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A Happy New Year to all of our readers! Welcome to the Winter 2009/10 edition of the Eco-Schools Scotland newsletter.

In this newsletter…

Did you know that there are now 47 countries participating in the Eco-Schools programme? From Chile to China, school pupils of all ages and their teachers are all doing their bit to look after our wonderful planet, and make sure that it stays beautiful for generations to come.

Kate and Kirsten from the Eco-Schools Scotland team met up with representatives from many of these countries at the International Eco-Schools Conference in Autumn 2009, and it was a fantastic opportunity to hear about some of the inspirational and exciting Eco-Schools projects that are taking place around the globe.

With the ever-increasing need for international co-operation at every level to combat the many environmental issues facing Planet Earth, it’s humbling and heartening to hear and see the passion and commitment of the world’s young people when it comes to taking action. This newsletter features just some of the inspiring ideas that our international colleagues have shared with us; as well as examples of the eco-excellence that continues to be such an integral part of the day-to-day learning in Scotland’s schools.

Kate, Kirsten, Helen, Paul, Anne, Paula, Irene, Lesley, Patricia, and Catriona

The Eco-Schools Scotland Team

In this issue...

- A whole-approach - Eco-Schools France #1 - Did you know? #1 - Coming soon… - Eco-Schools Ireland

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- Get creative! - Be part of the European energy revolution - Eco-Schools South Africa #1 - Cutting carbon at Towerbank - Did you know? #2

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- Menzieshill NS get the Green Flag - New and improved Spring Cleaning Power - Schools’ Global Footprint - Clarkston PS go global

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- Eco-Schools Finland - Take One Action

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- Eco-Schools France #2 - A whole=school effort at Newton PS - Recycle your Xmas cards! - Watch the birdie!

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- Eco-Schools South Africa #2 - Eco-Schools England - Want to know more?

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- Take part in the Great Plant Hunt! - Make Creative Connections in 2010 - Expand your classroom… - International Year of Biodiversity

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- Wise words from Whitelees PS ! - Eco-Action at Abernethy PS - Eco-Schools Netherlands

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- Eco-Schools Slovakia - Flick the Switch! - Latest Green Flag awards

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- Latest Green Flag awards update 11

- Eco-Schools Scotland statistics & contacts 12

Eco-Schools Scotland Newsletter

Edition 26

Winter 2009/10

A thousand reasons to celebrate...

Sometime in 2010, Eco-Schools Scotland hopes to reach a very significant milestone; the 1,000th Green Flag award to a Scottish school. This will be an amazing achievement, and will mean that almost a third of Scotland’s schools will have gained the top award in the Eco-Schools programme.

Naturally, we can’t let this pass without celebration, so the Eco-Schools Scotland team are planning a series of events over the course of the year to mark this historic occasion. We’ll be sending a special edition of the monthly bulletin to all of our schools in February which will outline what we’ve planned...so watch this space…!

Need help with your Eco-Schools work?

Our CPD training dates for 2010 are now available.

Whether you’re looking for training on how to get started as an Eco-School, going for your First Green Flag or renewing an existing Flag Award, specific topic or sector training, then we have courses to suit your needs.

Have a look at our training pages to find out more, or email our Training Officer, Helen MacKinven.

If you print this newsletter out, please remember to double-side!!

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A whole-planet approach

As we saw during the Copenhagen Summit, global issues need global solutions, and although there may have been limited consensus amongst the politicians, the continuing success of the Eco-Schools programme shows just how determined young people can be when it comes to making sure that Planet Earth remains ‘fit for purpose’.

First introduced in 1994 as a response to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Eco-Schools programme is now represented in nearly every corner of the world, and new countries are joining all the time. Two of the most recent recruits were China and the USA - two of the world’s biggest economies - reflecting the increasingly widespread understanding that the world’s education systems have a key part to play in ensuring a truly sustainable future.

What is even more heartening is the knowledge that young people all over the world are working together, towards common goals, using a simple yet highly effective framework. The Green Flag Award means the same in Scotland as it does in Slovakia, South Africa and all of the other participating nations: an instantly recognisable symbol of excellence in environmental awareness and action, and just reward for all the hard work and commitment of the school community concerned.

We hope that the contents of this newsletter will help to highlight some of the fantastic Eco-Schools activities that are being undertaken around the world...and celebrate the fact that the Eco-Schools community is a truly global one.

Coming soon...

The Eco-Schools Scotland team often get requests from schools in other countries who would like to make links with Eco-Schools here in Scotland. We’ve decided, therefore, to set up a page on our website which will provide full details of each school and the kind of school (nursery/primary/secondary/special) they’d like to link to. This page will go ‘live’ in the next couple of weeks, and will be updated regularly as new schools get in touch with us.

