Why 'Green' Isn't Enough: Sustainability in ECEC

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH: What the 2025 Data Reveals About Sustainability in ECEC It's likely your service has a beautiful garden. Recycling systems are sorted. Nature play is happening. So why does something still feel incomplete? Project Sustainability Collective has just released data based on 300+ Australian ECEC services in our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 It reveals that 88% of services focus mainly on environmental sustainability, while social, cultural, and economic dimensions remain largely unseen. The good news? The environmental work you're already doing doesn't need to change, it needs to deepen. When children share toys, they're learning fairness. When they notice water running down the drain, they're thinking about community needs. When they play with natural materials, they're connecting to place and culture. These aren't separate lessons. They're the fuller picture of the work you're already doing. The EYLF 2.0 Sustainability Principle calls for exactly this: interconnected environmental, social, and economic understanding, embedded throughout practice. Ready to broaden your approach without adding extra work? 📖Read the full article: Why 'Green' Isn't Enough 🔗https://lnkd.in/gt-dM6BN Or download our free EYLF Principle Decoder to see how the three domains show up in your daily program. 🔗https://lnkd.in/gHc7MgXu #SustainabilityECEC #EYLF 2.0 #Embedded sustainability #Earlychildhoodeducation #SustainabilitySnapshot2025ECEC #ProjectSustainabilityCollective

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH: What the 2025 Data Reveals About Sustainability in ECEC It's likely your service has a beautiful garden. Recycling systems are sorted. Nature play is happening. So why does something still feel incomplete? Project Sustainability Collective has just released data based on 300+ Australian ECEC services in our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 It reveals that 88% of services focus mainly on environmental sustainability, while social, cultural, and economic dimensions remain largely unseen. The good news? The environmental work you're already doing doesn't need to change, it needs to deepen. When children share toys, they're learning fairness. When they notice water running down the drain, they're thinking about community needs. When they play with natural materials, they're connecting to place and culture. These aren't separate lessons. They're the fuller picture of the work you're already doing. The EYLF 2.0 Sustainability Principle calls for exactly this: interconnected environmental, social, and economic understanding, embedded throughout practice. Ready to broaden your approach without adding extra work? 📖Read the full article: Why 'Green' Isn't Enough 🔗https://lnkd.in/gVjcsitE Or download our free EYLF Principle Decoder to see how the three domains show up in your daily program. 🔗https://lnkd.in/gPZjbxHz #SustainabilityECEC #EYLF 2.0 #Embedded sustainability #Earlychildhoodeducation #SustainabilitySnapshot2025ECEC #ProjectSustainabilityCollective

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH: What the 2025 Data Reveals About Sustainability in ECEC It's likely your service has a beautiful garden. Recycling systems are sorted. Nature play is happening. So why does something still feel incomplete? Project Sustainability Collective has just released data based on 300+ Australian ECEC services in our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 It reveals that 88% of services focus mainly on environmental sustainability, while social, cultural, and economic dimensions remain largely unseen. The good news? The environmental work you're already doing doesn't need to change, it needs to deepen. When children share toys, they're learning fairness. When they notice water running down the drain, they're thinking about community needs. When they play with natural materials, they're connecting to place and culture. These aren't separate lessons. They're the fuller picture of the work you're already doing. The EYLF 2.0 Sustainability Principle calls for exactly this: interconnected environmental, social, and economic understanding, embedded throughout practice. Ready to broaden your approach without adding extra work? 📖Read the full article: Why 'Green' Isn't Enough 🔗https://lnkd.in/gVjcsitE Or download our free EYLF Principle Decoder to see how the three domains show up in your daily program. 🔗https://lnkd.in/gPZjbxHz #SustainabilityECEC #EYLF 2.0 #Embedded sustainability #Earlychildhoodeducation #SustainabilitySnapshot2025ECEC #ProjectSustainabilityCollective

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH Many early childhood services proudly care for gardens, reduce waste, and model respect for the environment. Yet our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 reveals that most services still describe sustainability almost entirely through environmental action. While these efforts are vital, they tell only part of the story. EYLF 2.0 calls for a more integrated view. One that includes social, cultural, and economic domains alongside the environmental. When educators expand their lens, sustainability becomes visible in every part of their work: in relationships, routines, and shared decision-making. Explore what the 2025 data reveals and how small shifts in perspective can strengthen practice across your service. Access the full Sustainability Snapshot 2025: 🔗https://lnkd.in/gVwTKuu2 🔗 Read: Why “Green” Isn’t Enough → https://lnkd.in/gfxckG6J 🔗Download the EYLF Principle Decoder: https://lnkd.in/g2tYjhwV 💬 Reflect: How does your service currently describe sustainability in your philosophy or Quality Improvement Plan? @ACECQA @EarlyChildAust #EarlyChildhoodSustainability #EYLF2025 #EmbeddingSustainability #ECEC

WHY 'GREEN' ISN'T ENOUGH Many early childhood services proudly care for gardens, reduce waste, and model respect for the environment. Yet our Sustainability Snapshot 2025 reveals that most services still describe sustainability almost entirely through environmental action. While these efforts are vital, they tell only part of the story. EYLF 2.0 calls for a more integrated view. One that includes social, cultural, and economic domains alongside the environmental. When educators expand their lens, sustainability becomes visible in every part of their work: in relationships, routines, and shared decision-making. Explore what the 2025 data reveals and how small shifts in perspective can strengthen practice across your service. Access the full Sustainability Snapshot 2025: 🔗https://lnkd.in/g-nyEKiU 🔗 Read: Why “Green” Isn’t Enough → https://lnkd.in/gt-dM6BN 🔗Download the EYLF Principle Decoder: https://lnkd.in/gHc7MgXu 💬 Reflect: How does your service currently describe sustainability in your philosophy or Quality Improvement Plan? @ACECQA @EarlyChildAust #EarlyChildhoodSustainability #EYLF2025 #EmbeddingSustainability #ECEC

