June Newsletter
Hi Eco-Coordinator,
Welcome to the June Eco-Schools Newsletter! Below you’ll find key updates, last-minute application advice, impacts for 2025–2026, and upcoming eco-events to get involved in before the summer break.
We’re continuing to be amazed by the quality of applications this year, from a junior school in Wokingham running their first swap shop events, to a Cambridge nursery introducing a “Water Watcher” water-saving role, and a Haringey secondary school labelling their lunch menu by carbon impact. We can’t wait to be inspired by your work too!
There’s still plenty of time left to apply, you have until midnight on 31st July, but if you’d like to celebrate with our new award pack before the summer holidays, be sure to submit soon. And don’t forget, this year we’re once again planting a tree for every Green Flag awarded!
2 Months for Carbon Calculations!
Like the Eco-Schools programme, Count Your Carbon will be taking a summer break to update emissions figures for the next academic year. If you have a calculation in progress, or are planning to track your carbon emissions annually, be sure to log in and complete your calculation before the calculator goes offline on 17th August! Count Your Carbon will then reopen for the 2026-2027 academic year on 14th September.
6 Weeks for Green Flag Submissions!
As mentioned, the Green Flag submission window closes at midnight on 31st July. Use the buttons below for last-minute support and inspiration or get in touch with our team if you have any further questions!
Find us on Instagram and Facebook
Eagle-eyed Eco-Coordinators may have spotted that during this application window, we’ve been sharing anonymised quotes from your submissions! These quotes showcase the impact of the Eco-Schools programme on young people and their communities. Click the links below to take a look, and don’t forget to tag us in your Green Flag social media celebrations so we can reshare and celebrate with you too!
Eco-Schools Impacts 2025-2026
As the end of the academic year creeps closer, the amazing impacts you create continue to grow! So far, more than 100,000 trees have been planted, 1 million kg of waste diverted from landfill, and 23,000 items of school uniform redistributed. Remember to take a moment, log in to your Eco-Schools account, click ‘Impact’ on the menu, and explore these impacts with your pupils. It’s a great way to highlight how your actions contribute to something incredible.
Eco-Projects: Run a Sporty ‘Eco-Pledge’ Event.
Perfect for the summer months, this month’s spotlight Eco‑Project is a sporty ‘eco‑pledge’ event. A unique take on sponsorship, instead of asking for money, it invites your school community to ‘donate’ environmental actions when a challenge is completed. Pupils might jog 1.5km and ask sponsors to eat a plant‑based meal, or scoot the same distance and be sponsored by a 30°C wash. The choice is yours in this healthy, outdoor, creative eco‑project!
Don’t forget, there are more Eco-Projects to explore when you log in to your Eco-Schools account.
What Else is Happening?
- An upcoming BBC programme about supporting children who find it difficult to make friends has asked for our help in finding friendship matches. They’re looking for children aged 5–8 who have a passion for litter-picking and caring for their community. If you know any friendly children who might be a good match, please share this opportunity with their family using this link!
- At Eco-Schools, we love open-ended outdoor play in EYFS, so we’re eagerly awaiting Katie Taylor’s new book 50 Fantastic Ideas for Mud Kitchens. A Forest School Leader since 2019, Katie shares ideas that are clearly laid out, easy to follow, and designed to help children connect with nature, explore and deepen their learning through play… and as a bonus, many also save time and money!
- Nature Discovery Week begins on Monday 29th June, and it provides the perfect opportunity to get outside and find out what’s living and growing on your school grounds. National Education Nature Park has plenty of surveys available to guide your exploration including pollinators, grassland plants, and species and every observation you make contributes to the Nature Park Map.
- Plastic Free July is back for 2026. In the school section of the website, you’ll find helpful resources and tips for reducing plastic waste across the classroom, canteen, and wider school community. These can be used to inspire a substantial, pupil-led plastic-free campaign for the final weeks of term and beyond.
- Let’s Go Zero’s Procurement Webinar is a useful one for finance, procurement, and operations managers: this free webinar on 9th July at 3:45 covers incorporating sustainability into tendering and contracts, understanding the carbon impact of purchases, and includes a case study from St Barts MAT.
Get outside with your pupils, enjoy the final weeks of term, and keep creating change and, as ever, do just get in touch if we can help with anything Eco-Schools related.
