Recent updates on current Roots & Shoots missions

As Ringwood’s work on the One World theme continued throughout the Summer term, we tried to meet the Roots & Shoots challenge of spreading the word of Roots & Shoots (Exercise 2 of J’s Lost Notebook). The many school and community projects that we have been involved with and that are described below, have allowed us to share the ideas of Roots & Shoots.

We agree with the Roots & Shoots principle that is so beautifully demonstrated with the Greater Gombe ecosystem, that making small scale local changes can make a big difference over time. Our first application of this principle relates to Fairtrade. Our Chronobots have worked throughout the year to raise the profile of Fairtrade in the community. To …

Read all of One World: People in a Global Village - Mission Update!!

We held our World Environment Day on Tuesday 8 June 2010.  We had over 350 visitors from primary and secondary schools as well as members of the public.  We had a marquee where exhibitors displayed their environmental projects and activities.  In the afternoon, working with ICC (International Climate Challenge) we had a Young People’s Action on Climate Change workshop specifically for secondary schools, to explore:

The global dimensions to climate change, meeting the sustainable school’s doorway and making connections between students’ work in the UK, India and Kenya.
How student-led action can really make a difference, with an opportunity to get involved in ICC’s Inspiring Young Change-maker initiative.

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Read all of Long Eaton School’s World Environment Day - Mission Update!!

Turners Hill School have recently completed a project that they called the “Great Big Energy Saving Project”.

The idea of the project was to consolidate and add to what they had already learnt. The children made a papier-mache thermometer with a world at the base to use as a measure, the target being to be completely carbon neutral.

The children looked at the school and talked about what we already do to help the environment. They surveyed all the school children to see which of our projects they thought made the biggest difference to the environment. By doing this it really brought home to our children how much we do. The list included:
Wind turbines
Solar Panels
Composting
Chickens
Recycling
Planting our own wood
Bugs Hotel Walking …

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To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jane Goodall’s work in Gombe we organised our first overnight road trip. Plans were made and then remade, and finally our destination was agreed upon.

We were very lucky to be awarded funding to cover the cost of the journey by the Stratosphere Science Museum in Aberdeen; however, following discussion amongst the agents it was decided that it was an unnecessary expenditure of museum resources and we declined their kind offer.

To ensure an early start the agents gathered the night before our journey and for a while pandemonium reigned with bags, coats and goodness knows what paraphernalia being declared essential travel companions by an extremely excited group of kids who were finally persuaded to trudge …

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A Community Orchard has been planted in the grounds of St Christopher’s High School.

The school’s Eco-Group were keen to plant the orchard to demonstrate that it is possible to grow your own fruit, even in Accrington, and the project will also highlight that fruit is seasonal. Although the trees are on school land the resulting fruit will be for the community who will benefit from free, locally-grown fruit without the CO2 contributions of transporting imported fruit.

The idea was initiated by the Eco group and helped by The PROSPECTS Foundation which is eager to help communities respond to climate change, and funding was granted by …

Read all of St Christopher’s Fruity Future

Dust Bowl Project:
People
People were affected in the 1930’s by the effects of giant Dust Bowls in much the same way as they are today in Kent, the only difference being the way in which the use of technology may help.

The agents looked at how people adapted then and now with specific interest being shown with regards appropriate accommodation and clothing and a fine time was had designing suitable attire. The agents then developed a poster entitled “What can we do?” to show the many ways in which individuals can help each other. They also looked at the differing means available to support large numbers of individuals with limited access to food and water, and we touched on the social implications …

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An East Lancashire school St Christopher’s held a major environmental celebration, on Saturday 12th June.

Visitors who biked to the event, were rewarded with a free breakfast, a little more exercise on the cycle smoothie maker ensured the extra pedal power was worth while with a healthy fruit drink!

Children and adults tried to ‘give something back’ to the Earth, by learning more about sustainable living. The fair will brought together 12 local primary school teams to compete for the first “Primary Eco Factor” which was won by St Peter’s Primary School, Accrington. To find which primary school had the ‘eco factor’, teams of four were challenged to under take the green ‘triathlon’ and an eco treasure hunt around the fair. St …

Read all of Accrington St Christopher’s Summer Eco Fair

Dust Bowl Project:
Animal Factors
Carrying on from our investigations into how Dust Bowl conditions bring detrimental change to affected environments, the agents spent time looking at the consequences of such a change to Kent’s interdependent ecosystem.
Our aim was to demonstrate that the first signs of change to an environment can easily go unnoticed if we fail to take account of all the elements contained within a specific area, the destruction or demise of which, can often act as the catalyst for preventable catastrophe.
However, we are also aware that some of our agents struggle with issues, such as literalism, which can sometimes be a detrimental obstacle to appropriate learning experiences and as such, we are often forced to take a very …

Read all of “…and some sun…”

Dust Bowl Project:
Environmental Factors
Agents learnt how and why the American Dust Bowls emerged and then looked at the effects on the people involved.

Kent’s environmental change 80 yrs later was due to many of the same factors and the agents studied how scientists, farmers and environmentalists tackled the problem then and now. They carried out surveys to identify water usage in their homes and gardens and compared the results on the basis of the number of individuals living in each home and the facilities available. They also observed how much water was potentially being …

Read all of “And to think we had hailstones two weeks ago…”

Our Eco group have had a hit squad working on our school’s carbon foot print.

We started our Eco group in September 2008 and have been busy workers from mucky gardeners to being Eco-fairies.

Just a little taste of what we have been doing…

First of all we did a litter pick on our school field…mainly rubbish from people who use it in the evening! We recycled what we could in our new recycling bins.
We have also started a vegetable garden in our Year 7 yard - we have grown, onions, brussel sprouts, radish, tomatoes, potatoes and lot more yummy food!  !
We have planted some plants and trees in our huge field.
We have also created several Eco-fairies. We go around all the classrooms in …

Read all of “Well haven’t we been busy!!!” :D