Sustainable practice in early years settings

Teaching young children about sustainability helps them understand their interconnectedness with nature and the environment and the impact of their actions and working in a more sustainable way will readily compliment, build on and bring together the other healthy setting themes.

The Department for Education's Gov.uk: sustainability leadership and climate action plans in education aims for every educational setting to have a sustainability lead and action plan by 2025.

Early years settings can support the work to reducing our environmental impact by:

• identifying and making realistic and appropriate changes around sustainable practices (with the aid of guidance tools)
• teaching, supporting and encouraging staff and children to learn about looking after their environments and the wider world, and provide regular opportunities to do so
• sharing sustainable messages, involving and supporting families around your journey so that they can further their children's learning
• considering the environmental impact of the materials we use and reducing the use of single use plastics
• promoting active travel for staff and families wherever possible
• car sharing as and when possible or using public transport as appropriate to reduce our carbon footprint
• being energy conscious in our practice and switching off or powering down any unused or idle electrical equipment
• reducing waste by reusing items and/or recycle materials where possible
• supporting the use and commitment to Fairtrade products

Training and resources

These resources and information will support settings to develop knowledge, skills and understanding around sustainable issues, embed changes into existing practice and support families to continue their children's understanding in the home environment.

Resources

• Sign up to our single use plastics pledge
• Cut down your waste
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Recycle for County Durham on Facebook
• Recycling Empty Ink and Toner Cartridges
• Food Durham
• Cloth nappies
• United Nations: sustainable development goals
• Air pollution, your health and what you can do
• Travel planning

Supporting children to learn about sustainability and environmental awareness

• Early Years Resources: how to promote environmental awareness using the 7 areas of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
• Woodland Trust
• Education Nature Park
• Nursery World: EYFS Best Practice - All about… Early Childhood Education for Sustainability
• Eco schools: early years