Dr Megan Murray-Pepper

I am an English teacher and sustainability educator, with ten years of experience teaching secondary English in schools in London and Oxford, and a broad focus on environmental education both within and beyond school settings. I am driven by the conviction that all our communities need the education and opportunities to redevelop an ecologically-literate, compassionate connection to the web of life in which we are entangled.

In my own teaching I have developed a range of resources and approaches to engage secondary students with nature, including narrative strategies for representing non-human consciousness; variations of nature awareness generated by different textual genres; and ways to connect poetry and ecology.

While teaching in schools, I have driven sustainability initiatives both operational and curricular, working closely with students, colleagues and senior staff to develop good practice and make positive change – from increasing biodiversity commitments to choosing environmental texts and approaches for study. I have devised and delivered training for school staff on good practice for the inclusion of climate and ecological content across school subjects, within the wider educational and social context. In 2021 I co-founded the Oxford Schools Sustainability Network under the UK Schools Sustainability Network and continue to organise events for school eco groups across Oxford.

I am now working on a range of projects, with a focus on engaging teens, students and teachers in nature connection and climate and ecological awareness. My particular interest is in resource development and teacher training in order to share ideas, good practice and communication strategies for integrating climate and nature awareness into the everyday. I contributed to the Leadership in Global Change Summer School 2023 and am also a trained ‘Climate Cafe’ facilitator in the Oxford community.