Eco Friendly

A positive to come out of the time many of us had to stay at home during lockdown was the way in which we became more connected and tuned in to nature.  Social media was flooded with images of vegetable plots, wildlife in the garden, blooming flowers, budding trees and food cooked with homegrown produce.  Now that we find ourselves living with COVID, rather than post-COVID, it is a good time to refocus on our environment, not just at home but in settings and schools too.

The drive to be green and eco-friendly is not new.  However, perhaps we are more aware of it now, forcing us to take stock of our practice.  Now is a good time to audit our provision and practice, reflecting on whether we can become greener.  In recent years, the media coverage highlighting the need to be eco-conscious has initiated change, but can we do more?  It’s not too early to start encouraging children in Early Years to think about their role in protecting the planet.  Every little thing really can make a difference.

It’s important to communicate your drive to become an eco-friendly setting with the support of the families of the children.  This way, it can become a joint effort, with everyone involved and working together.  Thinking about how you communicate with parents and carers could be a good place to start.  If you send out lots of letters, needing to print them off or photocopy, think about reviewing how you can continue to communicate effectively but by using less paper.  If your setting uses an online learning journey system, look at utilising this as a way of sharing information with families.  You can direct them to letters you have uploaded by sending a text or having a large whiteboard which you put up in the area where children are dropped off.  

Let’s now look further at some of how settings can look to adapt their practice to be more eco-friendly, involving children and their families.

Recycling and Reusing

• Look at the amount of single-use plastic being used in the setting, or coming in from home.  Promote the need for all children to have a refillable drinks bottle and avoiding the use of cling film by utilising plastic containers families already have in the home.
• Set up a clothes or welly swap, where families can pass on items which their child has grown out of.  
• Think about the amount of laminating you’re doing – is it completely necessary?
• Have a recycling bin which children can easily reach. This can be used for children to recycle paper, with adults modelling its use.
• Consider a kitchen cupboard clear out – we are all often guilty of buying products we never end up using.  Set up a collection point for families to bring in non-perishable foods which can then be donated to your local food bank.

Eco-Friendly Outdoor Spaces:

• Audit your outdoor provision, thinking about areas for wildlife such as birds, insects and hedgehogs.  
• Involve the children in taking care of your outdoor area, encouraging them to help weed, dig, grow and harvest.  They can also help with litter picking, cleaning up areas such as the mud kitchen, sweeping and tidying. These tasks can help children take pride in their environment, building early values. 
• Help the creatures inhabiting your outdoor area by making bird feeders, creating spaces for hedgehogs to hibernate, build wormeries and bird boxes and have areas minibeasts can hide.  You could also plant up a wildflower area to attract bees and butterflies.  
• Many settings are now growing their own produce, with the fruit and vegetables used for snack or lunch. This is fantastic for helping children understand and appreciate the work involved in growing, showing pride in the appearance of the first shoots they have planted, right through to the produce on their plate.
• Conserve water by collecting it in a large, covered container or water butt.  This can be used to water your plants and produce rather than needing tap water.

And the best of the rest….

• Think about where you buy your shopping for your setting, such as cleaning supplies, stationery and food.  Could this be purchased more locally, not just as a boost for your local area but also to reduce your carbon footprint?
• Encourage your families to walk to the setting.  This is great exercise for everyone but also reduces emissions.
• Many settings are now spending more and more time outside but it’s important to make sure the lights and heating are off!  When indoors, consider the impact of ventilation on the staff and children.  There is no point in having the heating on if you’re having all of the windows open.  Promote the message to families that children need to be wearing layers to keep warm.
• Use local tradespersons for any maintenance or repairs.  This helps your local community but also limits the distance travelled.

Anything you decide to implement can be shared with families, encouraging them to give your ideas a try.  Keep them informed on how you are progressing with information and photos.  Likewise, encourage them to share their ideas and progress with you.  This is easy and efficient for those settings using online learning journeys.  Look at the photos together with the children, talking about why they are implementing these measures at home and how it helps the environment.  

It's vital to remember our important position as role models to the children in our care.  Let them see us recycling, involve them in conversation about the value in caring for our environment, source quality texts which promote eco-friendly messages and let’s promote the message that our planet is precious.