has anyone tried to green their kids' school?

[sibdoms]

I live in a very posh, 4x4 driving area and the schools my dds go to are very ungreen. Sustainablility is seen as something that is "done" in pshe once. I feel it should be at the heart of all schools.I have encouraged the heads to join up to eco-schools status but they are not keen, maybe because they are church schools and they can only be seen to be flying one flag at a time... I am slightly despairing about this, as I feel hypocritical doing nothing, and yet up against a mass of apathy. Parents seem just as unbothered. I need someone to tell me how to turn the tide around.

[flack]

Does your school have a travel plan? Ask the head, it's a formal plan (county council will usually have an advisor) on how to get more pupils walking & using cars less. Most schools are keen on this because it's a safety issue.. and there's money (grants) can be applied for to help do things like build a cycle shelter (Heads never turn down pots of money, ime).

Is there an eco-club? Usually you need a keen teacher to get anywhere with that, though a parent could run one, too. Does school have waterbutts, gardening club or even a compost heap?

[chestnutty]

How about recycling? I help run the ecoschool at the secondary school where I work.
We have a box for used paper in each classroom and office. The children empty these into brown wheelie bins that the council empty evey 2 weeks. We collect enough to fill 4 wheelie bins.
We are expanding this scheme to include cardboard and plastic bottles this term.
The travel plan idea of flack's(cool name,btw) is also very good. we did one and got a new cycle storage out of it . Its fab- enough room for 30 bikes to be dry and locked up during the day - its always full.
The school wouldn't need to go the whole hog to green flag eco-school status - any concessions to greenness is better than nothing.

[sibdoms]

There is a walking bus and a gardening club and that is very good, but there is no ethos in the schools. Chestnutty, how did you get yourself to be recycling guru in the school?

[fennel]

You could contact your local council. our council is very keen on green things and has a full time cycle-to-school advisor and various other people whose job it seems to be to help schools become greener. and they are full of ideas. It depends how much time you have. DP signed up to help with cycling proficiency, for instance.

[Blu]

I have been suggesting to 'our' school that they install bike and scooter racks.

And also protested at the 'helium balloon race' that was part of the Summer fete (result - hundreds of edflated ballons and thier tags landing as litter). All that earned me was a look which said 'miserable old bat, what on earth is she ion about, why doesn't she appreciate what we are doing for the PTA, how picky / sanctimonious can you get?'

[puddle]

Blue you can get biodegradable ballooons for that sort of event. We use them at our school.

[Blu]

Good tip - thanks, Puddle!

[samsgr8]

Sorry to barge in this thread like this but you could try to get your school to sign up as an ecoschool ... www.eco-schools.org.uk
... worth a try!

[chestnutty]

Sibdoms, we do are green things through the eco-school scheme like samsgr8 mentioned.
We are still getting started but have done an eco review of the school and put together an action plan. All the details including the review are on the website. We have had a couple of competitions 1. design an eco-school logo and 2.write a mission statement for the eco-school(all about recycling, reducing waste and litter etc)
Another good website is the woodland trust. In february we got 30 free native hedging plants that have been used to fill the gaps in the perimeter- It was an offer on the website at the time and we collected used christmas cards for the woodland trust in conjunction with WH Smith.That was an easy way to raise green awareness.

[chestnutty]

just been on the website and they are doing the tree or hedging pack again this year. thae URL is www.woodland-trust.org.uk/hedging

[worldgonewild]

Sibdoms, how active your council is or more importantly, finding council officers within the various services who are proactive matters alot. Also, as others have mentioned, finding enthusiastic staff/parents is crucial. It is normally only a few people that bring such changes into being, with everyone else following in your wake!

The school I work at has achieved a fair bit through various individuals, groups and council/NGO folk. For example;

5pKh solar system (30 panels!)
roof garden
recycling
cycle park
walk to school schemes
low energy bulbs throughout
composting

It takes time but it's fun and rewarding once you get going. Find other like minded souls first then go from there. Best of luck.

[chestnutty]

wgw - we have a wind turbine!

[worldgonewild]

chestnutty, ...excellent! We've had a small one put in as part of some water recycling system which is meant to feed the roof garden. It's meant to power the pump on that system. All a bit complex for me!

Have dreamed of dropping in a giant wind turbine onto the school site but don't think the noise they create would allow the kids to concentrate!

[chestnutty]

wgw - its not noisy. Just makes a delightful swooshing noise when going full pellet.
Its been out of action for 3 months as a spring broke - The company has installed 5 around the country and they all had the same defect.
Dont know what the power output is.

[DominiConnor]

Schools seem deeply (if somewhat incompetently) feeding faux green stuff to kids.
DS keeps going on that we should car share every day.
Which might be good, except for the fact that usually he travels by tube