Glasgow youngsters are a class act as they lead way with Eco Day
SCHOOLS have backed Streets Ahead since the beginning of our community campaign.
More than 100 have signed up to Glasgow City Council’s Schools Charter, which encourages pupils to complete environmental challenges throughout the year.
We want to hear what your school is doing to improve its community for all, from working with local older people to bring generations closer together to joining forces with neighbours to create a community garden.
Whatever you do that reaches out to your neighbours and friends, we want to hear about it.
Together with our partners City Charitable Trust, Glasgow City Council and City Building, we have provided thousands of pounds in funding to help schools get dream projects off the ground. Email ann. fotheringham@heraldandtimes.co.uk for a copy of the grant application form or to tell us why your school is Streets Ahead. CARING for the environment is a big focus for our Streets Ahead campaign – and nobody does it better than our city’s schoolchildren.
Glasgow’s nurseries, primaries, secondaries and ASL schools work hard every year to raise awareness of environmental issues both here on their doorsteps and around the world.
Last year, Streets Ahead told you all about Sunnyside Primary in Craigend, where the Ocean Defenders scooped a series of awards for their work on sustainability projects.
The eco-minded pupils organised everything from Under the Sea Discos raising awareness about their pupil-led plastics campaign, to Bear Aware, an initiative which highlighted simple activities that everyone can do to reduce the effects of climate change.
St Margaret Mary’s Secondary in Castlemilk is equally determined to get its wider community thinking about environmental issues.
The brilliant pupils and staff recently organised a launch day for a year-long eco awareness campaign, which principal teacher Martin Walker hopes will inspire young people and their families for years to come.
“It started, really, with a simple idea back in the spring, when the pupils took part in a community litter pick,” he said.
“It was a big success and we got a lot of positive feedback from local people who really commended the pupils on how hard they had worked.”
He added: “We wanted to build it up into a wider project that could encompass a whole range of environmental issues that affect not just our playground and community, but the whole city too.”
Much of the work has been driven by the pupils, who came up with an assortment of themes to tackle. As well as litter picking, the launch day included active travel workshops, where families learned basic cycling and bike maintenance skills; plastic recycling sessions, where pupils and their parents learned about plastic pollution, and how to transform waste plastic into useful planters; and bee hotelbuilding projects, designed to encourage people to think more about how to save the dwindling bee population.
There were presentations and talks, too, and pupils made a donation to charity to dress down and ‘go green’ for the day.
Former pupil Hugh Meechan, who now runs his own company, The Mortgage Lender, donated reusable plastic water bottles to all the pupils taking part.
Irvine Kariuki, a third year pupil at the school, said: “The plastic bottle planters and
plastic pollution workshop got me thinking about the fact it is sad animals are dying because our litter is thrown away, but it is so avoidable.”
First year Rio Cusick was so impressed by the day’s events, he has made up his mind on a career pathway. “I’d love to be a marine biologist,” he said.“The day really made me think about how I could make a difference.”
Sixth year pupil Alexandra Warzecha said: “Helping to prepare and deliver workshops for Eco Day made me realise how much help I can offer the community in Castlemilk. It also helped me to understand that if we want to make an impact we need to all work together as a community to keep it clean and waste free.”
Fellow sixth year Devon McCole said: “The Eco day proved even to me that we can make a difference. We thought it was important to include local people. We handed out fliers to local residents to spread the word. I think it has made a difference – as a community, we are aware of our impact and are ready to change.”