Eco-minded students in Crediton work towards Green Flag award

Queen Elizabeth’s School, has held its first official Eco Club meeting this term.

The club has been set up by Science teachers Miss Mercer and Miss Owen, who both specialise in biology. They are both passionate about the environment and sustainability and want to use the club to share knowledge, inspire a love of the natural world, and empower pupils with the skills and understanding on how to tackle important issues such as climate change.

Pupils from all different year groups have signed up to be part of the club and planning is now underway for projects for the club members to run.

Talks from external speakers about the natural world, biodiversity and possibly even future careers and being organised for later in the academic year. Miss Mercer and Miss Owen are also hoping to take the group to the Eden project, where they can not only learn more about the natural world but also create links with the curriculum in both Geography and Biology.

The Eco Club’s main focus this year will be taking part in the Eco-schools programme. Eco-schools is a charity that aims to empower pupils to make a difference in their school and local communities.

An environmental review of our school site has already been conducted to determine what topics the club should focus on and once one has been chosen the team will come up with projects that they will run to improve the selected focus area which might be waste, energy or biodiversity.

At the end of the school year QE can then apply for the Eco-schools Green Flag, applying for the accreditation is the perfect way to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the ecological achievements of young people.

Paula Smith, headteacher at Queen Elizabeth’s School said: “I want to say a big thank you to Miss Mercer and Miss Owen for setting up QE’s new Eco Club. They have done a brilliant job and I know they are now keen for pupils to now take the lead when it comes to running the eco projects they are planning. It’s great that environmentally minded pupils now have a chance to make a real difference to the ecological footprint of the school.”

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said: “Everyone at the Ted Wragg Trust wishes the new Eco Club members at QE all the best regarding their aim of securing an Eco-schools Green Flag. At the trust one of our central missions is to make the world a better place and by embarking on this venture this group of pupils are doing exactly that.”