Schools are a key place in the community to educate people about sustainability and climate change. Children have a great way of taking home a message to parents and those around them. Schools can reduce their energy bills by taking simple energy efficiency measures. The following programs are both great at getting the whole school involved in sustainability.
What are eco schools?
The eco schools program - see link below - is an international award scheme that helps promote environmental awareness and improve the schools environmental performance though whole-school action. Run by Keep Britain Tidy where schools can gain awards for the sustainability work that they do while linking into the curriculum. The eco schools program fits into the eight doorways of the sustainable schools program.
Warrington Borough Council is helping schools to progress with their Eco-schools awards and the sustainable schools programme.
Why get involved?
By taking part in the eco schools program schools can gain a number of benefits:
- they can save money as steps to use energy and water more efficiently are taken
- schools can reduce the amount of waste that they generate and find ways to recycle items that help the environment, charities and school funds
- eco-schools is a whole school approach, giving pupil opportunities for them to take responsibility for the program and drive it forward
- pupils are given opportunities to develop their decision-making, problem-solving and thinking skills
- communities can take pride in the achievements of their local school and use the lessons taught and learnt there to make impacts on their lives and the environment
- the eco-schools programme also allows schools to promote environmental awareness in a way that involves a range of curriculum subjects as well as extra-curricular activities.
How to progress with eco-schools
Visit the eco schools website - see link below, to get signed up and find out more about the program.
How can we help?
If you would like helping getting started or progressing with your eco schools work you can contact Laura Stanley on telephone: 442615. We can also provide mock green flag assessments if you are going for this award.
There are also officers who can help you with specific areas of the eo schools program:
Travel
Our school travel team can help you develop or refresh your schools travel plans. Contact Lesley Paterson on 01925 443414.
Waste and recycling
There is a dedicated Waste Education & Promotion Officer who undertakes talks, assemblies and presentations on recycling and waste to any schools. Contact Phil Chadwick on telephone: (01925) 443094 to find out more about the sessions he delivers in schools on waste and recycling. For KS1 to KS4.
Watt Watchers
Watt Watchers is a free energy project supporting the national curriculum at KS2 and KS3 provided by private sector housing for schools within the Warrington area.
The project aims to encourage pupils to think about energy, where it comes from and how it is used in the home and how pollution affects the environment.
It also provides them with the knowledge necessary to encourage their families to be energy efficient in the home as well as the opportunity to carry out an energy survey on their own home in order to receive feedback on energy saving suggestions.
For further information or to arrange a presentation please contact private sector housing:
Tel: 442425 or 657763
Email: privatesectorhousing@warrington.gov.uk
Healthy Living
Healthy living is directly linked into the Healthy Schools program that most Warrington schools are already signed up to. The healthy schools team supports all the schools in Warrington to achieve the National Healthy School Status.
Climate Week
During Climate Week 2012 Schools across Warrington were asked to come up withan idea to Green Your Space - Develop an idea to change a place you know, to make it better for the environment.
Our winners were Burtonwood Primary who had an idea to Green up Local alleys. Here are the winning team, the microorganisms with their winning idea.
