Green up your school! World Environment Day - 5 June

World Environment Day is on 5 June every year and Kent County Council's Environmental Team has some fantastic information on how your school can become more eco-friendly.  

You can contact the Environmental Team by emailing KentEcoSchools-SP@kent.gov.uk and visit the Eco Schools website for a wealth of information and resources.

Energy - How low can you go? 

We all use energy in our daily lives and it can be surprising how much, small changes can make a big difference. Take up the ‘How low can you go?’ challenge and see how much energy you can save on one day. 

Schools taking up the challenge in the past have saved up to 86% on a single day compared to the same normal school day the previous week. Here are some ideas:

• Get the caretaker to show pupils how to read the electricity meters, record use on each day the previous week and on the day of the challenge. Use the data is maths class to calculate the % reduction and much saving per pupil (each kWh costs approx. 11 pence).

• Switch off lights and use natural daylight or head outside for lessons

• Plan lessons so you don’t need to use computers, overhead projectors, and other electrical equipment 

• Ask teachers to unplug the kettle and drink cold healthy drinks instead 

• Encourage everyone to bring a healthy packed lunch or ask the kitchen staff if they can prepare a cold meal/salad

Is your school interested in saving money on energy bills through energy-saving projects such as LED lighting? Find out how you can use our energy investment fund.

Water – learn how precious this resource is

• Learn about the water cycle and who in the world doesn’t have access to clean drinking water. 

• Carry out a hands up survey to find out who is water wise and who isn’t. Who turns off the tap when brushing their teeth? Who uses the shower instead of the batch? Who collects rainwater to use in their garden? Discuss small changes at home that help save water(and money if you on a water meter) 

Here are some resources on water.

Waste – learn how to avoid waste and make new things too

• Have a look to see what has been thrown away in the bins. What items cannot be recycled and how could we avoid this waste? Eg Crisp packets/snack wrappers – eat something  more healthy like an apple and then compost the core. What could be recycled but isn’t. Does the school compost fruit, tea bags and veg peelings? Find out more about waste and recycling.

• Some wastes are hazardous (have dangerous chemicals or parts inside) – many of these parts can be used again if we carefully collect them and take them to the right place – batteries are a good example, see how you can get a free battery box and ask pupils to take home the message to avoid putting batteries in the waste bins at home, these can cause fires if mixed with other wastes. Bring your batteries to school or any supermarket/electrical store who should have a battery recycling point. 

Travel – get the active travel bug

• Does your school have a travel plan to encourage healthy travel to school such as walking, scooting, cycling of public transport? Find out how to develop or update your school's travel plan. 

• Find out how road traffic is causing air pollution (that we can’t see) and how this affects our health and what you can do to help with these KentAir resources.

Climate Change

• As we use more energy and fossil fuels (coal and gas) the gases that go into the air are causing the temperature of the earth to rise by small amounts, this is causing our weather to change and this is called climate change. All around the world people who live by the sea are more likely to feel the impact of these changes as sea levels are also expected to rise, meaning some people could lose their homes. Learn more about climate change using these resources. 

Here are some ideas of what pupils and parents can also do at home.

To find out more about what Kent County Council and its partners are doing to improve Kent’s environment, and let us know what you think by emailing climate.change@kent.gov.uk