Sustainability
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Created by a teacher
What are we doing so far?
As a business that works with schools around the world, we are conscious of our environmental footprint and are taking measures to reduce it.
Although we agree that there are many things in life which should be paperless, some things are still wonderful as tangible objects to be shared and cherished.
Watching children and staff in the corridors discussing challenges in the filled-in workbooks, sharing stories and new skills learned is a joy to see! Children are so proud of their work and love to see it being displayed around the school.
However, we are aware that we use a lot of paper to create these workbooks and we produce carbon dioxide as they are delivered around the world!
Therefore, we have that in mind when we make every decision and we ensure that a proportion of the money each child pays to take part, goes towards replanting trees so that we may capture some of the carbon dioxide we produce!
Our Carbon Footprint
In the early years, I used a print company near my school because it was convenient.
Convenience can be a mistake. I had no idea that they outsourced their print jobs and my workbooks would arrive from England on a lorry. That company created lovely smooth covers for my workbooks and I thought they looked great but little did I know about the environmental impact.
Looking for a sustainable solution to the outsourcing, I made the decision to move to a local print company. My new local boys are fabulous and print everything in-house. They then showed me a roll of plastic laminate and told me that I had been using at least 10km of the stuff each year to make the silky covers! I was shocked and horrified and immediately made the decision to ditch the plastic!
My printers source their paper sensibly and they package in a totally plastic-free fashion.
We personally deliver all of the workbooks to a local warehouse where everything is packaged and shipped. I love that everything happens within 3 miles of my house and lots of local people gain employment because of the Junior Duke.
How we Give Back
We are proud partners of Trees for Life, who support rewilding initiatives across vulnerable areas of Scotland.
Each year, a proportion of the money paid by each child buying into the Award is donated to this charity.
We are pleased to be playing a part in helping to heal our atmosphere as well as people's lives. Because of children taking the Junior Duke challenge, tens of thousands of trees are planted each year!
The process of nurturing seedling trees so that they become strong enough to survive on their own in the wild takes time and care. This aligns well with what the Junior Duke does in helping children to be able to thrive on their own. This year, the Junior Duke donation is going directly to the Dundreggan nurseries.
Trees for Life is an excellent charity and we are proud of our link with them. However, we are always looking for additional carbon-capturing methods to help with our sustainability promise so please let us know if there are other reputable charities we should contact to find out more.
quote from Trees for Life
Planting in the Middle East
Due to there being a large number of schools offering the Junior Duke Award in the Middle East, we offered schools the opportunity to have an educational, environmental day out!
The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi has a very active, very large, group of children working on different levels of the Junior Duke so we arranged for their 28 Eco Committee members to have a day out of school!
They were met by the team from GOUMBOOK and paddled long canoes out to the Mangrove. There, they were taught about the importance of the habitat for crucial coastal protection, acting as natural barriers against erosion and storm surges, while also being powerful carbon collectors which significantly help combat climate change.
Trees in the mangrove support rich marine life, providing habitats and nurseries for fish, sharks and turtles, filter pollutants and are vital for the region's fisheries and eco-tourism.
Each child planted their own tree then they paddled back to school to share their new-found knowledge!
We were delighted to have been able to facilitate this learning experience.
quote from Goumbook
Our sustainability promise
As an organisation, we commit to taking action to reduce our environmental impact and improve our carbon footprint. We aim to positively influence children whilst helping to provide them with a better, greener future.
As part of our challenges, we commit to teaching children the importance of sustainability and fostering a feeling of responsibility for the planet. Current challenge examples include:
- Working out your carbon footprint and finding ways to reduce it
- Growing something to eat
- Looking for ways to measure and reduce food waste
- Recording water and electricity use, and working to actively reduce the amount
- Creating a garden for pollinators
- Understanding, considering & reducing food miles
We promise to:
- Offset Our Carbon Footprint
- Protect Real Environments
- Reduce Waste and Plastic Use
- Keep Production and Delivery Local
- Commit to Continuous Improvement
- Educate Children for a Sustainable Future