Eco-Schools France #1: Energy Awareness at Jean Macé Elementary School

Using a Thermal Camera to highlight heat losses to pupils was suggested by Sophie Le Boulaire, who is in charge of the Sustainable Development Service of the city of Besançon (France). First of all, a technician came to the school on a cold day to shoot pictures, opening doors and windows of the building. He then made a speech in front of all the classes to explain how the camera functioned, showing the images he had captured, and started a debate with the pupils who were extremely intrigued by the “funny” images and the “dark red silhouettes” seen in the video. Pupils from each class then chose two volunteers to be “Energy Monitors”. These two volunteers had to make sure that all the lights were switched off during breaks, that the doors stayed closed when the heating was on, and that no windows were left open for too long (some of them turn off the heaters when they open a window and then turn them back on when they close it).

Our thanks to Loïc Le Rudulier from Eco-Schools France, and to Mme. Lutic, parent and member of the Eco Committee at Jean Macé Elementary School.

A thermal camera’s view of the world!

Eco-Schools Ireland: The value of going green

Recent research on the economic value of the Eco-Schools programme to schools in Ireland has revealed that the programme has saved schools in Ireland a minimum 2 million euro in waste, electricity, water and fuel costs this year. The results reveal a minimum of 12 tonnes of waste diverted from landfills in Ireland every school day by schools undertaking the programme, 3.7 million unit of electricity saved this year, 200 million litres of drinking water saved this year and around 500,000 litres of transport fuel saved this year. Because the programme also involves the wider commu-nity the overall savings to the wider community could be several times the 2 million euro saved by the schools involved. Because the number of schools participating is growing every year next years saving are expected to be higher. Currently, research is being undertaken to assess the savings in heating oil and gas for schools involved in Eco-Schools.

Did you know #1…?

Worldwide, over 8 million pupils and 600,000 teachers are involved in the Eco-Schools programme. That’s more than the entire population of

London!

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Get creative! The International Children’s Painting Competition for the Environment is organized every year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It has been held since 1991, and since then, has received more than 2.4 million entries from children in over 100 countries. The theme for the 2010 competition is Biodiversity and it will focus on our beautiful planet, and its many different life forms - and what can we do to protect it. The deadline for entries is April 15th, 2010, and children all over the world are invited to submit their paintings to the UNEP office in their region. For more information, log on to the UNEP website.

Eco-Schools South Africa #1: Rediscovering an eco-friendly past The pupils from a small South African Eco-School have been involved in a truly ‘rich task’! Read on to hear more…

‘Our Eco-School, Mpepule Primary School, is located in rural North-east Limpopo Province. Although our school is small with just 70 children aged 5 to 14, we have two very dedicated teachers and we are all very enthusiastic about our environmental projects. Last year, we were very proud to be awarded our Third Green Flag. One of our sustainable projects, initiated in 2006, is our thriving organic vegetable garden, for which we have received recognition from both Eco-Schools and the local Lephalale Environmental Awards. All school members play an active role in looking after our garden, and it feeds us all year round. Added to our successful gardening project is the new focus we have on Nature and Biodiversity integrated with Community and Heritage. We chose to look at local uses of the indigenous marula tree and its importance in our local beliefs. Did you know that marula fruits have four times the vitamin C content of oranges, and that every part such as the bark, leaves and stems has its use? We made traditionally-shaped pots from mud and paper maché for collecting marulas, and our mums and dads taught us how to harvest the fruit. We even made delicious marula jam! We also learned that the marula kernels are an excellent protein source and that you can use the discarded seed instead of firewood. This helps to prevent overharvesting of firewood, as all of our lunches at school are cooked on fires. In the past, the Vha Venda people used the oil from these kernels to help preserve raw meat. We gained real respect for our parents and grand parents, when we realised how tricky it is to use two rocks to access the kernels. It was such fun learning about magical marulas. We even learned how to make traditional marula beer that is used in many ceremonies and rituals, including speaking with our ancestors.’ Our thanks to Eco-Schools South Africa for the above.

Be part of the European energy revolution!

The Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign is gathering momentum.

If you believe in a low-carbon future and want to change the landscape of energy in Europe, you can take an active role in the EU Sustainable Energy Week by organising an Energy Day in your town or region between 22 and 26 March 2010 (including weekends before and after).

Applying is easy! Check the Sustainable Energy Europe website and submit your entry by early March.

Did you know #2…?

There are now 2,100 schools in Scotland with Bronze Awards and 1,700 with their Silver Award; which includes 64% and 55% respectively of our local authority schools! Well done to you all!