One week on from the SUSTAIN - The Midlands' Sustainability UnConference Last Thursday I was in Birmingham for an event that broke from the usual format. No presentations, no keynote speeches, just open, honest discussions shaped by the people in the room… … and oh, how refreshing it was! Throughout the conversations, one theme stood out - the cost of sustainability. Not the environmental one, but the financial implications associated with acting ethically. So the question lies, how do we make the case for change when greener options are often seen as more expensive? The answer that came through was clear: awareness costs nothing. When people see what is really happening with their waste, energy and resources, they start to make different decisions, and we were proud to play our part in helping make that possible at the event. Together with ChangeKitchen CIC, who catered the day, we provided bins for general waste and food scraps. Everything was sustainably composted afterwards, turning what would have been waste into valuable resources. It was a small but powerful example of how closing the loop can work in practice, something which sits at the core of Echologika 🌍🌿♻️ As a 2025 Net-Zero Product of the Year Award nominee, an Innovate UK Net Zero supplier and a proud member of ReLondon and Sustainability West Midlands, we are committed to leading the change in waste management. #Sustainability #UnConference #plasticfreefuture #plasticfree #sustainablebusiness #circulareconomy #climateresilience #echologika #peopleandplanet #plasticfreefuture #foodwasteinnovation #purposeledbusiness #businessforgood #betterbusiness

Just released! We are excited to share our 2024 Sustainability & Community Report. It reflects the progress we’ve made — and the work still ahead — as we deepen our commitment to responsible business practices and water stewardship. This report showcases how we’re bringing our vision of #ABetterWorldTogether to life, thoughtfully balancing the needs of people and planet. Explore our report and see how our #OneTeam is making a difference: https://loom.ly/4MA86RQ

To highlight a hidden gem within my company's 2024 Sustainability & Community Report, we look to Gilbert, AZ, found in the ever-expanding Phoenix metropolitan area. If anyone knows anything about Arizona, it's in a desert! Water conservation is extraordinarily crucial to the public service systems in arid climates. "In 1986, the Town of Gilbert made a commitment to reuse 100% of its effluent water" according to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. Inframark allocates two million gallons of the secondary effluent (reclaimed water) PER DAY from its wastewater treatment project in Gilbert to the Riparian Preserve. The remainder of the effluent is reused for other public service purposes. For context, the "Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) recently released a new groundwater model covering the Hassayampa and East and West Salt River Valley Sub-basins of the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA)" according to Arizona State University. Gilbert is found within the East Salt River Valley Sub-basin, that of which is projected to have an "unmet demand" over the next century. In other words, there is not enough groundwater! I am proud to be part of a team that has direct impact on social sustainability and provides climate resiliency of this caliber. To learn more, follow the links below. https://loom.ly/4MA86RQ https://lnkd.in/emxgrMQd https://lnkd.in/e2YnxYvs https://lnkd.in/eBquu6DM

We need to rise to the challenge and act now! The campaign for ecological sustainability is vital and urgent. We need to preserve the future of our planet for generations to come by enforcing policies and regulations that reflect our collective commitment. By doing so, we can ensure that our industrial activities remain within acceptable ecological boundaries. Manufacturing and service companies play a significant role in contributing to ecological depletion, impacting our planet's natural resources and ecosystems. To mitigate these adverse effects, it is essential to implement rigorous enforcement of environmental policies and regulations across all sectors. This involves not only adhering to established standards but also embracing innovative practices of Industry 5.0 such as sustainable sourcing, waste reduction strategies, circular economy, and energy efficiency improvements. By prioritizing ecological responsibility, businesses can help foster a healthier planet while also enhancing their long-term viability and reputation in an increasingly environmentally conscious market. Thus, Industry 5.0 principles can not be over-emphasized. It is essential to critically analyze the current implementation of Industry 5.0 and assess its effectiveness in steering us toward the future we aspire to create. This innovative approach, which emphasizes a synergistic relationship between humans and advanced technologies, must be meticulously executed to unlock its full potential. If the principles of Industry 5.0 are not thoroughly and accurately applied across various sectors, we risk undermining our ability to realize the transformative future we seek. A successful integration requires not only technological advancement but also a commitment to ethical practices, workforce training, and sustainability, ensuring that we foster a harmonious coexistence that benefits society.

Sustainability Tool of the Week: ENCORE – Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure A regional manufacturing company is preparing its first nature-related disclosure. The team already reports on carbon emissions and energy use, but now they are being asked a deeper question: “Where does your company depend on nature for value, and where could that same relationship create risk?” To answer that, they turn to ENCORE. ENCORE was developed by Global Canopy, the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) to help businesses and financial institutions see how their operations both rely on and affect ecosystems. Through a science-based framework, ENCORE connects over 270 economic activities (agriculture, manufacturing) with the natural services they depend on, such as water flow, soil health, and pollination. It also highlights where those same activities may place stress on nature through land use, emissions, or resource extraction. One of ENCORE’s most powerful features is its mapping function, which visualizes hotspots of natural capital depletion across the world. Users can explore regions and identify where their operations may face the highest environmental risks or dependencies, turning data into location-based insights. For companies beginning to align with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), ENCORE provides a practical way to screen for potential nature-related risks and opportunities before they become financial or reputational issues. 📸: ENCORE Webpage #SustainabilityTools #TNFD #NaturalCapital #Biodiversity #NaturePositive #ESG