This article explores the development of sustainability at Ringwood School in Hampshire between 2005 and 2010 using two different routes. The author, herself a scientist and sustainability coordinator at the school, shows how the school has explored a range of initiatives, starting with those most straightforward for a biologist and culminating in bigger ideas such as the global dimension. Success in education for sustainable development (ESD) requires tenacity and a specific way of working. ESD is more than knowledge and skills - it is a way of living - and, once students understand this, the benefits are very tangible