The Green Schools Challenge sees businesses volunteer their time and expertise to mentor groups of students as they come up with ideas to reduce their schools' carbon footprint.

The final of this year's challenge took place on December 1st at The Gateway in Aylesbury, with six local companies - Biffa, Construction Specialties, OCU Group, Shellwin Real Estate, WhiffAway Group, and Zenopa - in attendance to watch their mentee students pitch their ideas to a Dragon's Den-style panel.

Congratulations go to the winning team from The Buckingham School, mentored by Construction Specialties, for their idea: ‘Junk to Genius’, which gives new life to old tech, reducing the demand for new Chromebooks to be built, saving energy and resources in the process. Aylesbury High School, mentored by WhiffAway, won the 'Most Innovative' category with their idea: ‘Pedals that Power.’ The team from John Colet School, mentored by Shellwin Real Estate, were rewarded with the 'Best Social Media' award.

Plaudits also go to the teams from The Highcrest Academy (mentored by Biffa), Waddesdon Church Of England School (mentored by Zenopa), and St Michael's Catholic School (mentored by OCU Group) for their exceptional commitment throughout this challenge.

The energy and creativity on display showcased exactly why this challenge matters so much. The students worked tirelessly with their business mentors, refining their proposals to help their schools reduce their carbon footprint. From waste management innovations to sustainable construction solutions, waterless technology, and property development, each project represented genuine thinking about environmental challenges.

The business mentors have shown how the business community can get involved and inspire young people, with their expertise and generosity in sharing knowledge proving instrumental in shaping the young sustainability leaders.

The final presentations demonstrated why youth leadership in sustainability is so crucial. The students learnt about green skills and explored real-world green careers while developing the confidence, creativity, and problem-solving abilities that will define their careers and impact the environment for decades to come.

Thanks to Association for Project Management and Buckinghamshire Council for their support in delivering the Green Schools Challenge 2025.

Here's how you can get involved and inspire the next generation

Whether it's the Green Schools Challenge - which the Bucks Skills Hub team at Buckinghamshire Business First won an award for delivering so brilliantly in 2024 - or inspiring 7,000+ people by exhibiting at the Bucks Skills Show, or becoming an Enterprise Adviser, or offering work experience to students... there are so many ways for your business to get involved and support, guide and inspire young people as they dream their dreams for the future.

Learn more about some of these opportunities here, and contact the Bucks Skills Hub team to explore ways to get involved and support young people: [email protected].