Education providers taking action

Organisations, including educational institutions, account for around 30% of Cornwall's carbon emissions, with the majority coming from heat and power used in work premises and road transport.

Across Cornwall, schools, colleges, universities, and other education providers are stepping up to tackle climate change by embracing sustainability and cutting carbon emissions. From installing solar panels and improving energy efficiency in classrooms to launching eco-clubs and teaching climate-focused curriculums, education settings are leading by example. These initiatives not only reduce environmental impact but also empower young people with the knowledge and skills to build a greener future.

School children planting a tree
Learn about the schools that are taking the lead on reducing emissions from their operations in the right-hand panel of this page. A selection of case studies to provide inspiration and for you to hear directly from those taking action. From those measuring their carbon footprints and making a start on understanding what they can do, through to those rolling out significant changes and engaging their school communities – pupils and parents.

On this page is a selection of key resources that will help you make positive changes within your own educational setting.

Take a look and share with others.

Let’s all work together to continue the good work that is already happening!

Key resources

Cornwall Council’s Eco-Education Business Partnership

Is your school leadership team responding to the Department of Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy?

Have you nominated a Climate Lead and are you developing a Climate Action Plan?

Did you know you have a dedicated Eco-Education Project Manager in Cornwall to support you with these?

Cornwall Council partners with Eco-Schools and Let’s Go Zero to help enhance schools’ eco-education and eco-club offerings. We’re also supporting schools to decarbonise their school buildings and grounds to reduce emissions and save costs.

Find out more about Eco-Schools and Let's Go Zero in the links on the right hand side of this page.

Our Eco-Education Project Manager will connect you with a climate advisor, who will work with you to develop a Climate Action Plan tailored to your school's needs. This addresses the Department of Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (2023), which encourages all education settings to have a nominated Climate Lead and a clear Climate Action Plan in place by the end of 2025.

The climate advisor will provide guidance on reducing your emissions and outline the necessary steps to take, followed by connecting you with potential funders.

Contact your Eco-Education Project Manager to learn more about the support available.

She can assist you in the following ways:

• Help you to cut your carbon footprint using the Eco-Schools Cut Your Carbon Calculator.
• Help achieve your Eco-School Accreditation by providing you with an action plan to follow and the resources needed to achieve the award. She may also be able to assist with funding your award.
• Find the right information you need in relation to your eco-education, clubs, and buildings.
• Organise meetings with teams in Cornwall Council who may be able to assist with your needs, Eco-School managers, and Let’s Go Zero climate advisors.
• Networking giving school management and teachers the opportunity to learn from each other through regular catch up events, in person and online.
• Assisting with finding funding for eco-projects.
• Organising workshops offering a variety of workshops to suit your needs.
• Providing regular updates via the Carbon Neutral Education newsletter.

Contact Charlotte: CarbonNeutral.Education@cornwall.gov.uk

Visit the Education Business Partnership web page for more information.

Workshop providers

Listed below are just a few of the organisations in Cornwall that offer excellent workshops, assemblies, and talks to inspire our young people. More can be found in the links on the right hand side of this page.

Hayley Hill delivering a workshop

Cornwall Climate Care are a Cornwall based charity that offers fully funded workshops on the effects of climate change on topics such as our oceans, coastal erosion, food systems, and energy production. Find out more

Do you want to help your students understand climate change in an accessible, enjoyable way? Do you worry about your students suffering climate anxiety? These FREE workshops for students from EYFS to Key Stage 5 could help!

The workshops increase understanding of the causes of climate change and its effects on the chosen topic, by using interactive activities to make an intimidating topic accessible and fun. They inspire hope and positivity by demonstrating how anyone can make a difference regardless of their age.

Cornwall Climate Care have also produced a series of educational films available to use as a springboard to start conversations on climate change and impacts felt in Cornwall.

Contact Cornwall Climate Care’s Education Coordinator, Hayley Hill, to find out more.

Contact Hayley: hayley@cornwallclimate.org

Visit her website to make a booking.