Will 2010 be the year that YOUR school gets the Green Flag? Have a look at the award criteria to see what you need to do. Good luck!

Cutting the Christmas carbon (and calories) at Towerbank Towerbank PS in Edinburgh City had a very ’Cool Yule’ in 2009 - the Christmas tree lights in the school’s entrance hall were powered by children pedalling a special energy cycle linked up to not only the lights, but an MP3 player playing Christmas tunes as well! All pupils, staff and parent volunteers were given the opportunity to use the bike over the festive season too. The bike was on loan from Edinburgh Powerpod; a local group that teaches youngsters about sustainable development. The children enjoyed the challenge so much that they are looking to get a special eco bike of their own! Our thanks to Kirsty Rosie, Eco-Schools Coordinator at Towerbank for the article and photo

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New and improved Spring Cleaning power...

...now with prizes!

It’s National Spring Clean again from 01-30th April 2010, and our colleagues at Keep Scotland Tidy (KST) want to make this year’s Spring Clean the best yet!

Last year saw a huge number of schools taking part, and this year, KST want to see if they can beat last year’s total. To encourage even more participation, KST will be offering additional incentives to schools. Twelve lucky participating schools will be chosen at random to receive a groovy prize each!

You can find out more on the Spring Clean competitions page.

Clarkston PS go global Clarkston PS in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire gained its Fourth Green Flag award in December 2009, and our assessors were very impressed by the work the school had done on the ‘Sustaining our World’ topic. Here’s what Eco-Schools Scotland Lead Assessor, Anne Black, had to say: ‘Clarkston’s links with Kapiri School in Malawi have already given their pupils a valuable insight into the lives of children in other countries and as a result, I am sure they will view the resources available to them in a different light. We would like to congratulate the school on becoming a Fair Trade school, and the sales of this kind of product will have surely increased in Airdrie as a result of the efforts of the pupils involved on this project. Pupils from both Clarkston and Kapiri schools made toys from waste materials, and sent photos of themselves to pupils in the other school, who then drew portraits from the photos, and both schools are planning biodiversity gardens.’ Our thanks to Anne for the above.

Menzieshill NS get the Green Flag

Menzieshill Nursery School in Dundee City recently gained its First Green Flag award - and Head Teacher, Isobel Fleming, wrote to tell us more…

‘We’re delighted to receive our first Green Flag Award, which was presented by Liz Fordyce, Dundee's Education Convener, in November. Over the last four years our nursery has had an extensive programme of environmental improvements which involved growing fruit and vegetables from seeds and plugs, harvesting them, and cooking and eating them with the children and parents. We were involved in a partnership with the Co-op at Rosemount Farm in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, who invited our children, staff and parents to see the crops being planted and harvested, and to make pizza in their education kitchen and take it home for tea. The staff designed and published a recipe book using the vegetables as ingredients which we distributed to parents.

We were also in partnership with Dundee City Council’s Waste Management department, who came to our school to promote waste awareness regarding recycled paper. We’ve recycled aluminium, plastic and rags through the Ragbag scheme, collecting 300 kg of material. By successfully achieving our Green Flag, we have been able to apply for a Platinum Health Promoting School Award and a Bronze Healthy Working Lives Award, and we are pleased to say that we have just been awarded both. We have found that by achieving these awards, morale is raised in the school and we are fulfilling our Authority's aims by valuing ambition and success. All the children were pleased to receive the Green Flag and Sarah, one of our Eco Committee members, said, ‘we really do need to save more bottles’. We now hope to continue the good work, and look forward to applying for our Second Green Flag Award. We found the Eco-Schools Scotland team's inspection of our school a positive experience and would recommend the process to anyone.’

Our thanks to Isobel for the article and photo.

Committee members Sarah and Taylor show off their

Green Flag

Remember to use the Schools’ Global Footprint calculator to measure the impact that YOUR school is having on the global environment.

Covering six key areas - waste, water, food, energy, transport and buildings - it’s a great way to

get an accurate picture of where you’re currently at - and what you need to do to improve the situation!

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Eco-Schools Finland: Acting locally, thinking globally

A primary school in Finland has been involved in an inter-disciplinary Water project. Their Eco-Coordinator tells us more…

‘Rauman Normaalikoulu Elementary School is situated in the town of Rauma, by the Gulf of Bothnia which is part of the Baltic Sea. It has 200 pupils, and has been taking part in the Eco-Schools programme since Autumn 2007. The school’s Eco-Schools work is coordinated by our Green Flag team, which has a meeting once a fortnight.

