Could play be part of the solution for Leeds’s Zero Carbon aim?

Zero Carbon is one of the 3 main aims that Leeds City Council works towards, having declared a climate emergency in 2019. Leeds is also a city that prioritises play, and climate action and play are more connected than you might think…

Waste reduction

There are a number of waste reduction initiatives in Leeds which support the Council’s environmental goals by reducing landfill, as well as linking to play. For example, an award-winning project called the ‘Leeds Equipment and Kit Exchange Partnership (LEKEP)‘, which has supported children to have more opportunities to play sports.

Additionally, the Zero Waste Leeds winter coat appeal can allow children more freedom to play, hang out and have fun. This was clear when Leeds carried out a ‘Play Sufficiency assessment‘, as children mentioned that having a coat would support them to play outdoors through colder months.

Outdoor play and learning

Another case of climate action and play going hand in hand comes from looking at Grimes Dyke Primary School in Seacroft.

Grimes Dyke Primary school have been on a journey of rewilding their school grounds since 2019. Their fields have specific paths cut, so that the rest can grow free, with wildflowers for pollinators and long grass serving as an environment. At Grimes Dyke, pupils learn about nature, in nature. Children spend a lot of time outside learning and playing, and each child even has a pair of wellies as part of their school uniform!

Grimes Dyke hold the Woodland Trust gold award for our efforts and were recently shortlisted for the North of England Royal Forestry Society ‘Education and Learning’ Award. They were also recently invited to address the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee (CEAC) in March to tell the council all about their climate action work. Headteacher, Louise Hill, says it was a pretty scary experience for the pupils, but certainly made their voice heard.

You can listen to their presentation at just before 9 minutes:

Alongside this, Grimes Dyke have been awarded Platinum status by OPAL (Outdoor play and Learning) making them the first school in Leeds to have achieved this.

“OPAL is an award-winning, mentor supported school improvement programme that addresses all the areas that schools must plan for if they want to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities. OPAL is the only programme of its kind that has been independently proven to sustainably improve the quality of play in British primary schools.” – Grimes Dyke Primary website