ECO COMMITTEE

Merryn's Report

When we arrived at the Wetland Centre, we were kindly greeted by the team and were introduced to the other schools from across the borough. The day started with some interesting talks from environmental organisations like Habitats and Heritage and Community BlueScapes who explained their work to tackle climate change in our neighbourhoods.

Our first workshop of the day was about insects and how to identify and protect them. First we were told about different insects and bugs and what makes them special. For example, did you know that you can tell the difference between a centipede and a millipede by looking at the number of legs in each segment of its body? A millipede has two legs in each segment, and a centipede has one! 

Insects are important to pollinate our flowers. To encourage more insects in our own gardens, we built a bug hotel with straw, cardboard, pine cones and some bamboo, and it is now sitting proudly back in our school. Top tips for building your own bug hotel are to use biodegradable materials and put it in a place that is protected from predators such as birds. 

Evie's Report

To begin, we all were first told about what is in the air. The two bad things included: NO₂ (nitrogen oxide) and PM (Particulate Matter). After that, we learned about these two machines which tell you if the air quality is good or bad in a local area. A little while ago, our head teacher - Mrs Bachour- was worried about the air quality in our school's playground so we had some people come and check. As well as that, there are also some little tubes and they collect air that gets taken to a special place where they study the air to see if it is good or not. Going back to the two machines that I mentioned earlier, is that one of them can't move after it has been placed (it's not something that someone can carry around with them). The other machine people can move from one place to another, while you carry it around with you. To end our time at the air pollution workshop we were all given a recycled pen, as well as a sticker that read: ‘I am an air pollution detective’. This is a summary of what we learnt at the workshop and how to help with improving air pollution.   

Violet's Report

Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit the Wetland Centre to gather with other schools and talk about how we could improve our eco friendliness in school. What I found most interesting was that when we wash our cars, the soap that goes down the drain is released into streams but that soap affects the surface tension of the water, meaning that the barrier breaks, so insects like pond skaters will sink and can’t skate freely. We also did an experiment with a paperclip, trying to get it to float using a fork. When we did, we watched what happened when we put soap in the water. It sank! This shows what happens to pond skaters when soap goes into rivers. We learned that we should switch our soaps to more eco-friendly ones to prevent this from happening.

Also, on the topic of water, we learned about drain gardens where you could place flower pots to reduce floods from occurring.

Sarah's Report

At the Wetland Centre, we explored recycling fabrics and textiles. Instead of throwing them away, we learned that we can reuse them. From leisure, like art, to fixing a hole in a bag, fabrics and textiles are useful in many ways. 

Here are some ways that you can experiment with fabrics and textiles: 

• Turn it into art - you can create a lovely nature scene or something abstract.

• If you like to play with toys, you can turn it into something they use, something they wear or a doll blanket.

• Use it to sew a gap that you have in a bag, blanket, or something else      

• Use it to practice sewing or even make something 

Don’t get rid of textiles and fabrics, reuse them!