At St Joseph’s, we define sustainability as “the ability to meet present needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Our school has always been involved with the welfare of the community it serves and over recent years has recognised the importance of environmental issues. The issues around climate change affect the whole curriculum. Students need to understand the issues from educational and social perspectives in the interests of everyone’s future.
“Society grows great when people plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in”
Greek Proverb
Our sustainability objectives are as follows:
- Engage students and staff in a wide understanding of the impact of our individual actions on the environment locally, nationally and internationally;
- Promote high standards of care for our school, the local community and the wider world;
- Encourage behavioural changes, increase participation and communication across all users;
- Minimise the adverse impacts of our school on the environment; and
- Develop a responsible use of energy throughout the school, improving energy efficiency and giving preference to renewable energy when possible.
We work with Powerful Allies, an energy broker who specialises in 100% renewable electricity for schools, to ensure we make informed decisions about our choice of fuels and their impact on the environment.
We have also partnered with Swapabee, a “circular economy” market which aims to reduce the waste crisis by giving life to old things. It allows you to swap items you no longer use for new ones you’ll love through their Swapabee app.
St Joseph’s tree planting initiative supported by the Woodland Trust