Students’ efforts to make our School more environmentally friendly and to raise eco-awareness have been rewarded with our first Green Flag Award, making us an Eco-School.
Eco-Schools is an international programme that prompts young people to explore sustainability and to take action.
Over the past year, our student Sustainability Club assessed how eco-friendly the School was and raised our green game on three fronts: waste, global citizenship and School grounds.
The team worked with catering to discuss reducing waste. They gave a presentation in Assembly about reducing the amount of food scraped into the bin after lunch; go back for seconds if you want, but don’t take too much in the first place. The School watched a video made by students explaining what could go into our plastics recycling bin in the Hub.
A member of Gardening Club with a new tree
Various clubs led by different members of staff are doing their bit, liaising with the Bursary and Maintenance Team. Using a grant from The Tree Council, 11 trees have been planted in the grounds. Gardening Club has transformed the flower beds outside EBH and improved the meadow by the Salmon Wing to flower in more than one season.
Wildlife Club is wilding the edges around the field with hedge-planting and plans for a “hedgehog highway”; bird and bat boxes have been built and set up in trees in the grounds.
Sustainability Club chairwoman, Elsa Boomgaardt in Y13 says every step taken, however small, is worthwhile: “Actually seeing it happening is the most rewarding thing. You can have all these discussions but seeing what is changing, is amazing.”
Eco-coordinator and Art and Textiles teacher Mrs Brown says “Our new Eco-School status is a great start on the School’s journey towards a more sustainable future.”
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