The first topic we chose to focus on was Waste Minimisation, and this got started in Spring 2008 with the aim of reducing the use of paper and learning to sort waste more effectively. In the Autumn we expanded on this to include the reduction and sorting of biowaste left over from school lunches – and many pupils also carried this out at home.

In August 2009 we started with a new theme: The Clean Baltic Sea – Clean water. A good starting event for the whole school was a boat trip to the nearby island of Kuuskajaskari. The aims included:

1. Promoting the sensible use of water at school and at home

2. Finding out why the Baltic Sea is getting more polluted, and looking at ways to protect it

3. Trying to increase the awareness of the state of the Baltic Sea

4. Finding out more about the state of the world’s water resources and how to protect them

On the island we had different activities: analysing the water, studying the invertebrates living there, watching birds, and fishing. We also did art and tied knots, and we had a barbecue! The project continued at school and the work was exhibited there before being transferred to the local supermarket. The Green Flag council has also been checking all the school’s taps, toilets and drainage pipes to see whether there are any leaks. This work will be repeated and all the water finds will be reported.

In the Spring, we’ll have a visitor from the Nature Society, who will tell us how we can work on the behalf of the Baltic Sea. We are also planning to organize a large Baltic Sea exhibition at school in April. The sea theme shows in studies of every subject: for example in Biology, we looked at the dangers of the Baltic Sea, ways of protecting it and the different species of plants and animals to be found there. In Geography we study the countries on the Baltic Sea. This theme gives us inspiration to do Art work as well.

Founded in 1442, the town of Rauma has a long history in maritime culture, so it is very important for us to keep our nearby sea as clean as possible.’

Our thanks to Aino Alasentie from Eco-Schools Finland, Outi Kokkonen, the school’s Eco-Coordinator, and to Kirsi Urmson for translating Outi’s article.

Take One Action Take One Action is Scotland’s global action cinema project - and it’s on tour in February 2010! They link audiences, movies, campaigners, and communities to inspire shared solutions to global and environmental injustice.

They organise regular screenings, and an annual festival for school groups, linked to many of the outcomes and experiences within the Health & Wellbeing and Social Studies of the Curriculum for Excellence (as well as key subjects including Eng-lish, Geography, Modern Studies and History). All screenings are accompanied by activities, resources and advice designed to support and encourage ongoing learning and projects in the classroom. For more details of all upcoming screenings, log on to their website.

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Sophie, a pupil at Montagne Elementary School in the French Alps, tells us more about what her school has been doing to minimise waste…

“I first arrived in Montagne school in fifth year. Pupils in sixth year with whom we shared a classroom were already very involved in Eco-Schools work: they were very involved in sorting their waste, and were also very careful with water and electricity consumption.

From the beginning of school year, they told us about how determined they were to get Eco-Schools certification, which made us want to obtain it even more! We were thus very, very careful! Each month we weighed our unsorted wastes; and we discovered that for the whole school, without waste sorting and recycling what we could, our garbage would have weighed 20kg instead of 5kg for 2 months!

The results were published twice a month in the school newspaper. We also plotted a graph on graph paper. At first it was only maths to us, but when it was time to understand the graph’s slopes, peaks and dips it suddenly became more interesting. ‘Pupils learnt how to put “successes” and “failures” into perspective by considering the number of days per months, the variations in the number of pupils present in the classroom (doubled when our foreign exchange students visited the class) and everyday incidents (breaking furniture for instance)’, says our teacher M. Duckit.

Being awarded Eco-Schools certification made us all very happy! It made me feel like my school had become different from the others. Our efforts have been rewarded and now we understand the importance of minimising waste. Our latest intake of new pupils are not yet very concerned with our Eco-Schools work, but I think that will change and trying to involve them represents a nice project.”

Our thanks to Loïc Le Rudulier from Eco-Schools France, and to Sophie, as well as M. Michel Duckit, Head Teacher of Montagne Elementary School.

Recording the amount of waste found in each of the school’s bins.

A whole-school effort at Newton PS

Newton PS in Dunblane, Stirlingshire, have been busy! Read on to find out more…

‘We have 30 pupils in our Eco committee, from primary 1-7. We also have two after -school clubs, one for P1-3 and one for P4-7, and over 80 children attend these throughout the year. The committee is responsible for looking after the school grounds, and composting and recycling. P6 runs a healthy tuck shop, and left over fruit waste is then composted. P5 run the litter patrol and this year, we won the Stirling Council litter award.

The P1-3 group have been making hedgehog habitats and planted some bulbs. In P4-7, we got trees from the Woodland Trust which we planted in the school garden. Recently at our Christmas market, we sold hand-made bird feeders, bulbs in pots, and decorated pine cones.

