Working Towards Our Green Flag

During the next two years I will be running an eco-campaign in school in order to get Fyling Hall School a Green Flag Award.

A Green Flag is a nationally recognised award given to schools who work towards improving the environmental impacts of the school. The organisation in charge is called “Eco-Schools”.

To achieve a Green Flag the school has to work on 3 of the following 10 topics: Biodiversity, Waste, Litter, Marine life, Energy, Healthy Living, School Grounds, Transport, Water and Global Citizenship.

We also must have an Eco-Committee which meets once a half term. Students from each year will attend as it is for anybody who wants to be involved in helping the environment, even if it is just in a small way. The first Eco-Committee meeting held at the school involved going around the school, completing a survey of the surroundings and then using this information to decide on our 3 topics of development.

Alongside the committee there is also an Eco-Club available to all students in the secondary school on a Tuesday after school (4:30-5:30) as well as a Thursday lunch time. Students do not have to attend both clubs if they are busy after school, however it is encouraged so they don’t miss out! Activities at the club include crafting, gardening, research and more.

Fyling Hall’s Three Topics:

1) Global Citizenship – This means the school tries to help the wider community. The students decided they would use the upcoming Christmas Fair as an opportunity to raise money for our charity the World Land Trust which will help protect natural habitats all over the world. Everything we will have available will not only be eco-friendly but made in school as well! It includes, candles, birdfeeders, bee bombs, paintings and 3D printed models. We hope you will donate to our cause when you attend the Christmas Fair.

2) Biodiversity – The Eco-Club has a unique opportunity to increase biodiversity by turning the area of land near the Biology Lab into a garden. Students have already begun hanging bird feeders and planting bulbs in the garden which we hope will flower in the new year. The garden also offers opportunities like vegetable gardening. In spring, there are birdhouses which can be monitored so students -if they are lucky- may have the chance to see chicks, as birds have been known to nest in the trees here. Overall, the garden is a great chance for students to spend more time outdoors taking part in hands-on activities that will benefit our future.

3) Waste – People are often unaware of how much of our every day items can be recycled, especially if the right facilities are used. I hope to introduce Terracycle to Fyling Hall School. The company has become the global leader in recycling hard to recycle items and is already used in schools in the area and across the whole of Europe. In school it will primarily be used to recycle items like stationary or food packaging (e.g crisp packets). The aim is to find enough small cardboard boxes that can be placed on the side of each classroom, so a recycling point is always near. Any Fyling Hall students or families with spare boxes that would go to waste, can hand then into school, and they may be used as one of our Terracycle boxes.

The Eco-School Journey

As the school year moves on the topics and projects the Eco-Committee and Eco-Club work on may change or be added to. I hope to be updating you with good news and our progress and upcoming projects soon.