We believe that schools should be shining examples of sustainability and environmental guardianship. Equally, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience emotionally rewarding encounters with British nature and wildlife. A three-year study by the RSPB found that only one in five British children are “positively connected to nature”. We believe that a playing field of cut grass is not good enough. Wide ranging data is telling us that UK wildlife is in serious decline, yet our children struggle to name even the most iconic species such as Oak Tree, Barn Owl or the Peacock Butterfly. We believe that schools must be places which inspire our children to become knowledgeable and involved stewards of the natural world. Research tells us that children love nature! Yet their access to quality experiences with nature varies enormously. Children will not seek to protect what they cannot name, nor will they fall in love with what they cannot see.
The EWF seeks to rebalance the inequitable distribution of access to nature, with the funding of capital projects that enable schools to give children a sense of awe and wonder about the natural world. This could be funding to build beautiful landscaped gardens, outdoor-classrooms, interactive carbon footprint displays, solar cells, living biophilic walls, the purchase of land to turn into a learning forest. As with all our projects, decisions must involve children and inspire the local community.