New website launches for environmental education strategy

As world leaders gather in Egypt for COP27, here in Brighton & Hove we are helping schools take action on the climate and biodiversity crisis with the launch of a new digital platform.  

The new Our City, Our World website supports our sustainability, climate change and environmental education strategy for Brighton & Hove schools. To date, nearly half of the city’s schools are engaged with the strategy.  

Brighton & Hove declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2018 and this strategy outlines the crucial role schools play, both in reducing emissions and by equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to live in a changing climate.  

Our City, Our World 

The Our City, Our World strategy supports city-wide climate action by:  

• Developing an integrated environmental education curriculum gradually by systematically ‘greening’ the curriculum and supporting the development of green skills  

• Helping schools develop organisational systems and practices which support sustainability and Brighton & Hove’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 

• Enabling children and young people to build a close relationship with nature and in particular our local biosphere, The Living Coast 

• Empowering children and young people and their families to become changemakers, both personally and collectively 

The Our City, Our World website will support all elements of the strategy, providing a bank of strategy documents and tools for schools to use. It also features links to local and national contacts, articles and research in the area, and news stories from local schools involved in the strategy.  

Making sustainability a priority 

Councillor Hannah Allbrooke, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee, said:  

“The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges we face. We launched our Carbon Neutral 2030 programme last year in response to this and schools will play a crucial role on our journey to net zero.  

“The Our City, Our World strategy puts sustainability at the heart of local schools. Nearly half of the city’s schools are engaged with the strategy, and we hope more schools will come on board soon.  

“We believe we are the first local authority to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to climate change in schools through the Our City, Our World strategy.  

“This fantastic new website is an important milestone, bringing together resources, materials and guidance in an accessible and engaging way.  

“Not only will the website be a useful tool in further engaging with schools throughout Brighton & Hove, but we also hope it will inspire other local councils to develop their own environmental education programme.”  

Photo credit: Miles Davies, Sussex Wildlife Trust.