Team

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  Alex Green

  Schools Programme Manager

  I run the Ashden school programme. This means I work with our school mentors, partners and funders to ensure the LESS CO₂ programme thrives.  When I'm not at work you'll find me... mostly running around after my three young boys. We are a very outdoor family and all enjoy camping and playing sports. 

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  Suzy Van den Eynde

  LESS CO2 Co-ordinator

  I organise the workshops that are part of our LESS CO₂ programme, liaising with our school mentors and the participating schools. When I'm not at work you'll find me at home reading and watching films. And at the weekends, we visit art galleries and exhibitions in London and explore the surrounding areas. 

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  Sarah Butler-Sloss

  Founder-Director of Ashden

  As Ashden’s Founder Director I oversee all aspects of our work, from setting our strategic direction to getting involved in the judging process for the Ashden Awards as well as overseeing our programme work including LESS CO₂. When I'm not at work you'll find me... walking in beautiful landscapes and spending time with my family.

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  Jo Walton

  Director of Communications and People

  I oversee all of Ashden's communications, making sure we communicate and promote our work to a wide audience – from our branding, PR and online presence to our events. When I'm not at work you'll find me... spending time with my daughter, reading (I’m a member of two book clubs!) and walking in Kew Gardens.

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  Emma-Louise Frost

  Senior Communications Officer

  As part of the communications team, I’m involved with everything from managing the Ashden winners' PR, looking after our social media channels and maintaining the Ashden and LESS CO₂ website. When I'm not at work you'll find me... cooking, going back to Dorset and going to see live music.

Mentors

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  Steve Green

  Mentor

  Stephen has a broad knowledge of environmental issues and has been working in education for the past 16 years advising on sustainability and energy management. His school, Ringmer Academy, was the first secondary school to win an Ashden Award and is recognised as a national leader in sustainability. Stephen was a Mentor on the first LESS CO₂ course and has continued in the role throughout the South East.

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  Keith Webber

  Mentor

  After graduating as a Chemical Engineer, Keith became a teacher of Physics. During his time in schools he realised the massive amount of energy being wasted and decided to do something about it. Within his own school the import of gas and electricity have fallen by 70% through better management alongside the deployment of solar panels, a wind turbine and biomass heating. 

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  Paula Owens

  Mentor

  Paula is a teacher with years of experience as a deputy and as an acting head. She now works as an education advisor, author and mentor specialising in sustainability, curriculum development and geography. Current consultancies include LESS CO₂, the British Council’s Core Skills programme and BBC’s CBeebies. Paula recently co – authored ‘Teaching Primary Geography’ with Stephen Scoffham for Bloomsbury Books. 

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  Ann-Marie Hopkins

  Mentor

  Ann-Marie has been a teacher for 17 years and is currently an Early Years Teacher at South Farnborough Infant School. The school has held the Eco Schools Green Flag for over 6 years. She joined the Ashden schools programme in 2010 as a participant school in the first LESS CO₂ cluster. Her school went from strength to strength and in 2013 they won an Ashden School Award. 

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  Richard Smith

  Mentor

  After a 20-year IT career Richard completed a Masters in ‘Environmental and Energy Studies’ at the Centre for Alternative Technology, focusing on the effectiveness of the Eco-Schools sustainability programme in tackling energy. He is Director of School Energy Efficiency CIC and has done over 60 energy audits with schools and engaged with thousands of students about energy. He is also a STEM Ambassador.

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  James Veness

  Mentor

  James has worked in education for over 20 years; for the past seven as an education consultant and Director of School Energy Efficiency. He has motivated and inspired over 50,000 students, and led 150 students on Erasmus+ funded trips in Germany, where they studied ‘The Rational Use of Renewable Energy’. He has been part of three Antarctic Expeditions with the 2041 team, and is now a Climate Reality Leader.

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  Nigel Harris

  Mentor

  Nigel is an Estate Manager looking after Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College in North East London. He has a strong military background and is qualified at MSc level in facilities management. He is experienced in providing low energy projects in a building environment where funding is constantly reducing. He has a very hands on approach in driving sustainability in education and his college was an Ashden Award winner in 2014.

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  Henry Greenwood

  Mentor

  Henry Greenwood is a Maths teacher, who while at Kingsmead School in Enfield assembled a group of enthusiastic students, and embarked on an energy saving campaign that saved their school over £35,000 in 3 years, got the school recycling, created a vegetable garden, and various other projects for which they were awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag. In 2015, he left full-time teaching to set up Green Schools Project, a social enterprise that helps schools to set up a student-led environmental programme.

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  Paul Tucker

  Mentor

  Paul has been the Head Teacher at Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff, since 2011. At Thornhill, the drive to become as eco-friendly and energy efficient as possible has involved the children every step of the way and has seen a reduction in the electrical consumption of almost 40% in the last 3 years. Paul is a Welsh speaker born and brought up in Cardiff, and is a passionate advocate for sustainability in local schools.

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  Elizabeth Berry

  Mentor

  Elizabeth Berry has been the Deputy Headteacher at Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff, since 2015. Since taking up her role, Elizabeth has been involved in further developing opportunities for children, particularly those related to sustainability. Elizabeth is currently working with fourteen eco groups and schools from across South Wales on an iCANS Eco Challenge with the National Museum of Wales. She believes that this work will help to raise the profile of eco issues across the city.

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  Vikki Pendry

  Mentor

  Vikki is a freelance education consultant based in York, previously a deputy head teacher and an Advanced Skills Teacher for Sustainability.  Vikki is co-founder of Energy Heroes, an innovative teaching and learning resource designed to improve Numeracy and Science skills through an exploration of local data associated with Energy and Climate Change. Vikki also works internationally as an associate of the Curriculum Foundation.

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  Kate Gilmartin

  Mentor

  Kate has background in renewable energy and low carbon consultancy with a particular interest in assisting and engaging communities to reduce their energy consumption. Kate has co-founded an energy education programme for use within primary schools. This sets out to enable pupils to understand more about energy, where it comes from, how we use it and the relationship our energy use has with climate change.