1st Edition
Sustainability in the Early Years An Essential Guide for Educators
Acknowledgements Preface 1. Introduction- Why this Book is Needed 2. What is Sustainability? 3. Play and Learning Sustainability Indoors 4. Outdoor environments 5. Outdoors into the beyond 6. Healthy Children, Healthy Planet 7. Sustainable Habits 8. Creating Your Development Plan and Celebrating Success
Biography
Zoë Raven is the founder and CEO of Acorn Early Years, a charitable social enterprise which she grew from a single nursery to an organisation which currently runs 18 day nurseries, forest schools, out-of-school and holiday clubs, training, and consultancy. The organisation has previously won the Nursery World Nursery Group of the Year and the Nursery World Eco-Friendly Early Years Award.
Santa Svike is the Sustainability & Governance Lead for Acorn Early Years. She works directly with the Eco-Lead practitioners at each of Acorn’s nurseries, to support their nursery on its sustainability journey. In 2025, Santa supported 14 of Acorn’s nurseries in achieving the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
Becky Watanabe is the Early Years Manager for Quality for Acorn Early Years, and is also a trainer and consultant, inspiring and supporting early years professionals to maintain high quality practice and provision.
“This powerful publication brings together care, passion, knowledge and commitment to sustainable practices in early childhood. Zoё, Santa and Becky step the reader through the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of sustainability, guiding us to their core message that sustainability is as much about mindset and attitudes, culture and practices as it is about understanding the issues. This publication will be of immense interest and benefit to students and academics alike. It builds on research and applies local experience and expertise to early childhood pedagogy, practice and provision. The book speaks to the power of one and highlights how we can support young children of all ages to love and care for the world around them. This is a definite for our library!” - Dr. Marlene McCormack, Assistant Professor, Dublin City University
“If you want to increase environmental education and make your nursery more sustainable, this is the book for you! It’s packed with great advice and creative ideas, drawn directly from the experience of early years practitioners. When it comes to sustainability in nurseries, Acorn Early Years is a leading voice. It’s a must-read!” - Adam Flint, Manager, Eco-Schools England
