EcoTeam
When: Dates vary, but are set at the previous meeting and displayed on the EcoTeam notice board.
Run by: Mrs Woods
Who for: Foundation - Year 6
EcoTeam encourages pupils at Combe Down to take responsibility for the environment - starting with the environment that is immediately around them.
A Native American proverb says "We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors - we borrow it from our children". Since our children are the ones who will be affected most by climate change and other environmental issues, such as the amount of rubbish we throw away, it is very important that they are given ways of speaking out on these issues and tackling them now.
How does it work?
Combe Down EcoTeam is made up of children from all years of the school. At the start of the Summer Term, a representative is elected from each class. EcoTeam is currently split into two groups: The Energy Team and the Waste Team.
Energy Team
The School uses lots of power every year, and our mission is to cut that amount down by as much as possible. The Energy Team are always keeping an eye out for places where power is being wasted - like lights and computers being left on, and doors and windows left open when heating is on - as this costs the school money and increases our carbon emissions. Our aim is to cut the school’s electricity bill by a substantial amount, and use the money saved for learning!
Waste Team
Everyone at Combe Down recycles. Deliveries to the school come with lots of card packaging, and twenty-five or more people in a class means schoolwork and activities like art projects produce piles of waste paper! We don’t want all of these to fill holes in the ground - so every class has a paper recycling box, and this year we are planning to start composting too. The aim of the Waste Team is to make sure all this keeps moving forward, and that everyone constantly thinks about what they do with the resources they use.
Our aims this year
We are currently working towards our silver EcoSchools award and are aiming to become a ‘Beacon of Sustainability’ within our local community - an organisation whose lead other people follow.
