Green Cranbourne

Green Cranbourne is a movement to make our school and the local community more sustainable. Our aim is to be a sustainable school and a beacon to other schools in Basingstoke, Hampshire and further afield.

The prevalence of climate change in the media can make young people and adults feel helpless. We have decided to do our bit to reduce the impact we have on our environment and to teach young people that by working together with a common goal we can make big changes!

All members of our learning community are involved in their own way in making our school more sustainable and tackling climate change.

We have six main goals:

To reduce our energy consumption and aim to generate our own energy

To increase the biodiversity of our school site

To reduce our reliance on plastic

To produce more plant-based foods, reduce processed foods served in our canteen and reduce food miles to lower our Carbon footprint

To reuse, repair and recycle materials where appropriate

To grow our own food, to teach students how to grow food and to provide access to vocational qualifications to improve our food security and reduce our impact on the planet

We have dramatically reduced our Carbon footprint when it comes to our energy consumption by making sure that all electrical appliances are turned off when not in use. Within one year of this initiative we have saved £56,000 on our electricity and gas bills.

We have planted 120 trees, with tree species such as Blackthorn, Crab Apple and Hazel. These trees will eventually allow us to make our own jams and jellies, and they will provide food for our local wildlife which will help us to increase the biodiversity on our site.

We recycle paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and aluminium cans in all classrooms and offices. There are also recycling bins outside by playgrounds and communal areas.

Students are encouraged to return their empty plastic bottles and cans to the Canteen, where their accounts will be credited 5p. Our Cranbourne Community can bring their old, used pens to Reception where they are collected and taken to be recycled.

Every fortnight we recycle on average 4400 litres of recyclable waste which without our efforts would go to landfill.

We have made our own Vegetable Garden and have started to grow food for the school. Students and staff worked together to make the construction sustainable by repurposing pallets and scaffolding boards.

Our Catering team have worked hard to reduce the food miles created by our food deliveries. We are also very proud to work with the Community Food Link to run the Cranbourne Food Pantry. The pantry is open to members of our community every Thursday to collect what they need, no questions asked. The food items supplied are collected from local supermarkets and businesses and would be otherwise thrown away. Our pantry not only supports our families, but also helps to reduce food waste.

As a school we have changed how we communicate with parents and organise events. We are now paperless and send all letters virtually; either by email, text or via Edulink.

We are very proud of the difference we are making in our community in showing young people that together we can achieve great things!

In July 2024, we were delighted to have our achievements recognised at Basingstoke ‘A Place to be Proud of Awards’, where we were awarded the Green Community Champion Award, sponsored by Tomato Energy.

We welcome any offers of help, gardening tools, plants and any ideas on how to build on the foundations of our journey so far to become the most sustainable school in Basingstoke and beyond!

Cranbourne Sustainability Plan 2025
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