Introduction: A Milestone We Didn’t Particularly Want to Hit

Congratulations, Earth, you’ve done it again. Another record-breaking year! 2024 has claimed the title of the hottest year on record, tipping over the critical 1.5°C global temperature threshold. While this may sound like the Earth’s equivalent of a fever we just can’t shake, let’s not just dwell on the problem; let’s talk solutions—specifically, education’s role in turning this crisis into an opportunity for action.

Education, particularly Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), has never been more important. It’s not just about understanding the problem but equipping individuals and communities with the tools to create meaningful solutions. Let’s dive into the science, what’s at stake, and how education is our way forward.

The 1.5°C Threshold: Keep Your Cool

You’ve probably heard “1.5°C” tossed around in climate conversations more times than you’ve heard the phrase “net zero.” But what does it really mean? Think ...

Sustainable development is key to the continued survival of humans and the planet as we know it. Without sustainability, there will be no future generations to meet nor teach.

Educators all over the world hold the enormous responsibility to educate our future world leaders, business owners and civil society.

If all educators begin to transfer sustainability awareness and teach green skills, we can inspire collective action on a much larger scale, forming tomorrow’s leaders to ensure we can achieve sustainable development

What are Sustainable Teaching Practices?

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with huge amounts of information at a pace never seen before. This requires constant development, adaptation, and analysis of the world around us and our place within it.

Sustainable practices enhance the quality of life for all, addressing issues like health, education, and equal opportunity. Pollution and poor water &air quality are all threats to human health.

“Global citize...

In collaboration with the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH), Fifty Shades Greener has created the first Level 4 certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. 

This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework with the first green manager awarded the qualification in April of this year!  

This is truly a pinch me moment for me, having suffered from impostor syndrome for years, to have one of my programmes validated in a framework of education is an amazing achievement.  

Sustainable Hospitality

FSG was born out of the hospitality sector, with all people in my team having come from a background in hospitality, and our educational programmes respond to an urgent need to address the sector’s environmental impact, attract new talent and reduce cost. 

Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we really want to provoke a mind-set chan...

Odran Lucey, executive chef at the Rose Hotel in Tralee, Ireland, has become the first person in the world to successfully complete a brand-new qualification for Environmental Sustainability Management in Hospitality.

Fifty Shades Greener (FSG) and the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) joined forces in late 2021 to create the first Level 4 (Level 6 in Ireland) certificate in environmental sustainability management in hospitality. This is the first qualification of its kind to be regulated as an official qualification on the Ofqual framework of education.

“Reducing carbon emissions should be something that becomes paramount in our daily routines if we really want to provoke a mind-set change. Environmental education is key to driving this transformation and the general education system has a responsibility to not only prepare learners for the world of work, but provide them with the skills to influence employers, politicians and the wider society. This can be achieved throu...