We had a visit from the Forth Environment Link. The lady was called Mrs Miller and she gave us an apple-tasting session. Then we went out into the garden and planted three apple trees which are Cox Pippin and crab apples. We are now working towards our Second Green Flag.

Our thanks to Fiona Horne, PT at Newton PS, for the article and photo.

Don’t forget to recycle your Christmas cards and help the Woodland Trust at the same time!

Where can I recycle my cards?

Click here to find out more.

You’ve got until January 31st to do this.

By recycling your cards, you’re helping the Woodland Trust to plant even more trees. You can even vote for where you’d like them to be planted!

Watch the birdie!

Get involved in the RSPB’s next Big Schools' Birdwatch between the 18th January and the 1st of February 2010, and you'll not only be taking part in the world's biggest birdwatch, but also helping the RSPB to monitor UK bird numbers.

This simple bird survey is for all ages and abilities. You can do your watch either within your own school grounds, or by visiting a local park.

But best of all, it only takes an hour to complete, and is rich in curriculum links, as well as being an ideal way to help with your Eco-Schools Monitoring and Evaluation.

Log on to the RSPB website to find out more...

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Eco-Schools South Africa #2: Super Solar Chefs

The Midlands Meander Association Education Project (MMAEP), in South Africa has been busy introducing the possibilities of solar-powered cooking to learners in rural schools. As part of lessons dealing with climate change, global warming and sustainable energy, learners are introduced to the principles of solar power using simple materials. ‘Many of these educators and learners have previously played the interesting and fun Eco-Footprint game which shows how an individual's consumption of renewable natural resources and production of waste output impact on the Earth. Traditional food is prepared for the sun stove - madumbes, mielie rice, imifino and tomato relish. This presents an opportunity to discuss the importance of wild foods - particularly wild greens which are still easy to harvest - and the superior nutritional value of "real" food compared to fast food. After preparing the food for the oven, we discuss forms of energy as a class, emphasising the basic principles of reflection, absorption of heat and insulation. We divide learners into groups and hand out information on different examples of renewable energy technology. The learners read the article, discuss it in their groups and prepare a poster to present to the rest of the class. Each group is then given a range of materials they could use to build their own solar cooker. The plans for the cookers are checked, and then the learners set to building them; using things like boxes and newspaper to insulate, and aluminium foil to cover. Consideration has to be given to the angle of the sun's rays, and the relative sizes of the boxes, but in the end all the groups produce workable solar cookers. Their cookers are placed in the sun, and the temperature within each of them is taken by the learners initially and then again after 15 minutes. By the end of the day, the food in the Sun Stove is ready, and everyone enjoys a taste.’ Our thanks to Eco-Schools South Africa for the above article.

Eco-Schools England: Taking eco-messages to the top!

In late 2009, pupils from four Eco-Schools visited London to give their advice on tackling climate change to the Prime Minister.

Staff and pupils from St Francis Xavier RC School and Brandhall Primary School in Oldbury, St Philips RC Primary in Smethwick, and Tameside Primary in Wednesbury, visited the House of Commons and 10 Downing Street to pass on their ideas. They were greeted in London by West Bromwich West MP, Adrian Bailey, who spent time talking to the children about climate change issues. He escorted the group on a tour of the House of Commons before taking them to Number 10, where the children knocked on the door and handed over their messages to staff.

The students had innovative ideas on solving environmental issues. They handed over poems, posters, films and even footage of raps urging the Government to act. Their visit came ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The four schools are working together as part of a network led by St Francis Xavier to become more sustainable schools, in partnership with schoolchildren in India and Poland on international solutions to tackling climate change.

Co-head teacher at St Francis Xavier school, Mark Hinton, said: "All of the children and staff had a great time. We thought it was a great opportunity for the children to use their democratic right to take their messages about climate change to parliament.

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for regeneration and transport, Cllr Bob Badham, added: "It is wonderful to hear about these children being so passionate and creative when it comes to environmental issues. They are our future and it is great that they have come up with these ideas to reduce our carbon footprint.

Our thanks to Eco-Schools England for the above.

On the steps of Number 10!

Want to know more? Log on to the international Eco-Schools

website for the latest news on eco activities from schools across the world. Why not subscribe to their newsletter as well?

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Take Part in the Great Plant Hunt! Join the thousands of schools across the UK who have already signed up to The Great Plant Hunt!

You too can spring into action this term with free primary science resources from The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. If you have the treasure chest that was sent to all UK local authority primary schools in March 2009, then you are all set to go; otherwise everything you need to take part (plus educational films and fun games) is a simple click away at: www.greatplanthunt.org.

Activities are tailored to each year group and can be used at any time in the academic year, in the classroom, online and outdoors. Together, they build into a sustainable set of activities that can be used time and again. Download the Teachers’ Handbook for more details.

How to use The Great Plant Hunt in the Spring and Summer terms…

1) To help you teach the theme of ‘Earth’ for National Science and Engineering Week (12-21 March) The Great Plant Hunt offers safe, stimulating opportunities for school-based enquiry and investigation into native UK plants. Themes include the variation of plant life, habitats, plants as living organisms and the importance of plants in everyday life. The Great Plant Hunt introduces a range of scientific processes, helps build technical skills and understanding, and supports the development of critical thinking.

2) Many of the activities will help link your lessons to International Year of Biodiversity 2010. Visit the new section on the website for a Thinking Walk with a ‘variety of life’ theme.

Don’t forget - Great Plant Hunt Week will run again in May. Check the website for full details or receive the e-newsletter by simply emailing the Great Plant Hunt team.

Our thanks to Harriet Williams for the above article. Make Creative Connections in 2010

In 2010, Eco-Schools Scotland, in conjunction with the SpeyGrian-Trust, will once again be offering ’Creative Connections’: an exciting opportunity for personal and professional development set in the spectacular natural environment of the island of Eigg.

The course aims to further understanding of sustainability, biodiversity, and citizenship through shared experiential learning, and will run from 25th July to 01st August.

You can find full details – and the booking form - on the Eco-Schools Scotland website.

Expand your classroom… ...and deliver the curriculum in your school grounds! Grounds for Learning's annual Na-tional Networking Event will be held at SNH Battleby on Friday 12 March 2010. Whether you’re an enthusiastic outdoor practitioner or a nervous novice, their 2010 National Networking Event will equip you to use your grounds to deliver the Curriculum for Excellence and enhance the educational experience of your children & young people. The event is open to anyone interested in school grounds - primary and secondary teachers, early years practitioners, local authority staff, and individuals & organisations who support schools & settings with the use & development of their outdoor spaces.

Log on to the Grounds for Learning website to find out more.

Join in with the International Year of Biodiversity

2010 has been designated the International Year of Biodiversity, and throughout the year, people from all over the world will be taking part in activities and initiatives to celebrate and protect the awe-inspiring diversity of Planet Earth’s plants and animals. We’ll tell you more in due course, but in the meantime, you can view further information on their website.

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Wise words from Whitelees PS

The school band at Whitelees PS in North Lanarkshire continues to go from strength to strength!

When we last saw them, they were entertaining our guests at the 500th Scottish Green Flag celebration in 2005 with their specially-adapted version of John Lennon’s ’Imagine’ - for which they had obtained special permission from Yoko Ono.

Their latest venture saw them sharing an original composition with schools from all over Scotland during a special event organised by Learning and Teaching Scotland to raise awareness about the Copenhagen Summit. The words were written by pupils from P7, and the music by Mr Benham, a member of staff.

Using GLOW - Scotland’s national intranet for schools -Whitelees were able to reach a wider audience than ever before, and they’ve very kindly shared the words of their song with us...

Our thanks to Ann Kay, HT at Whitelees PS for permission to publish the words of the song.

Eco-action at Abernethy PS

Abernethy PS in Nethy Bridge, Highland, held a very successful Eco and Health Week in September. Their Head Teacher, Howard Edge, tells us more…

‘This year, we had K’nex Construction Kit Workshops focusing on wind energy, solar power and mini-beasts. Eden Court Theatre held Eco Drama sessions, and Primary 5, 6 and 7 had mountain bike sessions.

Our Active Schools Coordinator organised a Fun Run on Wednesday 23rd September for everyone, including the nursery class, and parents were invited to come along and take part. We held a sponsored cycle on Thursday afternoon , and the RSPB worked with all of our classes, doing sessions on garden birds, owls and capercaillie conservation. Our school nurse also talked to the classes about hygiene. Eco and Health Week was also ‘walk and cycle to school’ week. Everyone was encouraged to not travel to school by car.

We also set the whole school a Trashless Challenge. During the Eco and Health Week, all bins were closed except for recycling bins. Everyone, including staff, was asked to bring snacks and pack lunches in reusable tubs and containers. Drinks were brought in reusable bottles and fruit was brought for snacks instead of crisps. The canteen tuck shop provided toast as always - a great waste free snack!’

Our thanks to Howard for the article.

We’ve Got To Believe Verse 1 Ocean levels rising, sun baked arid lands Is this the future of our planet? (The answers in our hands)Our changing climate cannot be ignored To save the future of our planet Verse 2 Every country, culture and race Needs to come together This is something we need all embrace To save the future of our planet Chorus Let’s unite all across the world Take a stand, spread the word around We’ve got to believe in what we can achieve To stop climate change, we’ve got to believe We’ve got to believe Verse 3 Ice caps melting, resources fading fast For the future generations Our carbon footprint is having a huge impact This is the future of our planet Chorus

Middle 8 Small changes made today by everyone Will protect our planet from destruction To stop climate change Priorities should be rearranged Then our planet can be saved Chorus (x2)

Eco-Schools Netherlands: A time to celebrate!

On August 31 2009, Roxenisse and Pannebakker Primary Schools, on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee in the Netherlands, were presented with their Green Flag Awards, by Henny Kromhout, board member of the International Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE): the parent body for Eco-Schools. With six Eco-Schools, the island is now a very active area for the Eco-Schools programme in the Netherlands.

Roxenisse and Pannebakker Primary Schools were particularly active last year, when they organised various activities such as 'Walking for Water' - a charity project for Africa; building mosaics and painting large boards with environmental themes; collecting and recycling paper, cartridges, batteries and plastic bottles; and several other projects concerned with conserving nature, water, and energy. In the coming year both schools will be looking at the issue of sustainable food production. Our thanks to Eco-Schools Netherlands for the above.

A day for celebration!

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Eco-Schools Slovakia: Building the future

Two third-year pupils from the Railway Secondary Vocational School in Bratislava, Slovakia, have been putting their creative skills to good use. Here’s what they told us: ‘Both of us enjoy making aeroplane models, and when we heard about ‘passive houses’, we decided to create a model of the passive house. What is a ‘passive house’? It is a building in which you can maintain a pleasant temperature in winter as well as in summer without separate heating or air conditioning systems. It offers a high level of comfort, with very low levels of energy required to heat the house, and provide hot water. We hope that this model will help younger pupils to understand the idea of a "passive house" and its advantages. We are also working with an architect from iepd - a non-political, voluntary non-governmental organization.’ Our thanks to Eco-Schools Slovakia for the above.

Save energy - Flick that Switch!

FLICK THE SWITCH is a new energy-saving campaign aimed at primary and secondary schools and households across Europe. Through a series of fun and educational activities, students, teachers and parents are able to take practical action to help their schools and homes save energy, money - and the environment!

FLICK THE SWITCH registered schools are offered access to a wide range of teaching resources on energy efficiency, materials for students, and have the opportunity to participate in energy saving competitions.

Visit the Flick the Switch Website to see how you can get involved in this worthwhile and innovative initiative. If you are a school, you can register now to participate, under the ‘join the campaign’ section of the website.

First Green Flags awarded… School Local Authority Date School Local Authority Date

Adelphi NS Glasgow 16/11/09 James McFarlane School North Ayrshire 17/12/09

Anderston PS Glasgow 17/11/09 John Paul II PS North Lanarkshire 02/12/09

Apple Tree NS Argyll & Bute 02/12/09 Larbert Day NS Falkirk 19/11/09

Arbroath Academy Angus 17/11/09 Muirtown PS Highland 10/11/09

Auchinairn PS East Dunbartonshire 25/11/09 Newlands PS Scottish Borders 05/11/09

Baker Street NS Stirling 10/12/09 Onslow Drive Day NS Glasgow 21/12/09

Banton PS North Lanarkshire 10/11/09 Pitlessie PS Fife 26/11/09

Bellyeoman PS Fife 17/11/09 Saltoun PS East Lothian 25/11/09

Brydekirk PS Dumfries & Galloway 09/12/09 Springholm PS Dumfries & Galloway 16/12/09

Carbrain PS North Lanarkshire 30/11/09 St Constantine's PS Glasgow 01/12/09

Castlehill PS East Dunbartonshire 19/11/09 St John the Baptist PS West Lothian 11/11/09

Colvend PS Dumfries & Galloway 10/12/09 St Joseph's PS South Lanarkshire 23/11/09

Grantown PS Highland 27/11/09 St Mark's PS South Lanarkshire 16/11/09

Haghill Park PS Glasgow 13/11/09 St Winning's PS North Ayrshire 01/12/09

Hazlewood PS Aberdeen City 02/12/09 Strathburn PS Aberdeenshire 09/11/09

Heriot Hill NS Edinburgh 17/11/09 Woodmill High Fife 26/11/09

Latest Green Flag awards update… (05 November 2009 - 11th January 2010)

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11 Latest Green Flag awards update… (20 June - 05 November 2009)

