Two years on from starting at Oasis, it feels like a good opportunity to reflect. Two years is a long time environmentally speaking – constant changes in science, technology and politics impact the environment around us greatly, as do attitudes, behaviours and the media. In that time, we have seen the hottest year since records began, wildfires and flooding devastate more and more homes, fossil fuel giants repeal many previously made net zero pledges, microplastics found in every corner of the ocean and every human placenta tested, not to mention a famous climate denier coming back into power.

It’s precisely headlines like these that motivate me in my role but also inhibit me in equal measure. I’m passionate about what I do, but I, just like many others, often find these shocking and hopeless stories to be overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. To take back control over those feelings, I try to adopt the ‘action is the antidote to anxiety’ approach. I can vouch that for me, it works. Most of the time anyway.

In the last 24 months at Oasis, we have:

·        seen our carbon footprint* drop by 12%, including a 15% reduction in electricity consumption;

·        made huge improvements in data visibility and accuracy across metrics like energy, water and waste;

·        rolled out an Oasis curriculum in all primaries which focuses on the global goals to equip our young people with sustainability knowledge;

·        taken a progressively more joined up approach across teams towards environmental improvements;

·        been part of a DfE-led pathfinder project to get all Educational settings to net zero; and

·        just recently we were shortlisted for Environmental Trust of the Year in the MAT Excellence Awards.

I also know that there is a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ work harder to quantify which is just as important and will continue to pay off in the future to help us reach and embed our environmental goals.

Although that all seems extremely positive, and it is, honestly, I have found the ability to enact environmental change at the pace I would like, quite frustrating. Maybe it’s the instant gratification world we live in that makes me want to see speedy progress or the urgency with which I know we need to act for the best health of our planet. But embedded change takes time, especially when you are relying on a variety of people to do things differently from the ways they have done for a long time. The lack of resource, particularly in terms of people’s time, is very challenging too. Asking teachers or facilities managers to do new things on top of their already fit-to-burst schedules can take advantage of goodwill and passion - this is not the route to successfully embedding sustainability. I believe this is something that needs to be properly addressed at a sector level.

However, within sustainability, as with education, you don’t have to look far to be spurred on – I recently attended an Oasis Community Hub forum where a student told me about finding Great Crested Newts and wild orchids in our academy grounds and wanted to start a wildlife photography competition to encourage others to connect with nature – how inspiring! Being part wider sector groups like the UKSSN, knowing there are others like you kick-starting change, tackling similar hurdles but ultimately making a difference, really helps stay motivated too.

Last month at a conference workshop, Lucile Clifton’s (the great American poet) words were quoted – “We can’t create what we can’t imagine”. For me, my time at Oasis has made me realise that it’s not a given that all young people are eco warriors, climate leaders or even care about protecting the environment full stop, a story we are so often sold in the media. The communities in which our schools exist are disadvantaged in many ways, the environment included – poor air quality, little access to green space, littered with plastic – why would you want to take action to protect a beautiful planet you don’t get to live in? That’s where the imagination comes in. If you can imagine it, you can create it. Look around where you are right now, all these things were just someone’s idea at some point. It’s our job to ensure that young people (and us) can imagine a sustainable world…only then can we create one.

*Scope 1 and 2 market based