Julie Rowlandson is the Sustainability Officer at St Barts Multi Academy Trust. Her passion for integrating sustainability into education has driven her journey from teacher to headteacher, through to sustainability officer for the trust. In this interview, Julie shares her journey and practical insights on prioritising environmental sustainability within an academy trust.
What was the key driver for you and your trust to prioritise and focus on environmental sustainability? How did those initial conversations happen, and what was your role in that?
My passion for environmental sustainability has always been a core part of my journey, throughout my career as a teacher, headteacher, and forest school leader. With a background in environmental biology, it felt natural to integrate sustainability into my professional life.
Within our trust, the initial push for sustainability came from the trustees’ curiosity. They recognised the importance of sustainable practices and environmental education, but still needed to shape their vision. The early conversations were very much about exploring possibilities; what actions we could take, how to go about them, and identifying the right leaders for these initiatives.
“both pupils and staff were increasingly advocating for more sustainable practices within our schools.”
Simultaneously, both pupils and staff were increasingly advocating for more sustainable practices within our schools. This growing demand aligned perfectly with the trustees’ curiosity and desire to do more around sustainability.
As these discussions evolved, I transitioned from my role as a principal to become the sustainability strategic leader for the trust. My focus is now on finding solutions and implementing sustainable practices across our operations, driven by both the trust’s commitment and the expectations of our trust community.
There are lots of competing priorities for trusts, demanding money and attention – how did the executive team and the board come to the conclusion that environmental sustainability was going to be a priority?
The executive team and the board recognised the profound moral obligation to secure a more sustainable future for our children. Everyone was united in the belief that we would not be fulfilling our duty to the next generation if we didn’t address environmental sustainability, and this strong sense of responsibility helped to make it a top priority, despite the many other demands on our resources.
From the outset, we knew that our sustainability efforts couldn’t demand a significant financial investment. However, as discussions progressed, we identified a compelling business case for sustainability, and we began to see the potential for cost savings and increased efficiencies that investment in sustainable practices could bring.
“we identified a compelling business case for sustainability, and we began to see the potential for cost savings and increased efficiencies that investment in sustainable practices could bring.”
We also understood that to make a real impact, sustainability had to be woven into every aspect of our operations. This perspective allowed us to effectively integrate sustainability into our broader strategic goals, ensuring it became a core part of our mission as a trust.
