At the Little Bears Nursery, we understand that the things we do on a day to day basis not only influences the future of our children at the nursery but can also make an impact to people’s lives on a global scale.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are part of a defining moment. It effects everyone, whereby it be visible or invisible, but we must particularly protect our children whose futures are threatened by climate change. Every year, environmental factors take the lives of 1.7 million children under five. This is why at the Little Bears Nursery we have made changes and will continue to make changes in order to protect our children and our planet.

As part of our sustainability initiative we have already begun growing fruit and vegetables, teaching the children about the importance of growing our own vegetables. By growing our own vegetables, we are dramatically cutting our food’s carbon footprint, by cutting down on the energy use, waste emissions that the food industry production, refrigeration and transportation requires. Parents may also purchase the vegetables the children grow, and all proceedings go towards buying items that will help to build the children’s future. Moreover, as part of the Little Bears ethos, we are continuously attempting to reduce as much waste as possible. Whilst our intention is to become a more environmentally conscious nursery, we also aim to teach the children how they can make greener choices and encourage them to tell their parents what they have learnt at the nursery.

Within the next few weeks we plan to make more changes to further become a more environmentally friendly establishment. We intend to ensure that when making weekly shopping orders we request that our items are not packed in plastic bags. To add to this, we are aware that one piece of cling film will stay undissolved on Earth for 300 years therefore we intend to replace the use of cling film where possible with more sustainable materials. Furthermore, we acknowledge that the waste of creative arts materials such as glitter and sequins, especially when washing these materials off our bodies, cause the most environmental damage to the ocean. For this reason, we aim to limit those and similar art materials solely to special occasions. At the Little Bears Nursery, we recognise that disposable nappies, which contains plastic and is packaged in plastic, releases a considerable amount of carbon emissions. That’s why we are currently in the process of trialling biodegradable nappies and wipes.

At the Little Bears Nursery, we understand that there are always things that we can do to fight climate change that’s why we will continue to research further ways to make more sustainable choices. We may hold the power to shape the future lives of our children that’s why we need to do everything we can to ensure our children and children around the world will live a safe and happy life.