As well as working towards environmental goals for the school, we empower pupils to be agents for change through our Sustainability Programme.
With the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint, we aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and create a united vision for the entire Wellington family around the globe.
Creating A Sustainable School
Here are some of the things we’re doing to make Wellington more sustainable…
Wellington boasts beautiful 400-acre grounds with diverse habitats. A fifth of the estate is designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and includes an SSSI for health land and bog.
Students carry out around 250 hours of conservation management each year. We have over 120 bird boxes on site and over 70,000 bulbs were planted in 2021 to encourage pollinators.
100% of our tree waste gets chipped and turned into mulch and 95% of the green waste gets composted on site.
Wellington achieves around 50% recycling, we have recently achieved a 30% reduction in food waste and we recycle around 1 tonne of food waste a week.
The catering department has its own herb garden which is used in daily menus, and single use plastic cups have been replaced with glasses.
All new buildings are heated by solar panels and employ water saving systems and we have begun to transfer our minibus fleet to electric vehicles.
We repurpose hundreds of pieces of furniture to go charities and other schools.
Meet Ana Romero, Head of Sustainability
Ana Romero is Head of Sustainability at Wellington and the lead representative for the Berkshire Schools Eco-Network. Ana is regularly invited to attend COP Summits and uses her vast expertise to inspire students and faculty by embedding sustainability and global education across school life.
Her work as Educator and Senior Advisor in climate matters for the UN’s Capacity-Building and for Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) has motivated her to lead a series of initiatives – locally, nationally and internationally – to empower young people and faculty in and beyond schools.
Before joining Wellington, Ana worked as an advisor to local governments in Latin America, as well as an environmental expert for international NGOs in the field of environment, climate change and global citizenship. She is originally from Mexico, is a triathlete and ultra-runner and enjoys baking and solving puzzles.
Sustainability Education
At Wellington we empower pupils to take ownership through a Sustainability Committee, Sustainability Prefects and a dedicated Sustainability Day.
Our co-curricular Sustainability Programme, created in collaboration with SEEd, encourages students to take part in action learning projects. They have already developed initiatives like an aquaponic system to feed plants used in the kitchens.
We share best practices by partnering with a wide range of national and local organisations like Crowthorne Reduce Our Waste and Berkshire Schools Eco-Network. Each year Wellington hosts The Festival of Education, and 2022 saw the introduction of a popular sustainability strand which showcased environmental resources, tools and materials to teachers from the UK and beyond.