existing practices and operations, rather than adding it on as an extra task.
- Develop a sustainability strategy that covers governance, leadership, operations and pedagogy.
Independent early years consultant Dr Diane Boyd (above) and associate professor of early childhood at Middlesex University Dr Angela Scollan emphasised how the world is ‘teetering on a cliff edge’ and to embrace sustainability it is important to consider all three pillars of sustainability originally outlined in the 1987 Brundtland Report:
- Economic
- Social
- Environmental.
They used the analogy of a stool to demonstrate how interrelated and essential all three columns are for addressing current and future global challenges.
‘Early childhood pioneering giants’ philosophies are based around the three pillars of sustainability,’ said Boyd. ‘Maria Montessori promoted the need to be inclusive and that everybody should have a right to a quality education. Rudolf Steiner talked about regenerative gardening and about children mending things when they were broken. Friedrich Froebel, established the community garden concept and then selling produce to the villagers.
‘These are our foundations. We need to remember that we are the most important part of the education sector, and we need to keep reminding people like Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan and the Department for Education that we are the foundations of education sustainability.’
In practice
These messages were translated into practice through practical workshops based around each of the three pillars. Growing Places' chief executive Jackie Warren and head of nurseries Carlie Powell shared how it’s often necessary to ‘look back to move forward’ by continuing to question whether families needs are being met as they introduced delegates to some of their social initiatives, including an Intergenerational Nurseries project and Life Skills project where children are taught how to cook meals.
Addressing the economic pillar, Acorn Early Years chief executive Zoe Raven and sustainability lead Santa Svike advised how settings can be prepared financially by ensuring they are supported by adequate insurance, investing in renewable energy, and ensuring the longevity of resources by questioning what can be made instead of bought and what can be reused rather than thrown away.
LEYF sustainability manager Nick Corlett was supported by some of the nursery group’s eco-champions as he explained how they regard children as ‘change agents’ and how they deliver the environmental pillar, including using wormeries to reduce food waste and transforming waste paper into eco bricks which are then used by the children for construction before being burned.
Further information
UN Sustainable Development Goals:
