School administrators play a critical role in preparing future generations to tackle the challenges of climate change. However, administrators can’t do this work all on their own. To build a truly sustainable school environment, administrators need to work in partnership with all members of the school community, including other school staff, parents/caregivers, students, and community partners. By adopting a “whole-school” approach to sustainability, administrators can ensure that sustainability is embedded into the school’s operations for years to come.

The first step in this process is to develop a shared vision of what sustainability looks like for your school. Consider utilizing town halls, surveys, or a combination of several methods to ensure that all stakeholders have their voices heard in this process. In particular, it’s important to engage students in this process to teach valuable advocacy skills, encourage them to feel ownership of sustainability initiatives, and empower them as agents of change.

Once a shared vision is established, it then needs to be integrated into the school’s organizational culture. The shared vision should be reflected in external communications (such as the school website), internal communications (such as staff training), and less-formal communications (such as conversations between colleagues). In addition to demonstrating the vision in words, it should also be communicated through leadership’s actions. This can include modeling desired behaviors (such as recycling) for students and colleagues, incorporating sustainability goals into the school’s strategic plan, and regularly assessing progress.

With this shared vision in hand, every member of the school community is empowered to contribute to the school’s sustainability journey. Administrators can take the next step by starting a new school sustainability program, making improvements to the school’s built environment, incorporating sustainability into the school’s curriculum, and incorporating ESG factors and other best practices into school operations. As changes are implemented, it’s important to regularly check in with colleagues and the school community to ensure the changes are aligned with the shared vision, other school programs, and current best practices.

A valuable guide for approaching school sustainability is the Whole-School Sustainability Framework by Barr, Cross, and Dunbar. By breaking down school operations into 3 components (organizational culture, physical place, and educational program), the authors propose a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to building long-term sustainability within a school environment. You can read “The Whole-School Sustainability Framework” at the “Definition” link below. For more specific advice for school leadership, read “School leadership: Cultivating a culture of sustainability” at the “Action” link below.