Since the beginning of the school year, members of Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School’s eco-council have been working hard to raise awareness of important environmental issues. Known throughout the school as the ‘Eco Warriors’, they’ve spearheaded several campaigns that have already made a big difference and as a result of their dedication and hard work, the school has now been presented with the Bronze Eco Schools Award.
One of the group’s first projects was ‘Switch Off Fortnight’, an initiative to encourage pupils across school to save energy by making sure lights were turned off and electrical items weren’t left on stand-by unnecessarily. Did you know that if everyone boiled only the water they needed every time they used the kettle, we could save enough electricity in a year to power the UK’s street lights for nearly seven months?
By far the most successful campaign, ‘The Big Battery Hunt’ enabled us to collect over 2000 old batteries for recycling. Amazingly, several pupils contributed over 100 batteries as they gathered them not only from their homes but also from neighbours and their parents’ workplaces! Miss Oakes, who leads the Eco Club in Key Stage 2, told us, “This has been a great initiative. I have been amazed at the amount of batteries collected by the pupils throughout the school and the interest in recycling. We are very proud to have been pioneers in this initiative.”
During the colder months, our warriors seized the opportunity to care for some of the vulnerable animals that may not have been able to find food in the harsh winter conditions. Using recycled materials, both infant and junior members made bird feeders to ensure our feathery friends did not have to go without food.
With many more projects in the pipeline, they’re now fully focused on achieving silver status in the near future and hopeful of widening their target audience to engage the community in their plans.
