Pupils' Work in Redbridge

Chadwell Primary School - The Green Professionals

The driving force behind the most original and exciting ongoing environmental behaviours within a school lies with the children. By capturing their ideas and imagination the school can incorporate environmental responsibility in a fun way within day to day school life, curriculum, play and at home.

Our Education Officer Julia has recently worked with a new Eco Team ‘The Green Professionals’ at Chadwell Primary School in Chadwell Heath. Facilitated by the Eco Co-ordinator staff, the group meet weekly to work on an environmental agenda for the school. Allowing the children to input their own ideas from the start of the group is vital.

The Green Professionals submitted names for their committee and voted to choose the winning title. The badge (pictured) was also designed by a member of the committee and these are worn at meetings and on all official Green Professionals duties around school.

For more information about setting up an Eco Committee and the exciting work they can do to support and develop sustainability around school please visit the Eco Schools website.

Cranbrook Primary Energy Saving

Many things can be wasted. Time, money, packaging and one of our most important resources of all: energy.

In the UK, we rely heavily on burning fossil fuels to create essential energy for everyday life used for electricity, heating and cooking. Burning these fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Increasing volumes of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere prevent heat from the sun leaving the atmosphere, causing land, sea and air temperatures to rise. This causes changes to our weather patterns, known as climate change.

Working with two year 6 classes at Cranbrook Primary School, the pupils learned about how many power stations in the UK and around the world burn fossil fuels to create energy. With our Education Officer Julia, they read case studies about the impact climate change is having on children in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Tanzania through droughts and flooding.

After looking at global issues they discussed what we could do in our local community and school and realized that we do take for granted a lot of the energy and electricity available to us.

Images (left and above) were created by the pupils to use around their school to remind others the importance of acting with the environment in mind and switching off electrical items when you do not need them.


To learn more about teaching energy and climate change, please visit the following website to find information and teaching resources:
Powerdown.actionaid.org.uk
Carbontrust.co.uk


Get in touch with Julia at Julia.Roebuck@wastewatch.org.uk to share your school's work!