RJ Working's Youth Climate Action Programme. Find out more

RJ Working’s offer includes climate action assemblies, student consultations, green careers workshops, and training. The young people in the RJ Working team champion facing up to the challenges of the climate crisis together and taking action to support health and well-being, individually and collectively.

The Youth Climate Action programme has elements that schools and colleges can embed in different configurations. While some of these have associated costs, all are either wholly or partially subsidised by charitable funding. Visit their website for full details and contact form.

Another Way’s environmental-focused assemblies and workshops. Find out more

Another Way offers free secondary school assemblies and workshops and (at a cost) state-of-the-art workshops for university students, inspired by climate psychology science to help each student find their active role within a world of crisis.

Visit their website for full details and contact form.

Funding opportunities

Cornwall Climate & Nature Fund: Set up a crowdfunding campaign to secure match funding for your project. Find out more

Cornwall Council and Crowdfunder’s Climate and Nature Fund supports projects that help our response to climate change and promote nature recovery. If your idea or project meets the criteria, you can apply for a grant to match fund up to £5,000. Outdoor classrooms, enhancing or creating habitats on school grounds, renewable energy, and behaviour change projects are all within scope. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

Get in touch with the team if you have any questions: climatechange@cornwall.gov.uk

Be a part of the Forest for Cornwall – plant a tree! Find out more

The Forest for Cornwall programme can help with funding and practical support to plant trees, hedges, mini forests, or orchards in local communities and schools, contact: ForestforCornwall@cornwall.gov.uk

The Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutes. Funding available until 31 March 2026. Find out more

The Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions is a government grant designed to support towards the costs of the purchase, installation and infrastructure of electric vehicle chargepoints in schools, colleges, and other eligible institutions. This initiative helps promote sustainable travel and reduce carbon emissions within the education sector. The scheme offers financial support to cover a portion of the installation costs, making it easier for institutions to transition to greener transport solutions. Full details and application guidance can be found on the website.

Other useful resources

Department for Education’s Strategy and Guidance:

• Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy 2023. Read it here
• Guidance on Sustainability Leadership and Climate Action Plans in Education. Read it here

Green Futures Challenge: Your school’s chance to lead the way in creating a greener future for Cornwall. Find out more and register your interest for 2026

Secondary schools across Cornwall are competing in the first-ever Green Futures Challenge, hosted by Cornwall College.

The Green Futures Challenge is an exciting sustainability competition for students aged 14–16 to design innovative, sustainable solutions that could transform their communities. Running from September 2025 to March 2026, teams of up to 10 students are working together to design and prototype a sustainable building or community hub that could benefit their local area.

Think: eco-schools, solar-powered hospitals, or net-zero community centres – designed in Minecraft, Roblox, 3D printing or handmade models!

Count Your Carbon online tool for school launched. Find out more

Count Your Carbon is the nation’s first free, full-scope carbon footprint calculator, built for – and in collaboration with – nurseries, schools and colleges. It supports educational settings to calculate, understand, reduce and track carbon emissions.

Join thousands of settings already taking climate action.

CoastCraft to inspire next generation of environmental champions to fight virtual coastal erosion. Find out more and access the Coastcraft app

Learn about coastal processes and adaptation through a Minecraft world based on Bude!

Children and young people are being inspired to learn about climate change and coastal flood resilience through a custom-built Minecraft world, thanks to a new game publicly launched in October 2025.

CoastCraft is an educational game developed for Minecraft Education, aligned with the curriculum in England and designed for students aged between 9 and 14.

Bringing the impacts of the dynamic processes shaping the coastline to life in an engaging way, CoastCraft challenges players to respond to rising sea levels and the impacts of climate change such as flooding, balancing the needs of different communities while protecting the environment. The consequences of these decisions are then brought to life in the virtual Minecraft world.

Based on the landscape of the town of Bude in Cornwall, the game has been developed in partnership by Minecraft Education, Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency as part of the latter’s £200m Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme. The CoastCraft Teachers Pack includes clear instructions that can be used in class, with bespoke diagrams and learning objectives and information that supports understanding of climate change, sea level rise, erosion, and nature-based solutions. It also includes a video guide with a playthrough of the game and its controls.