Speakers

Santa is the Sustainability Lead, Governance Lead, and Content Co-ordinator for Acorn Early Years. She works directly with the Eco-Lead practitioners at each of Acorn’s nurseries, to support their nursery on its sustainability journey. In 2024, Santa supported 13 of Acorn’s nurseries in achieving the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, with some of the nurseries achieving this for the third consecutive year. Acorn’s blossoming sustainability journey was also recognised when the organisation won the 2023 Nursery World Eco-Friendly Early Years Award.

Santa has shared Acorn’s eco-approach and journey with early years university students, as well as conducted action research on how sustainability is conceptualised by early years professionals, children and their families, which she presented at the 2024 conference of the European Early Childhood Educational Research Association. Santa is also the chair of a voluntary Youth Committee at her local Wildlife Trust, which works towards engaging more young adults in protecting nature.