From S’mores to Sustainable Systems: One Year as a Green Changemaker in Further Education

It’s been a year since I completed the Green Changemakers programme. A year that has transformed not only how I see my role in Further Education, but how I understand change itself. 

As Sustainable Curriculum Lead at Solihull College & University Centre, working alongside Dr Megan Wakefield, I have always believed that education has a role far beyond the classroom walls. What I lacked was a structured way to turn that belief into everyday practice. The Green Changemakers programme gave me not just tools, but a shift in thinking: sustainability was no longer something to bolt onto what we do, but something that should shape how we think. 

This idea sits at the heart of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). UNESCO highlights that sustainability education should develop competencies such as systems thinking, critical reflection, and agency. Instead of teaching sustainability as a topic, ESD encourages us to nurture the ability to recognise connections, examine assumptions, and make decisions with wider impact in mind. That subtle shift from knowledge to mindset has influenced everything that followed. 

Designing a Green Curriculum From the Ground Up 

This change in thinking led to the design and launch of the Green Pioneer Award, a tiered framework that recognises how departments embed sustainability into their curriculum, teaching and culture. Rather than judging the number of sustainability projects completed, the award focuses on behaviours: collaboration, critical questioning, and a willingness to experiment and learn. 

Departments have approached this in ways that are meaningful to their own discipline. 

Early Years began routinely using Scrap Store materials for sustainable play environments, modelling circular economy principles. Foundation Studies introduced grounding activities and bio-jars, helping students connect with nature as part of their wellbeing. This is supported by research from Richardson, Lumber and Sheffield (2017), which suggests that nature connectedness leads to increased pro-environmental behaviour and improved mental health. Animal Care fully embraced sustainability by embedding it into habitat enrichment, land management and discussions about animal welfare, demonstrating the relationship between ecological sustainability and animal wellbeing. Even A-Level English, traditionally perceived as rigid due to assessment frameworks, explored themes of sustainability through literature and critical debate. 

What unified these examples was not a directive, but a shared shift in perspective. Sustainability was no longer an additional task; it became a lens through which the curriculum could be explored. 

Fireside Conversations That Changed Everything 

One of the most significant moments of the year happened not inside a classroom or office, but outside around a firepit. 

Our Sustainable Stories session invited staff to bring a chair, a mug, and no expectations. Without PowerPoint or handouts, we simply asked colleagues to talk about their relationship with sustainability, what motivates them, what worries them, and how it relates to their subjects or professional identity. 

As the fire crackled and people relaxed, the conversation changed from practicalities to purpose. Behaviour change research (Michie et al., Behaviour Change Wheel) shows that actions are most likely to change when people experience a sense of shared meaning and collective agency. In that moment, I could see it happening. 

A member of staff summed it up as the session ended: 

“I came thinking sustainability was extra work. I’m leaving thinking it’s meaningful work.” 

That moment captured what every framework and action plan aims to achieve: a genuine shift in mindset. 

Practical Tools, Lasting Culture 

Alongside these cultural shifts, we continued to build the structures that make lasting change possible. This included: 

• Carbon Literacy Training for staff, helping them build confidence to talk about climate issues. 
• CPD exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and curriculum mapping. 
• A cross-college SDG science fair, where students showcased projects linked to real-world issues. 
• Padlet-based resource hubs to share teaching ideas and examples. 

Kotter’s work on organisational change highlights that progress becomes real when it is visible and celebrated. The Green Pioneer Award did exactly that. It provided both recognition and accountability, giving staff a clear direction while allowing them the freedom to interpret sustainability in a way that suited their subject and learners. 

Increasingly, staff began asking to be involved rather than waiting to be invited. Students began initiating ideas of their own, and the conversation shifted from “what do we have to do?” to “what could we try next?” 

Lessons for the Sector 

Reflecting on this past year, several insights stand out: 

• Cultural change begins with mindset, not metrics. When people feel ownership, meaningful work follows. 
• Embedding sustainability into existing curriculum pathways is far more effective than adding standalone activities. It builds relevance and avoids overload. 
• Recognition matters. A structured system such as the Green Pioneer Award makes sustainability visible, valued and celebrated. 
• Professional development is essential. Staff need time and space to explore sustainability within their own identity and expertise. 
• Students are powerful contributors. When they are involved early, the work becomes authentic and energising. 

Further Education is uniquely positioned to lead the sustainability transition. Our strong industry ties, community connections and practical learning environments make us a natural driver for change. By embedding sustainability into curriculum planning, staff development and college culture, we can prepare learners not only for employment, but for a rapidly changing world. 

This past year has shown me that sustainable change rarely starts with a project plan. More often, it starts with people — with conversations, shared stories, and new ways of seeing the world. 

Sometimes those moments happen in meetings or classrooms. And sometimes, they happen around a fire, with s’mores. 

By Craig McCauley, Curriculum Development Lead and Green Changemaker, Solihull College & University Centre