Kim is an independent sustainability educator, and until recently was Youth Educator in Residence at Wytham Woods, Oxford University’s research woodlands.
Kim has a DPhil in Biochemistry and an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University. She worked in business for 25 years, as a sustainability consultant, and as CEO of an education and educational publishing company.
Based in Oxford, Kim now runs sustainability learning projects with local schools, and an annual Sustainability Summer School for 15 – 18 year olds at the Environmental Change Institute in the School of Geography and Environment at Oxford University. Since 2020 she has been working with researchers at Wytham Woods to create and deliver secondary level outdoor education activities and associated teacher training, including resources and teaching support for the new GCSE in Natural History. Kim is a Governor for Oxfordshire Teacher Training, is education co-lead for the Oxford Climate Alumni Network, has been a business advisor to the IB Schools and Colleges Association, is involved with the UK Schools Sustainability Networks, and has been a curriculum advisor to OUP.
Academically, Kim is interested in the power of climate concerns and the draw of “green” jobs to motivate learning; the role of an emotional connection with nature as a precursor to intellectual curiosity and pro-eco behaviour change; and the intersection of pro-eco behaviour with the pro-social behaviour being achieved through Relational and Restorative approaches in schools.
Related Projects
Nature for student’s life: The impact of outdoor greenness on mental wellbeing and chronic absenteeism
Does greenness matter to student mental wellbeing and attendance
From greening to wellbeing: Multi-scale analysis of green infrastructure and mental health at population level within the UK
A mixed methods investigation into how green infrastructure influences mental health across diverse communities and landscapes in the UK
Is “Nature” a Policy Solution to Mental Health in Schools?
The aim of this Sprint is to provide evidence to support or challenge the value of Nature-based Programmes for mental health and wellbeing in young people, delivered through schools.
