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26/01/2010
St Johns School Eco Day
Children at St John’s Walham Green Primary School and Cambridge School in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham learnt how to save money and go green at whole-school Eco Days organised by environmental regeneration charity Groundwork London.
The schools are the only two in the borough taking part in Groundwork’s One World Schools programme. The scheme supports schools with becoming more sustainable and eco friendly. They are making their mark by taking the lead in going green and are beacons of best practice for the schools across the borough.
At St John’s Walham Green Primary School in Fulham’s Eco Day on Tuesday 12 January, pupils arrived modeling the latest eco-friendly fashions that they had designed themselves and donned creations made from recycled items including plastic bag dresses topped with paper hats and green accessories. During assembly they sat enchanted as they watched a play about climate change produced by Big Foot Theatre. Two classes then held interactive workshops where they discussed how to apply the play’s environmental messages at school.
Year 5’s eco-committee, together with a representative from Groundwork London, performed an environmental audit of the school, looking at how efficiently it uses electricity, water and other resources and how the school’s carbon footprint can be reduced. They presented a new eco-code to the whole school and gave a presentation about environmental issues and their impacts, followed by a play. The day ended with all the students making an eco-pledge to add to the school’s pledge tree.
Headteacher at St John’s Walham Green Primary School Pauline Morozgalska said: “Thank you very much to Groundwork for organising so much of the day. We were very pleased with the way everything went and most importantly, the children enjoyed the day especially as it was so grey and miserable outside.”
Pupils at Cambridge School held their Eco Day on Friday 15 January and arrived wearing green clothing and accessories to mark the day. Through an African drumming assembly, the whole school learnt about the effects of climate change in other countries through the medium of music. A Year 9 class took part in its own drumming session where they learnt a song to help them pass the eco-message along to others. Class workshops and green-themed lessons followed.
Together with Groundwork, the Year 9 eco-team audited the school’s energy and water use and had sessions where they developed ideas about how to raise awareness of environmental issues. They then constructed a pledge tree for individuals to add their own pledge about what they are going to do to reduce their carbon footprint.
Chelsea, a member of Cambridge School’s eco-committee said: "I had a great day and we now have some good ideas about how to make our school greener."
Both schools involved all the staff and students for a whole school approach to raise awareness about the issues of climate change and the small changes each person and school can undertake in order to create a real impact.
The Government’s sustainable schools framework means that schools need to embed sustainable development throughout every aspect of school life, from the subjects taught, to the fabric of the building and the way it is managed to the influence on the surrounding community.
Groundwork’s One World Schools programme offers schools audits and simple energy saving measures to reduce consumption and meet carbon emission reduction targets. It also gives advice on low energy equipment and choosing renewable options. In addition to building environmental understanding. When children understand the influence they have on the planet the topic becomes alive and engaging and can form the basis of numerous other subject based activities.
Schools interested in taking part in the 2010/2011 programme should contact Louise Green at Groundwork London for further information. T: 020 8743 3040.
