The Westbourne School Eco-Committee is a group of dedicated students who are championing sustainable practices across our school community. Currently headed up by boarding students Olufemi, Anson, Taonga and Rochelle, the committee has already implemented a range of initiatives and objectives to encourage the school community to become more environmentally friendly, setting an aim to attain the Green Flag Award for Westbourne – an internationally recognised award for excellence in environmental action and learning.
The motivated students have been planning and implementing activities to promote the group, and developing schemes to help make our students think and act greener.
As a first step, they installed clearly labelled recycling bins across the school and have been encouraging their peers to use the Too Good To Go app, which connects them with local restaurants and shops that have surplus food, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
Next year the committee plans to host a ‘Green Day’, where pupils at school will wear green to fundraise for local environmental charities. The students will also raise awareness by hosting a student-led assembly to share practical advice on how we can all become more environmentally aware and make better decisions to help protect the planet.
The committee would like to help students and teachers engage with more eco activities, and aims to introduce an incentive programme to encourage recycling, offering a points system for recycled items such as unwanted clothes and toys.
The group is currently considering a boarders’ clothes donation, which aims to recycle and reuse clothes and belongings donated by boarders who often don’t need these items when they return home. These items can be donated to either a local charity shop or organisations such as the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
The introduction of more plant-based food options across school and the boarding house is also top of the agenda. By offering fewer meat options and educating fellow pupils about how and why farming can affect the environment negatively, they hope to inspire a change of mindset with those who are not currently exploring vegan or plant-based foods.
Being part of the Eco Committee allows our students to develop school-wide initiatives that tap into their own personal passions and beliefs. We are proud of this group of students for working so hard to inspire positive change, as they continue to gain skills, including leadership, presentation and negotiation, that will support them to excel in the future.