Sustainability
Our Mission
Our mission at Bede’s is to be an institution which:
- Has sustainability at its core; in the curriculum, the campus and in all we do
- Cares deeply about the impact we have on our environment, the planet and society
- Buys only products that it really needs and that do no harm
- Wastes nothing, reusing all valuable resources
- Uses only energy from renewable sources for heating, transport and power
- Uses water efficiently
- Makes space for wildlife
- Nurtures pupils who are eco-literate and empowered to make a difference
- Leads the way and sets the example for real, far-reaching change
Trust Sustainability Coordinators
Dr Fiona Mansfield
Growing up on a farm in Sussex I always felt a deep connection with the outdoors and our environment. As a child I was also privileged to be able to travel to many different countries but was acutely aware of the social and economic injustices, and the impacts this had on the environment. My degree in Environmental Biology left me with a life-long determination to improve whatever little part of the world I was living in and try to leave it in a better state than I found it. Outside of school I am a keen wildlife gardener, give talks on bumblebees and hedgehogs and run a community facebook page to encourage my local community to reduce waste in all areas of their daily life. I am committed to ensuring that sustainability is not just something that is spoken about, but something in which every member of our community is invested, and an ethos that is embedded in, and synonymous with Bede’s.
Jonathan Slinger
I grew up on a smallholding in South Africa. As a boy and then as a younger adult I enjoyed frequent opportunities to access the largely unspoilt natural environments South Africa offered. These were telling immersive experiences fostering my belief that we should be one with the natural world, with responsibilities to care for rather than carelessly exploit it. Degree-level study in Environmental Science, Geography and Psychology have helped me to find ways to work effectively with others to identify and achieve targeted and sustainable change. I believe we all need to be exposed to natural environments if we are to truly learn to value them. Sustainability Education has to be at the heart of what we do at Bede’s to ensure we all, pupils, alumni, staff and parents, are empowered to be the change we want to see in the world.
