SustFest22 had free events for school staff, free school assemblies for teachers to use and activities at schools across the district. Thousands of students in St Albans, Harpenden and the villages got eco-logical for 2022’s Sustainability Festival.
See our Supporters page for a list of the district schools that got involved.
Our free Sustainability Festival school assemblies
Our free, dedicated Sustainability Festival school assemblies have options for EYFS/Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 as well as Secondary school students. Although the festival is over, you are still welcome to use them.
About SustFest
The Sustainability Festival (SustFest) is an annual 2 week festival of sustainability events across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Each year, schools, scouting and guiding groups take part, ranging from practical activities, such as tree planting or restoring school ponds, to assemblies and pupil conferences, for example about reducing plastic.
About the Sustainable Schools Group
SustFest Schools’ Week is particularly supported by the Sustainable St Albans Schools Group – a group of volunteers who help schools become more sustainable. Visit our Sustainable Schools webpages for teaching resources, action ideas and to sign up to our newsletter. We’ll help you become a greener St Albans District school!
We hold termly Networking Events for Teachers, Senior Leadership, PTAs and School Governors of St Albans District schools.
Ideas for SustFest Schools/Youth Activities
A whole week or a few young people on one activity – it’s up to you how much you do for SustFest but we’d love to have you on board each year!
Hold an enrichment day/week around….
- appreciating and protecting nature
- reduce / reuse / recycle
- climate change
Debate and Discuss
- get the students to take the lead – student conferences, debates, strategy meetings and assemblies are all appropriate for older students to run
Grow/Eat Food
- get parents to come in and dig over the veg beds
- plant seeds in newspaper pots
- take a group of children to help at Incredible Edible St Albans community food growing plots.
- build bug hotels
- plant a tree
- explore vegan cookery
- learn about sustainable fish
Energy
- monitor lights and interactive whiteboards to see if they are switched off
- launch a fundraising campaign for solar panels on your roof
- mount an anti-idling campaign aimed at parents for drop-off and pick-up
Nature
- explore a local park or nature area and find nature on your doorstep
- go on a bug hunt
- make pictures out of sticks and leaves
- leaf-rubbing
- pond-dipping
- bird-watching
Waste
- have a “waste free lunch” challenge and try to cut food waste for the week
- do a litter pick
- build a greenhouse out of plastic bottles
- mount a campaign to use both sides of paper in school
- read Duffy the Sea Turtle or Hunter’s Icy Adventrure and other books in the series to learn about plastics and marine life
Be inspired by SustFest21
Schools Week for SustFest21 was 24th May to 28th May 2021. Every school in St Albans District was invited to get involved.
Click here to see the Schools pages of the SustFest21 programme with many of the schools involved listed along side the activity they ran.
Click here to see photos of activities in SustFest21 – the Schools/Youth section
Sustainability Festival 