Get started
Starting your school’s carbon reduction journey can be daunting, but with Count Your Carbon, it’s easy!
If it’s your first time, watch our instructional video. You can also view our calculator questions PDF which details what you will be asked, and all of the information you will need to gather in advance.Â
Count Your Carbon is an easy to use digital tool which has five sections:
- Registration – Register your setting in a matter of minutes.
- Questions –Â Answer 52 questions which help us measure your carbon usage.
- Results – See your total carbon footprint and areas of emission.
- Recommendations – Receive your personalised PDF.
- Â Dashboard – Update your details, add users and see historic reports.
To complete the questions, you will first need to gather some information, and have conversations with colleagues within your organisation. If you can’t find all the information – for example the electricity bill or the size of your bins – don’t worry! We can estimate your emissions for each question, based on an average for your setting type.
Registration
First, you’ll need to register. You’ll be sent a verification email – don’t forget to check your junk mail for the email.
Once verified, you’ll be asked for simple information such as name and contact details, as well as some information about the size and type of school, which will help us tailor your report.
This section is easy for any member of staff to fill in and can be completed in around three minutes.
 Questions
Next, it’s time to create your first calculation! You’ll be asked a series of questions and instructed to enter data from bills across four areas;
- Energy, utilities and water
- Transport
- Food
- Purchases
You’ll find more information about each of these areas and the types of information we’ll ask from you below.
Finally, just before you see your results, you will be asked a few questions to help personalise your recommendations report.
To make it easier for you to gather your answers, download the calculator questions.
Energy, Utilities & Water
This section asks about your use of fuel in buildings, purchased electricity, waste, and water.
Our data reveals that across all four categories of this tool, (energy & utilities, food, transport and purchases) energy & utilities typically accounts for around 23% of emissions in nurseries, schools and colleges.
Transport
This section asks about your fuel use in school vehicles, school trips, and student and staff commuting.
Transport typically accounts for around 33% of emissions in nurseries, schools and colleges.
This is a great way to engage young people in gathering the data and auditing what travel takes place in your setting.
Food
This section looks at the meals served by your setting in the last week, split by the type; plant-based, vegetarian and omnivore (meat or fish) meals.
Food typically accounts for around 8% of emissions in nurseries, schools and colleges. Although this is lower than some of the other categories, making changes in this area is simple – and also one of the areas young people can easily influence with their choices.
Purchases
This section looks at the amount spent on goods and services in the last 12 months, and whether you require students to wear a school uniform.
Purchases typically account for around 36% of emissions in nurseries, schools and colleges – the biggest emitting category of all.Â
Don’t forget, if you don’t have all the data available, you can choose to opt for the built-in averages.
Results
Before you see your results, you will be asked a few questions about the carbon saving measures you already have in place.
Once you have completed all the sections, the tool will then bring you to your results page where you will see:
- The total carbon footprint for your setting
- Emissions broken down by area (energy, food, transport and procurement)
- Emissions over time (if you have carried out previous calculations).
Remember, you can return and re-calculate your footprint once you have made changes. Your reports will be stored in your personalised dashboard for every calculation carried out.
Recommendations
Each time you submit your answers, a PDF will be generated that summarises your emissions and makes recommendations for change.
This report, developed in conjunction with those working in educational settings, is designed as a springboard for change. The recommendations are clearly marked to show the extent of the possible carbon reduction, and whether the action is free or requires investment.
 Dashboard
In your personalised dashboard you can add or remove users as needed. You can give new users different permission levels, depending on what tasks you want them to be able to perform;
- Supervisor – This level of access allows the user to add and remove users, see and amend school details, see and amend their own contact details, create a new report and see historic reports.
- Contributor – This level of access allows the user to see school details, see and amend their own contact details, create a new report and see historic reports.
- Reviewer – This level of access allows the user to view historical reports, and see and amend their own contact details.
