June O’Sullivan OBE – Getting Started with Decarbonisation in ECEC Settings

This webinar will introduce Early Years colleagues to the growing national focus on decarbonising education, a movement currently centred on schools but certain to extend to nurseries as government confidence and infrastructure increase. We will unpack what terms like ‘net zero’, ‘carbon emissions’ and ‘decarbonisation’ actually mean, so everyone feels confident with the language now shaping policy and practice.

We will explore:

• The DfE Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy, including the aim to reduce emissions by 75% by 2037.
• How Great British Energy is supporting education settings to simplify decarbonisation, reduce energy bills and make clean-energy solutions more accessible.
• Practical steps nurseries can take now, including changes to business models, energy use, heating systems, solar PV options, and managing high-cost areas such as heat retention and ventilation.
• We will also consider the unique challenges for nurseries, especially small or standalone settings, and discuss how collaboration across the sector could strengthen our collective voice and ensure early years is included meaningfully in future planning.
• Finally, the webinar will look at sustainable purchasing and resource use: choosing ethically sourced, durable materials; reducing waste; lowering our carbon footprint; and modelling responsible consumption for children. We will reflect on how these choices contribute to wider environmental, social and governance goals, from reducing deforestation to promoting fair labour practices.

The aim is to build a shared understanding of what decarbonisation means in reality for ECEC—and to begin shaping a practical, sector-relevant pathway for action

Not a Kinderly member? That’s okay. Simply book this single webinar for only £5 (includes slides and CPD certificate).

About the speaker

As CEO and creator of the UK’s leading childcare social enterprise, London Early Years Foundation, June continues to break new ground in the development of LEYF’s scalable social business model. She remains a tireless campaigner, looking for new ways to influence policy and make society a better place for all children and families. June developed the LEYF Pedagogy and champions community-based, multi-generational early years education as the basis for greater social and cultural capital to deliver long-term social impact. She continues to advise Governments as well as a range of organisations, academics and services at home and overseas about how best to implement a social enterprise vision for Early Years.  June was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2013 for her services to London’s children, and on the 29th September 2023 it was announced that June had been awarded an OBE by His Majesty the King for her services to Education.

How to watch this webinar