Second Green Flags awarded… School Local Authority Date School Local Authority Date

Abercorn Secondary Glasgow 08/12/09 Menstrie PS Clackmannanshire 08/12/09

Ancrum PS Scottish Borders 06/11/09 Mosshead PS East Dunbartonshire 26/11/09

Craigbank PS Clackmannanshire 16/11/09 New Abbey PS Dumfries & Galloway 09/12/09

Crathie PS Aberdeenshire 04/12/09 Our Lady & St Francis PS North Lanarkshire 11/01/10

Dalbeattie PS Dumfries & Galloway 10/12/09 Peebles High Scottish Borders 25/11/09

Darvel PS East Ayrshire 15/12/09 Rogart PS Highland 10/12/09

Deshar PS Highland 26/11/09 Sheuchan PS Dumfries & Galloway 18/11/09

George Heriot's School Edinburgh 03/12/09 Spateston Pre Five Centre Renfrewshire 11/11/09

Glaitness School Orkney 15/12/09 St Bernadette's PS North Lanarkshire 04/12/09

Golfhill PS North Lanarkshire 17/12/09 St Lucy's PS North Lanarkshire 17/12/09

Greengables NS & FC Edinburgh 04/12/09 St Patrick's NC North Lanarkshire 08/12/09

Hazeldene NS East Renfrewshire 18/11/09 St Thomas's PS East Renfrewshire 10/11/09

Kirkshaws PS & NS North Lanarkshire 14/12/09 Wellshot PS Glasgow 07/01/10

Longridge PSchool West Lothian 19/11/09

Third Green Flags awarded…

School Local Authority Date School Local Authority Date

Auchenback PS East Renfrewshire 07/12/09 Culross PS Fife 11/12/09

Auchinraith PS South Lanarkshire 20/11/09 Currie Community High Edinburgh 02/12/09

Balmalloch PS North Lanarkshire 17/12/09 Fishermoss PS Aberdeenshire 19/11/09

Brediland PS Renfrewshire 11/12/09 Laurieston Day NS Glasgow 11/11/09

Burrelton PS Perth & Kinross 27/11/09 Our Lady of Peace PS Renfrewshire 01/12/09

Caledonia PS North Ayrshire 17/11/09 Oxgang PS East Dunbartonshire 11/11/09

Carron PS Falkirk 16/12/09 Pentland School North Lanarkshire 14/12/09

Colinsburgh PS Fife 10/12/09 Skeld PS Shetland 07/12/09

Croftmalloch PS West Lothian 11/11/09 Toronto PS West Lothian 23/11/09

Fourth Green Flags awarded… School Local Authority Date School Local Authority Date

Clarkston Primary School North Lanarkshire 01/12/09 Inveraray Primary School Argyll & Bute 24/11/09

Glencryan School North Lanarkshire 10/12/09

Well done to all of the schools listed here - gaining (and keeping) a Green Flag requires a good deal of hard work and commitment!

If you’re thinking of going for Green this year - or renewing your existing Green Flag award - remember to check out the advice and information on the Eco-Schools

Scotland website. If you need more help and advice, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll do our very best to help.

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NB Totals are not cumulative. The number of 1st Green Flag awards is the total number of schools in Scotland who have been awarded Green Flag status.

All figures correct at 11 Jan 2010

Current number of registrations 3,452

Total Bronze awards 2,190

Total Silver awards 1,774

Total 1st Green Flag awards 938

Total 2nd Green Flag awards 410

Total 3rd Green Flag awards 137

Permanent Eco-Schools 30

Eco Centres (with GF status) 5

Eco-Schools Scotland team members:

Manager Kate Campbell kate.campbell@ksbscotland.org.uk

Senior Officer Kirsten Leask kirsten.leask@ksbscotland.org.uk

Training & Development Officer Helen MacKinven helen.mackinven@ksbscotland.org.uk

Administrator Irene Steel irene.steel@ksbscotland.org.uk

Administrator Patricia McGuigan patricia.mcguigan@ksbscotland.org.uk

Administrator Catriona Rae catriona.rae@ksbscotland.org.uk

Secondary Schools Development Officer Paul Cortopassi paul.cortopassi@ksbscotland.org.uk

Assessment Officer (East) Anne Black anne.black@ksbscotland.org.uk

Assessment Officer (West) Paula Love paula.love@ksbscotland.org.uk

Assessment Officer (North) Lesley Weston lesley.weston@ksbscotland.org.uk

www.ecoschoolsscotland.org

Eco-Schools is run in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful and is supported by the Scottish Government.

‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’ is an operating name of Environmental Campaigns (Scotland). Scottish Charity Number SCO30332