Long Eaton School's World Environment Day - 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.

We had a live video link-up to Nakuru in Kenya, 3 schools from the UK and 3 from Kenya where after watching the Greenpeace video 'Kenya Climate Change' and also the Practical Action Project video from Kenya with information about Nakuru, students asked questions of each other to find out more about climate change in their countries.  It was wonderful to hear first hand what young people thought about climate change and problems in their local community.Our ECO-Interact committee helped out on the day and also helped with the planning.  For a number of years we have been working with Rotary International helping with their aqua-boxes project and helping to raise money for underdeveloped countries to build deep-bore wells.  Each year we swim the equivalent of the width of the English Channel at our local swimming baths; we swim 1,760 lengths of the pool in an hour and raise over £1,000 each year - last year we built deep bore well in Jodpur India.   We presented the cheque for £1,023 to Rotary at our Environment Day.

We have been designated a BBC Breathing place and we took part in their 'Spring Watch' as we have developed our school grounds and built a pond for a safe haven for water voles. The Erewash Canal forms a natural boundary for our school grounds and water voles have been spotted on the canal. The pond also has a dipping platform which has proven to be a wonderful 'outdoors classroom' for our students.  As part of our pledge to develop our school grounds we have planted over 2,000 shrub and trees - one for every pupil and member of staff.In June 2010 two of our students represented the UK at the Environment Conference in Norway, they will be making presentations about their trip and what they have learned to our students and sponsors in September.==Barbara James,ECO School and Sustainability Coordinator,The Long Eaton School,Derbyshire