Growing a greener future: Grandir UK becomes a Bronze Level Carbon Literate Organisation

We’re proud to share that Grandir UK is now recognised as a Bronze level Carbon Literate Organisation, becoming the first UK early years education provider to achieve this milestone!

This recognition reflects the training, commitment and practical actions already taking place across our nurseries and support teams to reduce our environmental impact and build a more sustainable future.

Achieving this accreditation marks an important step forward not only for our organisation, but also for the wider early years sector, helping to set a benchmark for sustainability within early education.

Caron Moseley-Helbert, Sales & Marketing Director and Head of CSR at Grandir UK, reflecting on the achievement stated:

“As an early years education organisation, we have a responsibility not only to the children and families we support today, but to the world those children will inherit tomorrow. Becoming a Bronze level Carbon Literate Organisation is an important step in honouring that responsibility.”

What is carbon literacy?

In simple terms, carbon literacy means understanding how climate change works and recognising how our everyday choices affect the environment.

It gives people the knowledge to:

• Understand the carbon impact of daily activities
• Make more informed decisions about energy, waste and resources
• Take practical, realistic steps to reduce emissions at home and at work

For our colleagues, carbon literacy training provides clear, evidence-based information and helps build confidence in turning that knowledge into meaningful action. Rather than feeling overwhelming, it focuses on small, achievable changes that add up over time.

What Bronze level status means in practice

Becoming a Bronze level Carbon Literate Organisation is about more than completing training. It recognises that we are embedding climate awareness into how we operate as a whole organisation.

This includes:

• Colleagues across our nurseries and Support Office completing accredited Carbon Literacy training
• Making commitments to reduce our carbon footprint
• Reviewing our everyday practices, from energy use to resource management, through a more sustainable lens

For families, this means reassurance that sustainability is not just a statement on our website, but something we are actively working towards in practical, measurable ways.

Why this matters in early years

The early years are a time when children begin to understand the world around them and develop habits that can stay with them for life. Young children are naturally curious about nature, seasons and living things, which makes sustainability a natural part of their learning and development.

By strengthening our own understanding of climate change, our teams can create rich, age-appropriate learning experiences that help children:

• Care for plants, animals and outdoor spaces
• Learn how to reuse, recycle and reduce waste in simple ways
• Understand that small actions can make a positive difference

Across our nurseries, this already comes to life through sustainability activities such as recycling projects, gardening and growing spaces, Forest School sessions, and child-led eco initiatives like Eco-school activities that encourage children to share their ideas and take part in caring for their environment.

This isn’t about introducing complex or worrying topics. Instead, it’s about nurturing kindness, responsibility and curiosity through everyday activities.

Leading the way in the early years sector

As the first UK early years education provider to achieve Bronze level Carbon Literate Organisation status, we’re proud to be helping lead positive change within the sector.

Early years settings play a unique role in shaping future generations, yet sustainability has not always been a central focus in professional training across the sector. By investing in carbon literacy for our teams, we are helping to build knowledge, confidence and consistency in how sustainability is approached in early childhood education.

We hope this milestone encourages more organisations across education and childcare to explore carbon literacy and work together to reduce our collective environmental impact.

Our journey doesn’t stop at Bronze

This achievement is an important step in our sustainability journey, but it is only the beginning – our next goal is achieving Silver! Over the coming months, we will continue to build on this foundation by:

• Expanding Carbon Literacy training to more colleagues across our organisation
• Sharing practical examples of how our nurseries are reducing waste, saving energy and caring for their local environments
• Offering families simple ideas and inspiration they can choose to explore at home

A journey we’re proud to take together

Becoming a Bronze level Carbon Literate Organisation reflects the enthusiasm, dedication and creativity of our colleagues, who are already finding thoughtful ways to make a difference in their settings and teams. It also reflects the trust families place in us to care not only for their children today, but for the world those children will inherit.

We’ll continue to share updates, ideas and stories from across our nurseries as our journey progresses. Together, we can help children grow up in an environment that shows them their actions matter and that caring for the planet is simply part of caring for each other.