Education

Sincerely inspirational (currently virtual) assemblies and lessons for your school prepared and delivered by Carrie Cort, West Sussex County Council Waste Prevention Advisor, Guinness World Record holder and Climate Reality Leader (trained by Al Gore – An Inconvenient Truth and leading climate change scientists).

Less C02, less plastic, less waste and a lot more awesome!

Carrie, the founder of Sussex Green Living is able to offer free of charge, as part of our “Bright New Futures programme these video lessons supported by optional virtual ‘hope for the future chats’ using Zoom or the schools prefered communication software.

These topics are supported by primary school videos found in our gallery here.

  • Bright New Future using art and storytelling
  • Upcycling to grow food and give wildlife a home
  • Sing and Dance for the Planet
  • Recycle and Recreate for the Planet
  • Makers Magic learn how to reuse materials as an art resource
  • Love Clothes and Planet

Bright New Futures assembly

KS1, 2, 3 or 4 Bright New Futures assemblies aim to provide an inspiring vision of the future and the opportunities ahead. Aiming to help address the mental health and emotional wellbeing of pupils around the future. A short inspiring visual introduction to exciting career opportunities which will be available to children and young people due to the sustainable revolution which IS now taking place. KS3 and 4 assembly could include National Careers Week 2020 film HOPE https://vimeo.com/393837020.

To book a date using Zoom or the schools preferred system or learn more contact Carrie on or call 07768 212833.

2021 Bright New Futures and Wild Outdoor Play in the Woods and Community

We are working in partnership with the School Woodland Theatre Project and other environmental partners and planning a sustainable roadshow for schools, churches, parishes and towns in Horsham District for 2021. Plus special outdoor learning days and holiday workshops which will include: Storytelling, acting, singing and dancing in a woodland theatre, making wind turbines, exploring water filtration, inspirational upcycling, acorn foraging and planting in yoghurt pots, making hurdles, walking sticks, birch brooms, woodland jewellery, pegs for timber framing, thatching spars, cooking on a camp fire, and more!

Learn about our Sustainable Roadshow here

Learn about our Youth Eco Forum outdoor event and workshops in planning for 2021 here.

Join our Youth Eco Forum

In June 2020 we launched our Youth Eco Forum, a weekly Zoom meeting for young people 11+ where they can discuss worries, hopes and share ideas and actions. The group is being guided by a young lady, Catherine who grew up in Horsham and is keen to help develop a meeting place for local young environmentalists to gather, discuss and connect for an hour of planet-friendly chat. Learn more here

You can read the Youth Eco Forums first exciting Ezine here.

Other themes available which are not currently supported by a video:

  • Energy Forever
  • Plastic-Free Sea
  • The journey of ocean plastics
  • Become a scientist studying clothes and microfibres
  • Carbon footprinting of an Easter Egg
  • Global citizen/life skills lessons
  • Great Green Inventors
  • Green Olympic Games

When we are able to offer our environmental education in person we offer 10, 20 or 30 minute assemblies and our lessons are normally one hour.  To book email requesting a booking form and stating your school or groups requirements, or call 07768 212833.

CPD sessions for teachers, teaching assistants and governors

A series of online, twilight, training sessions taking place across Autumn Term 2020 and Spring Term 2021. All of the training is FREE thanks to funding from the South Downs National Park Authority COVID-19 Recovery Fund. See the full programme here.

This virtual workshop is being delivered by our friend Nicola Peel, the theme Nature as a teacher, learn more and book your free place here.

You can learn about our Wildlife Eco Warriors virtual workshop and how to book here.

You are welcome to download our school brochure below (although it does not detail our latest offering). There are more sustainable solutions for schools which save money, raise money and reduce carbon emmisions can be seen lower on this page.

Tri-fold environmental education brochure (outer)

Download (2 MB)

Tri-fold environmental education brochure (inner)

Download (2 MB)

We work in partnership with other organisations who can help your school raise money, save money and reduce your carbon emissions. These include:

Bags of Support textile recycling diverting clothes from landfill and incineration and raising money for your school. We work in partnership with West Sussex ethical multi-award winning Bags of Support, they pay 50p/kg for textiles (30% more than Phil the Bag and 20% more than Bags 2 School).  Their end beneficiaries are orphans in Uganda and Romanian. This links with our ‘Love Clothes and Planet’ assembly and lessons. Bags of Support is a West Sussex ethical textile recycling initiative. They reduce the volume of textiles sent to landfill, raise money for schools and provide financial support and clothing donations to orphanages in Uganda and Romania. To arrange for a textile collection contact , call 01403 710498 or 07917 797084.

Ashden LESS C02 energy efficiency programme which saves on average £2,650 and 10 tonnes of CO2 in your first year. The programme starts in September each year, it includes four workshops for school staff, typically the head, business manager and one session is aimed at embedding energy efficiency in the curriculum so ideally a teacher. The four workshops are spread throughout the academic year, 11-15 schools in one are are needed to make the programme viable*. This links well with our Energy Forever assembly and lessons.

Solar for Schools offer schools a free and no risk way of maximising the solar on their school through a Community Benefit Society that raises money from the local community and socially minded funders. Schools provide the roof space for the panels and pay for any electricity from the solar panels that they actually use, at a pre-agreed, low starting price. Contact Shannon or call 07710483123 to learn more. We are looking for clusters of schools in Sussex to enable purchasing with economies of scale.

Single-use plastic recycling in partnership with us. Learn more here.

*We are happy to present these sustainable solutions at locality heads meetings which helps to recruit schools and share these solutions.

NOTE: Our environmental education programme promotes Education for Sustainable Development, STEAM and Sustainable Development Goals – Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13 Climate Action, Goal 14 Life Below Water and Goal 15 Life on Land. Curriculum links – global citizenship, geography, English, science and life skills.

Teacher testimonial:

“Carrie Cort has run two morning workshops for Yr 3 and Yr 4 and one morning for Yr 5 and Yr 6, the workshop themes were ‘Dreaming of a Healthy Planet’, ‘The Future We Want’ and ‘Green Inventors’. Through a combination of engaging hands on activities, informative PowerPoints and videos, children have been introduced to Green issues that affect them. The workshops have really made the children reflect on the impact modern life has on the environment and the need to change behaviour to protect their future. They produced work, including a letter to their M.P., which gave them a chance to voice their concerns.”
Mrs Constable – Teacher of Yr 3 and Yr 4

Quotes from children attending the workshops:

“I learnt about an inventor who at 17 came up with the idea of an incredible ship which sucks plastic out of the sea, by 22 his idea was out there helping clear up the sea plastic. That really inspired me”

“I now know that people are making incredible new things out of rubbish, actually I now call it waste resources”.

“I did not realise that humans are using so many resources and that there is a limited supply, now I really understand why we must use less and recycle”.

“I loved inventing a wind powered car out of a Pringle tube, 4 CDs, 2 sticks, 1 straw and a balloon”.

Other testimonials can be read here.

Carrie is the founder of the Climate Reality Global Education Working Group.

Other climate change and environmental education sessions for schools and children’s groups can be seen here.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

Nelson Mandela
Former President Of South Africa