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rocess of measuring their school's carbon footprint and allow them to explore what can be done at an individual and school level to reduce carbon emissions. Through this process, detectives will learn about some of the key issues related to climate change and have the opportunity to develop a list of practical actions their school can take to reduce its carbon footprint.

To calculate the school's carbon footprint, detectives will be asked to investigate how their school produces CO2 in a series of eight assignments focusing on different aspects of school life. The assignments will examine the following areas:

• Energy and Water - how much energy and water the school uses
• Food - the food eaten in the school including school meals, packed lunches, snacks and drinks
• Waste and Recycling – measuring waste and how it is disposed
• Travel - how people travel to and from school as well as the distance travelled by school vehicles and on school trips
• Purchasing - what paper and equipment the school buys
• Buildings and Grounds - the ground floor area of the school and the number of new trees planted each year

Once the assignments are completed detectives will discover the total amount of carbon dioxide their school produces as well as the size of the carbon footprint per person. From there, pupils can develop practical suggestions on ways their school can become more sustainable. Over time, schools will be able to monitor their progress and benchmark against similar schools.

Currently, schools account for 15% of public sector carbon emissions in the UK. Practical tips to reduce emissions include:

• Turning down the heating by just one degree can cut a school's heating bill by 8%
• Lighting makes up 25% of a school's energy bill:
  • Slimmer tube lighting uses 8% less energy
  • Energy saving light bulbs last longer than regular bulbs and use up to 75% less energy

Suzanne Webb, Deputy Head Teacher at Roundwood Primary School, Hertfordshire, said:
"The Carbon Detectives' Kit is a fantastic resource for schools and pupils alike. By becoming more sustainable a school can save money, improve the health, fitness and emotional well being of its pupils as well as contributing to environmental goals. Allowing pupils to investigate the link between their school's day to day actions and climate change is a great way to engage them in making their schools, and indeed their wider communities, more sustainable."

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families Kevin Brennan said:
"The future holds many challenges for young people. The DCSF Sustainable Schools initiative aims to empower children and young people to lead sustainable lives by teaching them the new skills and behaviours needed to become part of the solution to the world's big challenges.

"By asking pupils to investigate the sustainability performance of their school, we hope the Carbon Detectives' Kit will inspire them to make real and positive changes both to reduce their school's carbon emissions and more widely in every aspect of their lives."

The Sustainable Schools initiative aims to encourage schools to embrace the principles of sustainable development in their everyday work, achieving educational excellence alongside the goals of healthy living, environmental awareness, community participation and global citizenship.

The Carbon Detectives' Kit is designed to be used by teams of Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils (7-14 year olds) led by an adult facilitator – this can be a teacher, bursar, governor or parent.