Are We Sustainable? That’s Not the Right Question

By Belle Dowber-Hawkins

Sustainability is increasingly part of the conversation in education. Organisations are being asked not only what they teach, but how they operate and the values they demonstrate in practice – and language schools are no exception. In many cases, the demand for sustainability to be part of the discussion comes from members of Gen Z, though within the International House network I’m delighted to see that sustainable innovations seem almost completely divorced from demographics.

It is difficult for any institution to head in the direction of increased sustainability. Other pressures, chief among them being the financial, can often mean that sustainable options are rejected in favour of what are often cheaper alternatives. For example, when buying new computers, schools have to balance the immediate cost against the length of time that the computers will remain serviceable, and I doubt there are many institutions that also factor in the cost of safe disposal of that equipment when it reaches the end of its lifespan.

When the conversation turns to sustainability, it is important for us to remember one thing, regardless of our context, our budget, and our feelings about sustainability. In this article, I’ll tell you what that thing is, and I’ll provide some examples from within the IH network so that you can see just how easy it is for us all to be moving in the right, more sustainable, direction.

A ‘green lens’, not a checklist

There is a saying I’m rather fond of – do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Conversations about sustainability often devolve into how you can either do everything or you can do nothing. The key – the one thing that I alluded to in my introduction – is to think not of being sustainable, but to think how we can do things more sustainably.

This shift in mindset allows schools to take a step back and reflect on their existing practices through a ‘green lens’. Often, schools are already doing more than they realise. The opportunity lies in recognising these actions and building on them through small, manageable changes over time.

This philosophy underpins the IH Environmental Sustainability Review. The review is not designed as a compliance exercise or a tick-box process, but as a structured framework for thoughtful reflection. Schools assess themselves across a range of areas and stages, from intention through to strategy, encouraging an honest view of where they are and where they want to go next.

Schools that complete the review receive a digital badge recognising their commitment to sustainability, but the real value lies in the process itself: building awareness, encouraging reflection, and supporting a genuine and ongoing commitment to progress. Over time, this helps schools move beyond isolated actions towards a more strategic and aligned approach to sustainability, gradually embedding it into long-term thinking and everyday practice. Doing something a little bit better today than yesterday might not seem like much, but when those days turn into weeks and then into months, the effect can be astonishing.

What does sustainability look like in practice?

Across the IH network, schools are embedding sustainability in a wide range of ways – often through small, thoughtful adjustments rather than major structural change. Let me tell you of a few cases where that has happened.

Embedding sustainability into everyday operations: IH Torquay

At IH Torquay, sustainability isn’t driven by a single initiative, but by a series of small, deliberate choices that shape how the school operates day to day.

A good example of this is their ‘zero-printing’ approach. Instead of thinking in terms of reducing how much printing is done, IH Torquay flipped the notion and considered zero printing as the starting point. If you want to see this in terms of the English language, think of the difference between few and a few – they both mean the same thing, which is a small number of whatever you’re counting, but the direction of that thought is reversed when you move from one to the other. It’s better to have few problems than a few problems, even though the number of problems is probably the same in each case. So too with printing at IH Torquay. Instead of trying to think whether it’s possible to print less, they start with the assumption that printing is unnecessary, that there are other means at the teacher’s disposal (such as sharing the material on a screen), and then considering whether printing that material is truly necessary. On those relatively rare occasions when it is, recycled paper is used so that the impact is lessened.

The same thinking can be seen in how the school approaches energy use. The perfect here would be to rip out the old systems and replace them with something that screamed sustainability. Which is precisely what a school preparing to open in a new, custom-designed building might want to consider, but like many other schools, IH Torquay’s premises have been around for a while. But you might be surprised just how much energy can be saved through the use of smart plugs, timed heating, and LED lighting – each of which quietly reduces consumption without disrupting daily operations.

What makes this approach particularly effective is that it doesn’t stop at operations – it shows up in people’s behaviour. Sustainability is made visible through everyday prompts, messaging, and small nudges that encourage students to reflect on their own choices. The result is not just a more sustainable school, but a more environmentally aware community.

In this way, sustainability becomes part of the learning experience itself, shaping not only how the school operates, but how students think, interact, and make decisions beyond the classroom.

This extends into the wider student experience. Encouraging students and host families to shop locally and engage with nearby markets connects sustainability to place – supporting local businesses while reducing environmental impact. Besides being impactful, this practice also gives the students plenty to talk about in class, which means that their English skills benefit from the idea as well.

Taken together, these actions highlight how sustainability can be consciously woven into a school’s culture, driven by thoughtful, consistent decisions rather than one-off initiatives.

Integrating sustainability into learning and community: IH Rouen

Across the Channel, IH Rouen has looked to make sustainability pedagogical as well as operational. Environmental themes are integrated across learning programmes at all levels, ensuring that sustainability becomes part of the educational experience itself.

Students engage with environmental topics through lessons, cultural workshops, and visits to local institutions such as the Pavillon des Transitions. These activities allow students to explore sustainability in a meaningful, local context, connecting language learning with real-world issues. As with the students at IH Torquay, the benefits soon multiply, with learning experiences becoming that bit more tangible and memorable through these practices.

The school also promotes sustainability through community involvement. Activities such as gardening projects, visits to local markets, and environmental workshops encourage students to engage actively with their surroundings. Rouen itself helps the cause with its fine cycling network and extensive public transport, which makes encouraging students to travel in a more environmentally-conscious way a breeze.

The team at IH Rouen are not ones to rest on their laurels, however, and have really taken the core principle of sustainability to heart – innovations don’t need to be perfect, but adopting a mindset that looks for opportunities for progress is certainly the way forward. Despite everything they’ve already achieved, the team emphasises that there is always more to be done, and that sustainability is an ongoing journey rather than a fixed endpoint.

Why this matters

There are countless reasons to want to integrate sustainable practices and approaches into your institution. Moving from a mindset of all or nothing towards taking steps towards increased sustainability can work for all stakeholders. Teachers who care about sustainability – and from conversations with many within the network I would say that’s pretty much all teachers – can see themselves reflected in the spirit of the initiatives their schools adopt. Students find that their learning becomes much more grounded – learning about environmental matters from the pages of a coursebook is one thing, but visiting local markets to see what the area’s seasonal produce includes is another entirely. Learning a language requires developing one’s memory, and there is little more memorable than some of the ideas being adopted by schools like IH Torquay, IH Rouen, and many others in the network. For schools, making increased sustainability a core part of the mission can lead to an enhanced reputation – students who feel they are gaining something special from our schools will share their story across the community – as well as reduced costs in the long-run.

At the same time, it is important to recognise that progress will look different for every school. Context matters, and there is no single model for what a ‘sustainable school’ should be.

What is one thing we could do more sustainably?

We can reduce the amount of paper we use, and the amount of printing we do. We can install solar panels on the roofs of our buildings, but if that is impossible or impractical, we can still switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs. Every little counts, and small steps can lead to significant impact over time.

Sustainability is not about being perfect. It is about being intentional, reflective, and willing to take that next step, however small.

At International House, we believe that these small steps matter. And taken together, they can make a real difference: for our schools, our students, and the wider world.

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