TASIS American School Wildlife Club Year in Review- 2014

This past year was a busy one for TASIS Wildlife Club. We spent a lot of time in our large garden, helping to tidy up our wildlife pond, clear an area for a new greenhouse, and help with new planting.

We also worked on Design for Change projects, with the biggest change being an addition of composting in the Lower School at lunch. The students in our club spent time brainstorming on how to approach the idea of composting fruit and vegetable waste in the dining room. It also was evident that many children were taking too much food, without thought for the wastefulness of throwing out good food.

Wildlife Club members met with the headmaster, the head chef, the people working in the dining room, and the head gardener, and planned their actions. Posters were made, a Powerpoint to highlight the problem to the whole Lower School, and plans for setting up a composting system.

The composting has been taking place for a month now. There has been a marked difference in the amount of food wasted, as now students can see the total waste collected each day. Students now think more about taking less food, and going back for seconds if needed.

The fruit and vegetable wastes are taken each day to a large composting bin outside. In a few months, we will have nutritious soil to use on our fruits and vegetables that grow in our school garden!

Along with projects, our club has spent a lot of time this past year learning about wildlife. This included visits from Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue, to share some rescued animals that were being cared for by volunteers. We were not allowed to touch the animals, but we did learn about how they would be returned to the wild, once their volunteer carer nursed them back to health.

Animals that we could touch included hatching 6 ducklings! Wildlife Club members were able to witness the whole incubation process, as well as viewing the newborn babies. We then cared for the ducklings and watch them grow! When they were three weeks old, they went back to the wonderful children’s farm where their biological parents lived. They will have a safe and happy life, where visiting children can see them roam around free in a large natural area of the farm.

One other exciting project was our students entering in a Global Art Competition with David Shepherd’s Wildlife Foundation. Four of our student’s endangered animal paintings were picked to be displayed for a day at the Natural History Museum in London. As well, the students got to go along and meet Mr. Shepherd and view the work of other children.

We continue to work each week, and in reality, each day, to make our school and community a friendlier place for humans, animals, and the environment!