Young people's climate

At Kirklees Council, we are committed to achieving a clean, green, sustainable future for Kirklees, and we believe children and young people have a crucial role to play in achieving this vision. We believe that involving children and young people in our climate conversations is essential to creating a sustainable future for all. We appreciate their creative ideas and their ability to influence change, and we want to ensure that they feel heard and understood. Below are some of the ways we are trying to achieve that.

Eco - Schools

Kirklees would like all Kirklees schools to be registered with Eco-Schools. We can provide support and guidance if your school is interested in becoming an Eco-School.

School Climate Action Plans (CAPs)

The Department of Education's sustainability and climate change strategy states: "By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan". More information on this can be found on the following link from the DoE - Sustainability leadership and climate action plans in education Please see below for further resources to support schools with their CAPs.

Climate Commission Youth Panel

We would also welcome all schools, in particular Schools Sustainability Leads, to participate in the Climate Commission's Youth Panel run by Kirklees Climate Commissioners. The commissioners encourage learners, staff and governors to engage in the school environment, as well as the local community and wider world and support efforts to become more sustainable, especially through the schools Climate Action Plan.

Climate Action Plan Resources

• Climate Ambassadors, who onboard and train volunteers enthusiastic about education and taking climate action in their local community. Together, they work with education settings for free on developing and progressing their climate action plans - Embedding climate action where it matters most
• Count Your Carbon, guides you through calculating your carbon footprint, reviewing your report, and creating a decarbonisation plan - helping you to build the decarbonisation section of your Climate Action Plan, and it's free - Count Your Carbon
• Let's Go Zero help schools on their journey to zero carbon by 2030. Let's Go Zero supports schools, colleges and nurseries in cutting their carbon, becoming better places to work, learn and play. Their support is free, friendly and tailored to the needs of individual schools. There's help to develop a climate action plan, now a must for all schools and support to access funding for green projects, from solar panels to uniform swap-shops. And their Climate Action Advisors are on hand with practical solutions and ideas. Do you want your school to enjoy lower energy bills, better buildings, thriving outdoor spaces and planet-friendly food? Then join Let's Go Zero - UK Climate Change
• National Education Nature Park empowers children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future. Go on a journey to get to know your outdoor space and use creative decision-making to improve your grounds for both people and nature. This free programme provides all educators with the resources, support and guidance to embed climate and nature into learning in a way that suits your setting and learners - Education Nature Park
• Sustainability Support for Education helps all education settings progress their sustainability journey, outside of the classroom. We provide free, recommended actions with quality-assured resources from expert partners, giving you what you need to put your climate action plan into action - Sustainability Support for Education