IMPACT REPORT
2026
OPNY
Powered By People
Dear Community,
Climate change is no longer just an environmental challenge – it is an educational, economic and societal challenge, with schools uniquely placed to drive systemic change.
With around 15% of the UK's population in education at any one time, schools represent one of the country's most powerful platforms for accelerating climate action, shaping lifelong behaviours and strengthening community resilience.
Every school is now expected to develop a Climate Action Plan under the Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, creating an unprecedented opportunity to embed sustainability into everyday education.
During the 2025–26 academic year, Our Planet Needs You (OPNY) launched its pilot programme across 10 schools in Hammersmith & Fulham, demonstrating that climate action can be measurable, engaging and scalable.
Rather than delivering isolated environmental projects, OPNY brings together climate education, behaviour change, community engagement and data-driven impact measurement within a single platform, helping schools deliver meaningful environmental, social and economic outcomes.
We Are Growing
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We Are Growing 〰️
The pilot was the first step towards a much bigger vision.
In 2026–27, OPNY will launch a unified digital platform for onboarding, volunteer management, live impact reporting and evidence collection, while expanding across Hammersmith & Fulham, and beyond towards 100 schools across London.
Alongside this growth, we are strengthening our evidence framework to quantify the full environmental, social and economic value created through school climate action – providing government, schools, investors and partners with a scalable model capable of accelerating climate resilience across the UK.
We now invite you to explore the achievements and impact of this year's journey, and to celebrate what is possible when a community comes together around a shared purpose.
Together, we are proving that when lots of people make small changes, big things can happen.
Caty Keen, Marley Billing-Delapena and Janvi Poddar
Founding Team, Our Planet Needs You
Our Impact
Pilot Year 2025-2026
10 Schools
2k Students Reached
200 Tonnes of CO₂
Emissions Avoided
695 Volunteer Training Hours
Provided
1.5T of Preloved Clothing Collected
91 Green Dinners Served on Av. Per School Per Year
32 Community
Litter Picks Completed
36 Million Litres of Water Saved by Serving Meat-Free Meals Alone
92% of Students Participated in Active Travel Day
20-30% Reduction in Power Used by Participating Schools*
*Where data was availableImagine if every school in the UK worked together like this.
At scale, coordinated climate action and collective behaviour change could deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions, waste and litter.
Investing in schools is investing in our future
OPNY is not a statutory curriculum programme.
Instead, it delivers practical, year-round environmental challenges through schools that empower young people to change behaviours and take action–creating a ripple effect that extends into homes and local communities.
Why schools?
Schools are on the frontline of climate action!
Schools shape the knowledge, behaviours and values of the next generation. They are uniquely positioned to tackle climate change, not only by reducing their own environmental impact, but by empowering thousands of young people to become lifelong change-makers.
Across the UK, schools are already experiencing the effects of climate change through hotter classrooms, flooding, declining biodiversity and rising energy costs.
Working with school leadership teams and students to tackle these issues is vital to building resilient educational settings.
Also, when students change how they travel, eat, recycle and care for nature, those behaviours ripple into families and communities.
A single school can influence hundreds of households, creating lasting environmental and social change far beyond the classroom.
By supporting schools, we are investing in healthier communities, stronger local leadership and a more climate-resilient future.
Driving Progress Towards National Targets
Department for Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy
The Department for Education has mandated that every education setting produce a Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions, adapt to climate risks and prepare young people for a more sustainable future.
OPNY aims to support all participating schools in developing a plan, but also delivering it through measurable action and expert support across the following 4 pillars:
1.Climate Education & Green Skills
15% of the UK population is at school right now.
That’s a powerful opportunity to inspire lasting change at scale.
OPNY equips young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to take climate action now, while preparing them for the growing green economy and their role in building a more sustainable future.
2050 is the target year for the UK reaching net zero.
15% of all public sector emissions in the UK come from schools
OPNY helps schools decarbonise their estates through expert partnerships, funding and community engagement, supporting the UK’s net zero goals.
2.Decarbonisation & Net Zero
3.Adaptation & Resilience
24,500 schools are already experiencing the effects of climate change
through hotter classrooms, flooding, declining biodiversity and rising energy costs.
OPNY helps schools adapt to climate change – reducing emissions, building resilience and empowering whole-school communities to take meaningful climate action.
4. Biodiversity & Nature
3 Million m² of UK green spaces fall on school grounds.
OPNY helps schools increase green cover and biodiversity across their sites, improving air quality, enhancing habitats and increasing carbon sequestration through partnerships with expert delivery organisations.
LEAD THE CHANGE. BE THE CHANGE.
One Platform. Holistic Impact.
Every initiative creates measurable environmental, social and economic value for schools and their communities.