St David's with Eco Schools
Eco-Schools encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it.
The aim is to change children’s behaviour towards the environment making them feel ownership towards it through a very hands on, and actions-based approach.
It starts in the classroom, it expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large. HundrED seeks and shares inspiring innovations in K12 education. The world is changing fast, and schools need to change as well. Impactful, scalable innovations are a way to make that change happen.
Step 1: Forming an Eco Committee.
We are getting ready to start our eco mission, among the most important actions to take are:
- Assembly Recruiting staff and pupils, also including auxiliary staff
- Parents Letter for recruiting Parents representatives and explaining the scheme (= link to site, summary and video link)
- Show video in Tutor periods
- Collect names
- Eco Committee applicants fill in their application forms
- Marketing: share on social media
- Create an Eco Schools display with updates
- Organise the first meeting/keep minutes/list participants
We have to thank our 1:1 teacher Susanne Clayton for the drive behind this project. A member of staff with a keen interest and passion for nature and the environment. “All my life from childhood, I have been speaking up against pollution and waste” She says
“Ever since the news that a 16-year-old girl in Sweden woke up the global community to the climate crisis in summer 2019, I have been throwing myself into action by running our Eco Team activity on a Wednesday afternoon. This coincided with Tim Hall's bible story when Jesus asked someone "to come off his tree" to greet him in person. I remember the message distinctly and emailed Tim about it afterwards. Whether I was meant to interpret this as I did, I don't know but I knew that I had to come out of my comfort zone and try to make more impact and get more people on board to look after our environment, nature and the climate".
For the first year In 2020, Suzanne ran a lunchtime activity as a volunteer. “The active number of pupils in the Eco Team who meet up on a Wednesday varies but there are more than 30 pupils on our Team” She added
“I am grateful to the governors and our headmaster to address this challenge now and I hope, for our children's sake, that we as a school can be leaders in showing in our everyday actions how much we care. I am sure that our founder Headmaster, John Mayor, would approve taking this onboard urgently. Our pupils are educated to develop their character and "play an effective part in the world" - they will be the planet's guardians in years to come”.
We will hope that you find some inspiration in this action and we promise to keep you updated about our eco adventure!