Society Spotlight: Eco Champions
JAGS is brimming with a diverse range of co-curricular groups and activities for our pupils to enjoy, many of which are created and led by the pupils involved. We wanted to celebrate these societies and clubs which so enrich the fabric of our school life.
This week, we have our Eco Champions.
In total, there are 10 Eco Champions working across JAGS to help embed our five pillars of sustainability; Energy, Travel, Waste, Internal Infrastructure and Natural Environment.
The pupils previously played a pivotal role in our successful Eco Week last term and are constantly exploring new initiatives to improve sustainability at JAGS.
Below our Eco Champions introduce themselves, reveal the projects currently under way and their exiting plans for the future.
- Energy
“Hello! My name is Grace and I am part of the Energy pillar. I applied to become an Eco Champion after growing tired of seeing the sad facts about the state of the environment repeated on the news cycle. I really wanted to help change that!
“At the moment, I’m working on recycling old folders in order to save as much paper as possible. I’m not sure what the future holds but I will be exploring the potential use of digital notice boards.” Grace, Year 8
“I put myself forward for the position of Eco Champion as I believed it was an important role to partake in and ties in with one of the most prevalent issues in modern society. While I represent the Energy pillar, many of the ideas and initiatives interlink with the other pillars.
“I am keen to explore how JAGS as a whole reduces its energy usage through better insulation and using more efficient (LED) lighting wherever possible.” Shreya, Year 11
- Travel
“Hey! My name is Kathleen and I am part of the Travel pillar. I applied for this particular role because cutting back on our CO2 emissions will help to make a difference and I would love to see this small change impact on a larger scale.
“My current project is to find a way to ensure all school journeys are carbon neutral. We are also creating a walking bus and making this accessible to younger children and younger siblings. The ‘bus’ would make multiple runs from accessible areas around Dulwich and in turn hopefully cut down carbon emissions from short car journeys.” Kathleen, Year 10
“Hi! I’m Orna and I’m one of the Travel reps! Currently, Kathleen and I are working towards creating a walking bus for the younger students in our community, to reduce traffic around school and Dulwich Village. For future projects, I would like to collaborate with the other Eco Champions on reducing air miles in the products that the school buys – for example, working with the Waste pillar to buy food grown locally.
“I’m extremely passionate about the environment; I’m part of London School’s Eco Network, and I chose the Travel pillar because I think travelling in a more sustainable way is a quick and easy way to help the planet, so I want to facilitate the transition to making JAGS more eco!” Orna, Year 12
- Waste
“Hi, my name is Demi and my pillar is Waste. I am currently working on cutting our paper waste down by as much as possible, for example by reducing worksheets that are unnecessarily used in lessons.
“My motivation for becoming an Eco Champion was the realisation that it is possible to function at school while using less paper.” Demi, Year 8
“Hey! I’m Selina, and I’m one of the waste reps! Currently, Shreya and I are working to set up a Vinted or Instagram account to easily sell second hand uniform and clothes to prevent them from being thrown into landfill.
“The main reason I applied to be an Eco Champion is my passion for geography and the environment in general. I wanted to be involved in the process of becoming a more eco-friendly school and help improve habits as we work towards an eco-conscious attitude.” Selina, Year 11
- Internal Infrastructure
“We are hoping to work more closely with the JAGS kitchen to help make more locally grown and seasonal food available at lunch.
“Both of us are passionate about improving sustainability at the school and applied for the role because we wanted to do all we could to help.
“Future plans will see us getting more students involved with sustainable projects and helping to create content for the JAGS website which highlights the work done by Eco Champions.” Kayla & Chelsy (Year 7)
- Natural Environment
“Hi, my name Elle and I am an Eco Champion for the Natural Environment. I am currently working to start a natural plant wall on the PE block. I was inspired to become an ambassador due to my love of all things eco, especially getting in touch with nature through taking my dog for walks in the park.” Elle, Year 8
“Hi! I’m Shivi and I’m part of the Natural Environment pillar! Currently, I am working to get house plants installed in our form rooms to make our classrooms greener and more colourful! I became an Eco Champion because I wanted to make a difference for our school! Shivi, Year 7
