Sustainability Strategy – St James' Catholic High School

Our sustainability strategy has been informed by Pope Francis’ Laudato Si encyclical and the school’s Student Eco Council and Governing Board. We wish to play an active role in raising awareness, taking action to make positive changes for all of our global futures.

We will actively support change in our community by making the care of creation part of our daily actions as we strive to make our school carbon neutral by 2035.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15

The aim of our Sustainability Strategy is:

To educate all members of our school community about the need for environmental and sustainability practices, ensuring that all can make a positive impact on environmental sustainability within the local and global community as guardians of God’s creation.
To define and measure the environmental impact of our schools’ actions and activities and to subsequently develop a set of targets to reduce any negative impact and costs.
To ensure that both staff and students are encouraged to play an active role, as responsible stewards of our school environmental and sustainability agenda.
To encourage behavioural changes and increase participation in environmental and sustainability issues. As Pope Francis prays in Laudato Si, “that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

According to the ‘Governors’ Guide to Sustainable Schools’ (DfES, 2007b), a sustainable school is one that has care as its central value: “care for oneself, care for each other (distant and near, as well as for future generations), care for the environment (from the school grounds to the planet)”.

We will follow a whole-school approach and focus on culture, campus, community and curriculum.

St James’ Catholic High School’s Sustainability Strategy is the responsibility of all of our school community – as we aim to protect and strengthen our environment and planet for the future of all.

Educate

To increase our understanding of carbon literacy for staff and students
To develop the capacities of all staff to promote the understanding of the principles of sustainability
To increase the understanding about reducing carbon usage for students and staff
To share and encourage the principles of sustainability with the wider community
Develop an ethos of promoting sustainability across the school
Achieve the Eco Schools Green Flag Award

Reduce

To explore renewable energy generation
To plan for replacement heating system
To explore, and regularly revisit, options to purchase green or ultra-low carbon energy
To measure, report on and improve the operational energy efficiency of premises – gas, water and electricity to reduce our energy usage
Reduce single-use plastics in the kitchen.
Reduce litter

Recycle

To reduce the amount of waste we produce
To maximize recycling
To encourage staff, students and parents to recycle as much waste as possible, in school and at home
To maintain respect for natural resources by teaching, promoting
and modelling the most efficient use of materials and by using renewable, recycled and recyclable products wherever possible
Improve recycling and decrease waste

Reuse

Pre-loved uniform scheme
Encourage re-fillable water bottles and coffee travel mugs.

Re-wild

To enhance the natural environment and increase biodiversity across our school grounds
To promote environmental volunteering amongst students and staff
To ensure that school grounds are maintained to a high standard and are as litter free as possible
Improve our school grounds by creating areas for nature

Breathe

To promote and review the School Travel Plan on a regular basis
To consider adopting carbon offsetting for medium and long-haul school travel wherever possible
To encourage the use of bikes by promoting safe cycling and secure cycle storage and safe crossing points
To promote and support car-sharing, public transport, walking and cycling to and from school to students, parents and staff
Monitor the air quality of the school grounds and promote anti-idling by vehicles in and around the school grounds

Plan

Develop our Climate Action Plan
To make sure sustainability is an active part of our procurement policy
To ensure that we pursue a policy of best practice, local purchasing and the use of environmentally friendly products, where possible
To sign up to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings commitment
To consider sustainability issues throughout the planning, design and construction of all capital and other projects

Our Yearly carbon footprint is…

We are one of the first schools in the country to calculate our annual carbon footprint!
Knowing your carbon footprint is an important first step. What could you do to help reduce it?

Download the Carbon Footprint Poster

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:26

Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”

Matthew 19:26