Could you be a climate ambassador?

It’s a busy time for climate action in schools at the moment, responding to what appears to be years of pent-up demand. Schools want to manage their grounds for wildlife, teach sustainability better and reduce their carbon footprint, and they’re looking for help.

A host of new projects have emerged to support schools, including the Let’s Go Zero team that I’ve joined recently. There are now 32 climate action advisors across England* – but that’s an impossible 600 schools each if we were to do it all by ourselves. We need a whole movement of people who can walk alongside schools, offering advice, practical help and a listening ear. Climate Ambassadors has just launched to find those people.

Climate Ambassadors recruits volunteers with environmental expertise, and then matches them up to a school, nursery or college that’s looking for support. The ambassadors then help that school to develop a climate action plan, hopefully building an ongoing relationship with the school and its staff and students.

The Ambassadors scheme is run from regional hubs, each one based at a university. I asked Kit-Marie Rackley, the coordinator for the East of England, about who they’re recruiting:

“The kind of people we’re looking for are those who are passionate about climate action and keen to make a real difference in their communities. As a Climate Ambassador, you’ll have the opportunity to support educational settings in their sustainability journey, helping them to develop and implement impactful Climate Action Plans. Whether you’re working with a single school or multiple settings, in person or online, your role will be to mobilise and support these settings to act on climate change, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, improve their biodiversity, and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.”

Volunteers are being recruited from a wide range of backgrounds, and unlike many volunteer opportunities, you don’t need to give your time on a regular basis. The Ambassadors suggest a minimum commitment of a day a year, spread across at least three different occasions. And you don’t need to be a climate professional either.

“The ideal Climate Ambassador would be someone with knowledge and skills related to one of the four Climate Action Plan areas: Decarbonisation, Adaptation & Resilience, Nature & Biodiversity, and Climate Education & Green Skills. But you don’t need to be an expert in all these areas – you can focus your time working on things that align with your passion and experience.”

I know a lot of people out there, locally and further afield, with the kinds of skills described here. Community gardeners and tree planters, former teachers, scientists, engineers, nature enthusiasts. Climate Ambassadors is all about helping schools to tap into the environmental skills base of their community.

“As a Climate Ambassador,” says Kit, “you’ll develop sustainability and climate leadership skills, inspire future generations with positive solutions to environmental challenges, and gain a sense of achievement as you see your advice and ideas put into practice. So, if you’re ready to make your knowledge and skills count to tackle real-world sustainability and climate challenges, we welcome you to join us as a Climate Ambassador.”

• You can sign up here, or find out more about what’s involved.
• *Just England, which has moved slower than the regional governments on climate policy and education.