Empowered young minds take charge at sustainability conferences

More than 160 students from Eco-Schools across Wales had the opportunity meet with experts and debate key environmental issues at two national sustainability conferences last week.

Organised in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, the ‘Our Earth; Our Future’ conferences in Swansea and Bangor were part of a series of nine events hosted across England and Wales.

Students enjoyed a mix of workshop sessions which involved healthy debate around how we can create a more sustainable future by minimising waste and maximising resources. They also had the opportunity to quiz a panel of industry experts on ‘green careers’, learning how sustainability is embedded in a range of sectors, including construction, product design and farming.

“We must rethink our priorities”

Students from Bassaleg School in Newport delivered a powerful presentation to Swansea delegates on the importance of climate education and shared tips for getting other young people involved in environmental work. Rowan, a year 11 student at Bassaleg School said: “We must rethink our priorities for our generation, and generations to come.”

The ‘Our Earth, Our Future’ 2024 conference series was funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation nationally, with support from climate education charity Let’s Go Zero Advisors. In Wales, the events were supported by Size of Wales, Swansea University, Bangor University and Natural Resources Wales. The idea was pioneered by influential educator Sir Tim Brighouse before his passing in December 2023.

Speaking after the conferences, our Education Manager Bryony Bromley said:

It was fantastic to bring together so many secondary school students at the Our Earth; Our Future conferences; I’ve been blown away by their passion, curiosity and determination to find innovate solutions to tackle our climate emergency. It shows how important it is to equip students with the knowledge to drive positive environmental change. After all, today’s young people are tomorrow’s policy makers, business owners and consumers – and with the exciting rise of green jobs, they have the potential to affect change in whichever industry they choose to enter.

Bryony Bromley
Education Manager

Celebrating 30 years of Eco-Schools

The sustainability conferences rounded off a busy term of events for our Education Team team who have been celebrating 30 years of the international Eco-Schools programme.

Back in 1994, Eco-Schools launched in Denmark, Germany Greece and the UK. 30 years on and Eco-Schools can be found in 75 countries around the world, with almost 50,000 schools involved.

Read the latest Eco-Schools newsletter to find out more about our celebrations