In September 2007 Trinity school joined the Eco schools award to encourage a wider awareness of green issues and work together as a team to improve the school environment and reduce our environmental impact.
The Eco schools team meets every Thursday in the DT department to work on a range of projects including fundraising, recycling, improving the school environment and raising awareness of environmental issues.
The latest news from the project is listed below:
This week's sucesses:
Over the past week we have worked to make a difference to the school community by:
- Turning off all 15 computers in the D&T room overnight, saving 2,400 Watts per day
- Creating and distributing 25 new paper recycling boxes
- One student is constructing a GCSE project from recycled bottles and timber
- Turning off 45 sets of lights one evening saving 3 hours of wasted energy
- More to follow....
Environmental mission statement:
In December the school governors approved an environmental mission statement for the school. We hope that this will help us to raise the profile of the eco-schools group and demonstrate the school's commitment to environmental issues.
"As a Catholic Christian community we work to care for the environment of our school and the wider world. Together we recognise our responsibilities as stewards of God's creation. We understand that our actions have global effects and work to consider the needs of the environment and others in all we do.
We acknowledge the need to use the world's resources for the good of all and work to find practical ways to achieve this in our lives. We believe that we can make a positive contribution to help create a world in which all are respected and everyone can reach their full potential.
We work together to meet the challenges of creating a sustainable world for all."
Clearing the pond:
Over the summer holidays 8 year 11 students helped clear the areas around the pond to improve litter and help wildlife. 21 bags of litter were removed as well as: 8 complete chairs, 2 sets of chair legs, 1 pushchair, 3 road cones, 2 scaffolding poles, 1 plastic goal, 2 goal posts, 1 Land rover spare wheel cover, 3 litter bins, 2 shoes, 1 complete PE kit, and 21 assorted bags of litter.
The team also created log piles and cleared dead branches from the water
to help wildlife. Over the next term we will be continuing to maintain
and improve the pond area.
Eco ActionFair Trade
Fashion show:
Year 9 and 10 textiles students are currently working hard to produce a range of garments from
recycled clothing. These designs will be displayed in a fair trade fashion show taking place on 27th February at St Peter's
conference centre, Dormer place. Tickets are available from Natasha in DT.
Eco Action plan:
Our latest Eco action plan for 2008-09 is available to download here. The plan outlines
the work so far and the targets the group has set itself for the coming
term. If you would like to include projects you are running in this plan
please contact Simon Hill in the Design Technology department.
Download>
Sustainable design:
We are pleased to say that over 50% of the materials used in Design Technology now come from reclaimed or recycled materials. This allows us to invest out budgets in equipment and tools and also lowers our environmental impact by diverting materials which would otherwise have been wasted. Thanks to Blake exhibitions in Kenilworth we now have a regular supply of manmade boards and plastics.
Bulb planting:
On Saturday 8th November members of the team got together with the Trinty PTA to plant bulbs in the grounds. This project has been run by the PTA for several years now to improve the appearance of the school in the spring. Over 400 bulbs were planted together with a range of smaller plants. We will be getting together with the PTA in the spring to plant 30 trees on the school site.
How you can help:
The
'green' team meet every Thursday lunchtime in the Design Technology department. The team is split into
smaller groups, each working on a project. The team gets together once
a month to share ideas and plan new projects. Anyone is welcome to join
us for the meetings (staff or students). Further information about the
meetings is available from Simon Hill, head of Design Technology.
Courtyard garden:
The team has completed work developing the courtyard in the building to provide a courtyard garden for students to use.
In the spring the team plan to plant herbs and edible plants for use in food technology as well as a wider range of plants.
Thanks to everyone who has supported the development through the donation of plants and materials including the generous support of the PTA.
Developing the pond:
Ponds provide a unique biodiversity resource and support 2/3 of all UK freshwater species and support more invertebrate species than rivers; they also support some of our rarest species. Ponds are now one of 65 UK habitats listed as priorities for conservation. The pond area at Trinity is currently a neglected and underused area which could become a focus for practical scientific enquiry and a valuable area for students to use. We have started to plan for the development of this area and would welcome advice from any experienced parents to help us get started.
Paper Recycling scheme:
We are delighted with the sucess of our paper recycling scheme. Teachers or classes can sign up for a recycling box and so far we have delivered 50 boxes. We currently recycle 8 240 litle bins of paper per fortnight an increase of 100% on previous years. The scheme is so sucesful we now have more paper than our recycling bins can take. Our next steps will be to raise awareness of paper reduction and re-use.
Environmental links:
- Eco schools Warwickshire county council's eco-schools information
- Foldschool downloadable cardboard furniture for kids
- Environment | guardian.co.uk News and features about the global environment
Older articles are also available in our archive >
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