Earth Day: Top tips for choosing an eco-friendly nursery school

Grandir UK will celebrate Earth Day this April 22, bringing parents with children between 0 – 5 years our top tips for choosing a nursery and preschool that not only looks after your child, but also reserves a spot for nature, for creating a sustainable planet and has a keen interest in environmental education.

What is Earth day?

Earth day is celebrated annually on April 22 as a day of education about environmental issues, a global celebration focused on protecting the earth and confronting climate change and environmental impacts. Earth Day, an annual event, is a way to raise awareness and support for environmental protection.

What it means to be environmentally friendly

Using the eco friendly lifestyle means using an environmentally sustainable approach. Keeping our planet free from the harmful effects of pollution has increased. Being more aware of our carbon footprint to protect the ozone layer and our environment, starting with our local communities. There are several ways to reduce the negative impact on a persons day to day life contributes.

In 2024, eco-friendly action and environmental issues have become more and more important for a lot of people, with many making changes in many different ways, from the products they buy, and the services they use and the actions they take. People are creating an environmental movement by taking energy consumption, carbon emissions, plastic pollution, air and water pollution and toxic chemicals into consideration to make sure they are protecting future generations.

What is a sustainable and eco friendly nursery?

An eco friendly nursery school is a school that reduces its environmental impact and promotes sustainability Encouraging young children to care for the environment can influence the way future generations will live on our planet.

Nurseries that are modelled on social, environmental and financial sustainability are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. This is because parents are keen to educate their children from an early age on the importance of sustainability and help them develop a respect for all life; human, animal or plant.

A few things to take into consideration when trying to understand how green and sustainable a nursery is:

• Is the nursery teaching children about eco-friendly activities, protecting our environment and sustainability including topics such as renewable energy, fossil fuels, endangered species, global warming and climate education?
• Is the nursery reducing its impact on the planet’s resources by reducing plastic waste, consumption of energy, air pollution, water, paper and toxic chemicals?
• Is the nursery recycling and reusing items?
• Is the nursery educating not only the children, but parents and the wider community about sustainability?

How can schools be eco-friendly?

You can also implement these changes into your nursery choice too. If you do not believe your nursery school is making the correct choices about the environment chat to your nursery manager or the teachers to see how you can make a difference, not only on Earth Day but every day.

Here’s Grandir UK’s top tips to finding an eco-friendly nursery and preschool that’s right for you:

1. Environmental education

The best way to make change is to educate the younger generation. The perfect way is to teach in a way that creates healthy habits. Start by teaching children about the environmental movement. Earth Day, what it is and what it means. Then implement these into your every day nursery routine, simple things such as tree planting, reusable containers, recycling, minimising pollution and caring for our planet. At Grandir UK it is important to create a green economy. Other nurseries may view this differently, however, we believe this can only happen with educating our children to make better choices about our planet.

Start small and help your child grow to be a youth activist and to fight for our planet and sustainable development.

2. Find a nursery which supports ecological living as part of their curriculum

If you are passionate about the environment, look for nurseries and preschools who teach children the basics of eco-friendly action such as recycling, gardening or climate change.

Grandir UK nurseries and preschools have an Environmentally Aware & Responsible module in their curriculum, and their Sow & Grow activity is a regular occurrence in each setting.

This programme teaches children the basics of where food comes from, how plants grow, including photosynthesis and how the eco-system works. Not only that, but the children also actively plant light bulbs and look after flowers, fruit and vegetables in their nursery garden, as a hands-on teaching method.

3. Look for nurseries with greener spaces 

Outdoor play is a big part of the EYFS framework, and many nurseries and preschools will have a garden, outdoor space or take their children on regular outings to the local park.

But why not take this one step further and look for a nursery that encompasses a Forest School setting?

Forest schools provide an early year’s education that focuses on hands on, outdoor learning in a natural environment. Forest Schools will have a qualified teacher who will carry out a wide variety of activities such as outdoor cooking, working with natural resources and learning about different plants and wildlife.

4. School environment

Many of the Grandir UK nurseries and preschools try to avoid plastic as much as possible. We try to incorporate wooden toys and equipment into our day nurseries and preschools.

Our nurseries recycle and reuse to help create a sustainable environment.

5. Search for nurseries with environmental awards 

If a stamp of approval is what you need to help make your nursery choice, look for nurseries that have achieved an eco-award.

The Eco-Schools’ Green Flag Award is a great example of this!

This organisation sets out to educate children on environmental concerns and to engage the next generation to take eco-friendly action. Nurseries, preschools and schools follow a seven-step framework to work towards achieving an Eco-Schools’ Green Flag.

A few of our Grandir UK have gained their Eco-School Green Flag award.

6. Future generations

It’s not about a great global cleanup, and it does not take hundreds of millions of people to make a change, it starts with you. Work together with your children and their nurseries to help make a difference and find out how you can help.

These are just some of the things to look out for when choosing an Eco-Friendly nursery and there are many Grandir UK nurseries and preschools which have environmentally friendly spaces, activities and accreditations.  By working together to live in a natural world and to preserve our planet. 

Why should I care if my child’s nursery is sustainable? 

A more sustainable planet is possible if the next generation is educated. Young children can grow up with an understanding of how to look after the planet and can in turn influence their parents and others. Children and parents can learn a lot about sustainability from nurseries.

Nurseries can influence their staff, parents and children too. Nurseries are caring for a future generation and whatever actions nursery providers take can leave a footprint that impacts on the world children grow up into. That’s why sustainability matters.

Earth Day Events at Grandir UK

Grandir UK will use April 22 to promote sustainability in their local community. Follow some of our fun activities and green jobs our children will be doing on our social pages, Facebook and Instagram.

Find your local Nursery & Preschool on the Grandir UK website and join in on some eco-friendly fun!