Mini Eco-Worriers

This week in Body&Soul, Eco-Worrier shamelessly jumps on the back-to-school bandwagon, looking at the ways that schools can brush up on their green credentials. That means parents as well as teachers nudging head-teachers in the right direction - from including the environment on the curriculum to school expeditions to landfill sites. My thoughts are below, but as someone in educational Antarctica – as far from my own schooling as I am from the possibility of going through it with my own children (yes, the life of a twentysomething is indeed carefree) – I’d love to hear about other strategies from proper parents.

Join Eco-Schools 
As long as the head-teacher’s consent has been given, parents can set the wheels in motion by registering. Part of the process enables schools to choose which of nine eco-topics they would like to focus on. Subjects include healthy living, global perspective and biodiversity. All member schools - there are already 4,446 of them in England and Wales - are automatically entered into an awards system. For points, schools need to show evidence that they have identified an action team, as well as completing an environmental review and covering eco-issues on the curriculum. 

Follow the green lead
Check out Cassop primary school near Durham. Along with 100 pupils, it has 22 photovoltaic solar panels, a wind turbine and a woodchip burning boiler, allowing it to meet all its energy requirements. Regular trips to landfill sites inform pupils about the power of the three R’s (reducing, reusing, recycling) and in turn, parents learn too. In June this year it won a £10,000 grant at the annual Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. The other joint winner in the schools category was Eastchurch Primary School in Kent, responsible for setting up groups of pupils, known as E-teams, that patrol classrooms checking lights are switched off and organizing recycling. You’re never too young for a bit of eco-thuggery, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Demand a Reverse Vending Machine
Usually unpopular devices that spew out crisps, cans of Coke and contaminated Cadbury’s chocolate, this one, as its name suggests, works in reverse. Instead of receiving junk, you take it your rubbish. Magically, it identifies the material by reading its barcode and responds accordingly. Cans are crushed, plastic bottles compacted and vending cups shredded. How is this different from a row of recycling skips? Well, firstly it stops children filling the bins with the wrong thing. Also, its space efficient. Rubbish is compacted to one tenth of its original volume. And it keeps a record of what it has been fed so progress can be monitored. Hats off, then, to Orton Longville School in Peterborough, one of nine schools to have introduced the system in the UK.

Arrive in eco-style
A flood of 4x4s belching fumes into the playground is a lousy start to the day. This October, the first international Walk to School Month will take place, encouraging parents to ditch the car and walk their kids to school. Promoting the benefits to children’s independence and learning while they walk, it also aims to make it easier for parents to find safe, pleasant routes. If you don’t fancy the two legs method, there’s always two wheels. This year, the Government announced a £30 million initiative to get children cycling, with an expansion of cycle paths to school and a new proficiency test to concentrate on safety and road training. Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, runs a nationwide Bike It scheme, as part of its efforts to create safe routes to school for every child. It also promotes liftsharing - hooking up with others doing the same journey.

Green uniform
If you haven’t already done the annual high street raid for suitable school attire, its worth looking up Clean Slate Clothing, the UK’s first range of Fairtrade and organic cotton uniform. The clothes look pretty acceptable to me –classic items such as pleated pinafores and polo shirts at reasonable prices (£16; £13) - not that I’m at the frontline of ten year old fashion trends.

Lunch-o-clock
I’m not so cruel as to recommend that kids are sent to school with only a few knobbly carrots for company come lunch-o-clock, but it pays to think about packaging. Single-serving, pre-packaged snack foods of the cheese dipper family weigh in as more plastic than grub. To avoid the clingfilm and tinfoil that plagues playground bins, try Lakeland Limited for lunchboxes with several compartments.

Comments

[Andrew Harmsworth]

Worth also mentioning that Schools can happily request an energy audit from the Carbon Trust, at no cost. Various recommendations are then made which the school can choose to follow up on. Typical savings can have payback times of a handful of years.

[Brian]

Monday, and I've been hit by the school run. Oh, wasn't it blissful during the summer break? My journey time for a 105 mile trip increased by 30 minutes, taking two and a quarter hours instead of the usual one and three quarters. Not only that, I burned an additional 4 litres of fuel due to slow and stop-go driving in heavy traffic. Not good for the environment and not good for my pocket. At least I get to park the car and walk until I head home on Friday, but pity those kids who don't know how to or won't walk.

[Rachel]

Just found a great web site with funky recycled lunch boxes called doy bags!

[Anna Shepard]

Thanks for your post, Rachel, could you let us know the details of the doy bags website?

[Nigel Allen]

How about sending your mini Eco-Worrier off to school with her/his books in a backpack made from recycled plastic bottles. See the EARTHPAK website for details: www.earthpak.com.

These backspacks can be bougt from The Natural Collection in the UK: www.natural-collection.com

Regards,

Nigel Allen