Pupils reflect on success of annual Eco Week

Pupils enjoyed a host of activities celebrating the return of our annual Eco Week.

As always, our staff and students went above and beyond, throwing themselves into each initiative and getting into the spirit of sustainability.

Highlights included:

• A pair of thought-provoking assemblies from our Eco Champions on how the school can live more sustainability.
• Eco Champions helping to deliver a demo of our on-site composter to visiting schools.
• Our inventive catering staff introducing low carbon meals using produce grown in the JAGS gardens by our Incredible Edible club.
• Weighing our food waste to set benchmarks on which to build.
• A no printing day across the site.
• A successful student Clothes Swap which gave new leases of life to hundreds of garments.
• Hosting a pop-up no waste shop courtesy of nearby Jarr Market

And of course, collaborating with Dulwich College to:

• Create a beautiful living wall (with compost produced on site) for the Prep School.
• Complete the STEM Light Switch Challenge, repurposing everyday materials into a device that illuminated a light bulb 15 seconds after being set in motion.

Orna (Year 12) – Eco Champion

My favourite Eco Week event was actually the collecting of food waste!

The initiative was very gratifying. Firstly, the students would come over of their own accord, and were eager to find out how much they had wasted – some were even quite apologetic – but it was a good first step because it showed they were aware of their own impact and wanted to find out more and take accountability.

Secondly, it meant we could talk to the students directly; they may have taken too much food and we could advise them on how to reduce their waste, or if they had finished their meals and we could congratulate them and encourage them to do it again. It was quite personal so it was useful for tackling some of their misconceptions and helping them to understand what they could do as an individual.

Thirdly, the actual process was very visual so students could see (and were stunned by) their own waste, which might give them the incentive to try harder in the future.

I also enjoyed presenting the assemblies because I think it’s really important to get our message out there, and maybe change some opinions and give a new perspective on the environment.

Kayla (Year 7) – Eco Champion

My favourite event was the Clothes Swap as I think it was super sustainable and a fun event that encouraged people not just to throw away old clothes, and also get some new ones.

I enjoyed doing the Eco Week assemblies as it was important that we got our message out there and raised some ideas we had.

I am hoping to introduce more sustainable food, such as locally grown and seasonal, but also provide more awareness so that people understand why it is important and feel they can do it at home.

Selina (Year 11) – Eco Champion

I think the best event of Eco Week was the Clothes Swap. Not only was it super fun for everyone involved but it also helped us to be aware of reusing clothes instead of throwing them away. It was also the event that had the most engagement which is good and can become a yearly event.

It was also super fun to help with the composter. It felt amazing to spread the idea of recycling our food waste and to hopefully make it common in schools and communities. I also loved talking to new people and even made some friends out of it!

I hope they enjoyed the experience and got to learn something new about composting  food waste.

Shivi (Year 7) – Eco Champion

My favourite event in Eco Week was when Jarr Market set up their pop-up stall in Holst Hall. It was interesting to learn how their products were eco-friendly and it felt great to buy something that is good for the planet.