Sustainably Kellett

Sustainably Kellett is a whole school focus to ensure that sustainability is a key consideration in all aspects of day-to-day life at Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong.

We are fortunate to have students and staff who are passionate about this cause. Our collaborative aim goes beyond reducing our own impact on the environment, we strive to be a beacon school for sustainability, inspiring others to follow.

In 2019 Kellett undertook, what we believe was a first for a school in Hong Kong, an independent Green Audit. This reviewed our impact on the environment, assessing areas such as waste, water, transport, and energy use, and provided recommendations for how we could reduce our environmental footprint. Some key eco-developments include:

• Recycling of plastics, food, paper and metal at each campus
• Phasing out single use plastic in favour of non-plastic or recyclable materials
• Air travel by staff and students offset, with the offset money earmarked for green school initiatives, including a sustainable entrepreneurship fund that students can bid for
• Monitoring and reduction of energy use, for example by switching to LED lights
• A new swimming pool blanket to reduce heat loss

We have also partnered with Retykle to offer our secondhand school uniforms on their existing platform to help address the challenge of school uniform waste.

Our efforts now focus on our contribution to achieving the all-important, Sustainable Development Goals. The goals are explicitly taught in a range of subject lessons, with the aim of ensuring all students have an understanding of the global goals and how they link to so many aspects of our education, our lives and worldwide issues.

We have student leadership roles, a Head and Deputy Head Prefect for Sustainability in Senior, who run lunchtime forums, clubs and groups for students, as well as organising an annual sustainability event. At the Prep level there are Green Student Counsellors who advocate and organise activities for their peers.

Our Eco-School Committee of students is working towards the first Green Flag accreditation for a Hong Kong school. This committee is carrying out curriculum audits, surveys, and more to help us integrate sustainability into more aspects of a Kellett education.

View Kellett’s signing ceremony of the Sustainable Schools Charter here.