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Climate Change
and School Grounds

Statement & Resources

ISGA FAZENDA SERRINHA - DE KALEI CLIMATE STATEMENT OCTOBER 2024

The International School Grounds Alliance strongly believes that as school grounds are at the heart of communities they play a significant part in responding to the impacts of climate change and ensuring climate justice* for children and young people. School grounds can provide quality spaces for communities to gather, to play, to learn, and to live in harmony with nature. They also link to local spaces, habitats and initiatives beyond their boundaries.

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Photo: Cedric Ryckaert

The growing area, Klimaatspeelplaats Sint-Paulus, Kortrijk, Belgium

Photo: Cedric Ryckaert

Shade sales over a slide with sand, Klimaatspeelplaats Sint-Paulus, Kortrijk, Belgium

School grounds provide a key space for responding to climate change through: 

  • Providing frequent contact with natural materials to improve physical and mental health​

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  • Learning about climate change by discovering its impacts through direct outdoor experience including play, learning, being and researching outdoors​

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  • Taking action by investigating issues, designing solutions and making positive changes to their grounds, leading to knowledge, skills and attitudes that will last a lifetime​ 

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  • ISGA believes that a whole school approach engaging pupils, staff and the local community results in culturally sensitive and contextually responsive solutions to climate change

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  • We look at seven key climate themes with examples of who schools are addressing each impact around the world

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  • Climate justice is the moral and ethical principle that seeks to address the disproportionate impact of climate change

Through a meaningful design of school grounds we can address the impacts of climate change in a range of ways, such as:

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Creating shade at Don Bosco Vocational Trainings Centre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

​A variety of shade features at  Escola La Maquinista, Barcelona (climate adaptive school grounds)

THERMAL COMFORT

Schools can mitigate effects of extreme heat and cold events:

  • ​​​​​​Create shade and shelter for buildings and grounds through planting and structures​

 

  • Create energy-efficient areas by using green roofs and facades

 

  • Make changes in design and build to improve air flow 

Planting for pollinators. Ysgol Pentrefoelas, Wales, UK

Planting for the local climate. Green School, Bali, Indonesia

HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS

Schools with healthy ecosystems help mitigate climate change:

  • ​​​​​​Improve habitats to increase biodiversity​

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  • Ensure specific plant selection responds to local needs 

Planting helps to maintain air quality,. Sherman Elementary School, San Francisco

Layers of planting combat pollution. Galilei Grundschule, Berlin 

AIR QUALITY

School grounds can help improve air quality:

  • plant in and around school grounds to trap pollutants

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  • provide different layers of planting 

Stormwater management. Freie Waldorfschule, Berlin, Germany

Permeable surfacing, Brazil

WATER MANAGEMENT:

School grounds can help with water management: 

  • use organic materials to retain moisture and improve soils

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  • manage water through planting and design, water capture systems, increasing surface permeability and improved drainage​

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Mixed woodland edge and meadow, UK

CARBON MANAGEMENT:

School grounds can help to capture carbon:

  • plant mixed layers of vegetation with a range of life cycles​

 

  • rejuvenate soils to improve carbon capture​

Mature trees play their part in carbon capture in Chile

ISF HK Centre for Renewable Energy Education, Hong Kong 

MATERIALS & MANAGEMENT:

School ground consumption choices can reduce impact on Earth's limited resources:

  • ​​​​​​use sustainable materials from local sources and suppliers​

 

  • refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle resource, and consider the end of life of materials and equipment used on site 

Photo: Antje Schwabersberger
Using sustainable materials at Brodowin Primary School, Berlin, Germany

"Rocket" Composter. ISF HK Centre for Renewable Energy Education, Hong Kong

RESILIENT COMMUNITIES:

School grounds can build community resilience and hope:

  • grow vegetables using composted food waste and create food forests

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  • open school grounds for community use

Community and school come together to grow crops, Sweden

Additional Climate Resources for School Grounds

Climate Ready School Grounds

A toolkit designed by Learning Landscapes for schools to consider their grounds in relation to climate change, climate action and education. The toolkit is free and contains information on running workshops and address learning and action on climate change. 

Working to improve today’s education for tomorrow’s climate

The website offers resources to enhance climate literacy among children and youth, promoting a deeper understanding of climate change through education and fostering responsible environmental stewardship among young people

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