Representatives from across the education sector came together in London earlier this month for the launch of the Sustainable Schools Alliance, a network which aims to put sustainability at the core of school life.

The Schools Minister Lord Hill and Defra's Head of Sustainable Development, Jonathan Tillson launched the new Sustainable Schools Alliance, which has been developed by the National Children's Bureau (NCB), SEEd and Think Global. Speaking at the launch Lord Hill said "Sustainability issues are an increasingly important part of our everyday life. That's why I welcome the new Sustainable Schools Alliance, which will help make these issues an increasingly important part of school life. There are already some great schools working to get their local community involved in doing the simple things like growing their own vegetables and better energy management. We want to encourage more of this and I hope this Alliance will be the driving force behind that."

The Alliance aims to provide a clear and compelling offer of support to all schools in the country, and help them to put sustainability at the heart of what they do. The evidence for the benefits of Sustainable Schools is stronger than ever. However, the government's focus on greater school freedom means local and civil society organisations must act to help schools to pursue sustainability.

The Alliance brings together organisations from across sectors and covering all aspects of sustainable development including climate change, to help schools continue the excellent work already taking place and to encourage more schools to think about sustainability.

Visit the Alliance's new website here: http://sustainable-schools-alliance.org.uk