The Girls' Day School Trust: Ensuring a thriving planet for generations to come

Young students in red uniforms line up at a public water point labeled “SAFE DRINKING WATER POINT,” collecting and drinking water from communal taps outside a building with blue-framed windows.

The Girls' Day School Trust's Climate Ambition

The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) isn’t just preparing its students for the future, they’re protecting it. Together, we’re turning climate ambition into real impact ensuring a thriving planet for generations to come.

At a Glance

The Ambition

As educators shaping the next generation, the GDST sought to:

Offset Unavoidable Emissions while taking measures to decarbonise their organisation.
Inspire positive climate action among students, families, and staff.
Support projects that provide tangible opportunities for women and children that resonates with the GDST’s mission to help girls learn without limits so they can lead lives without limits.

The Action

To meet these goals, Climate Impact Partners worked closely with the GDST to achieve CarbonNeutral® organization status through high-quality carbon credits. This partnership supports impactful projects, including:

Aqua Clara Water Filters, Kenya: Providing clean water to over 9,600 households and schools by replacing smoky, firewood-fuelled stoves with efficient filters, reducing 215,000 tonnes of CO₂ since 2014. This project also frees up hours for women and children to pursue education and employment opportunities.
Reforestation and Community Development, Ghana: Transforming nearly 12,000 hectares of degraded forest reserves through sustainable forestry. This reforestation and community development project has created over 1,000 jobs, 40% of which are held by women, including leadership roles like plantation managers.

The Girls' Day School Trust and Climate Impact Partners proudly working together to turn climate ambition into impact

People in a green forest wrap a tree with a light pink measuring band, smiling as they work together on the trunk. — Locally employed worker measuring native trees, Form Ghana

Several young students in red uniforms wash glasses at a shared outdoor sink, filling cups from a running faucet under a sunlit covered walkway. — School children accessing safe water, Aqua Clara

Four women wearing headscarves and boots sit on the ground in a farm field beside a leafy tree, taking a break and smiling. — Nursery workers taking a break under a tree canopy, Form Ghana

A child in an orange shirt drinks from a white cup held by an adult outdoors, beside a stacked water dispenser on a wooden stool in a sunny setting. — Mother giving her child safe filtered water to drink, Aqua Clara

The Impact

Through this collaboration, the credits purchased by the GDST has improved the lives of tens of thousands of people and achieved meaningful, measurable outcomes:

Sustainability Leadership: The GDST’s achievements are proudly shared with students, families and staff, inspiring future leaders to take climate action.
Environmental Impact: Saved 16,162 tonnes of wood that would be used to boil water in the absence of the Aqua Clara project, as well as supporting the reduction of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ through projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Empowering Women and Children: Projects directly benefit women and children by increasing access to education, employment, and essential resources.

What The Girls' Day School Trust Says

“Sustainability is a green thread that runs across everything we do at GDST and our Trust-wide ‘One’ strategy demonstrates our long-standing commitment to sustainability across our family of schools.

As the largest educator of girls in the UK, the GDST has an important role to play in championing a greener future. We know the only way to tackle climate change is though collective action and partnerships are key to this. Our work with Climate Impact Partners is one of the many climate action initiatives designed to reimagine a brighter and greener future for our students and communities worldwide.

Achieving CarbonNeutral® organization status demonstrates our commitment to tackle the unprecedented planetary challenges we currently face. Together, we have a unique opportunity to create our own legacy, one that will mean future generations of GDST girls will look back and feel proud of our contribution and inspiring future generations of girls and young women to play an active role in protecting our planet."

Why It Matters

The GDST exemplifies how educational institutions can lead on sustainability by offsetting emissions, supporting impactful projects, and empowering women and children globally.