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As a childcare provider with 17 settings, the group feels a social responsibility to ensure that all children are provided with opportunities to help to develop their understanding of the natural world and how important it is to respect and care for it.
They have an organisational eco-committee made up of eco-leads from all the nurseries, along with members of the central support team. As part of the Eco Schools educational programme, they also have children’s eco committees in some settings. These empower the children to have a voice and discuss what actions they would like to take to support the environment. Recently children discussed biodiversity and how to take care of different creatures to help them survive and flourish. Acorn intends to continue developing the eco-friendly approach by increasing connections between nursery eco-leads so more settings engage with the Eco Schools programme.
Children take action towards sustainability with activities including litter-picking walks, visiting local charity shops to purchase books and labelling nursery bins to instil recycling among both staff and children. They also help to care for wildlife by building bird feeders and bug hotels and creating flower bombs.
The organisational committee is dedicated to discussing, evaluating and implementing measures to help the group become even more sustainable. They have recently developed a process for making their own wet wipes to reduce landfill waste and potential blockages in water pipes. Following conversations around the rising cost of living and food waste, they have stopped using food items, such as dried pasta, rice, lentils and oats, for sensory play. Instead, the nursery has placed an emphasis on more sustainable alternatives that can provide the exact same or a very similar sensory benefit for the children, such as non-edible, natural loose parts. Reducing the practice of playing with food not only cuts the amount of food wasted but also reduces greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere during food decomposition.
A member of the central support team has recently completed sustainable management training and is using the knowledge gained to begin forming a wider sustainability roadmap and strategy for Acorn, including a plan for measuring and reducing the group’s carbon footprint.
FINALISTS
• Childbase Partnership
• Jayne’s Nursery – Chelmsford
