Students have turned out in force to help Woodham Academy Wildlife Club members plant trees on their school grounds. The year-old trees, known as ‘whips’, were donated by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), as part of their I Dig Trees campaign, and join some hundred and fifty or so specimens already added to the site by students, parents and community partners over the previous five years. The 120 new arrivals are native broad-leaved varieties, such as blackthorn and hawthorn, and are chosen for the many benefits they provide wildlife, through their profuse flowers and berries; they will also ‘fix’ some of the Carbon Dioxide currently produced by the school. Wildlife Club members can count their individual conservation hours towards a John Muir Award, but at times like these rely on the good will and enthusiasm of their peers to get the job done. Happily, they have not been disappointed.
Present at the planting was Woodham Academy’s new Head teacher, Mr Bell. Mr Bell was happy to reveal that he is an enthusiastic recycler at home, and would like to see the dedication and determination shown by his own young family members take fruit in the school where he works. Indeed, he has already given the green light to a student based environmental group, who are looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing plastic use and recycling paper, etc.
When it comes to taking action against climate change, it seems Woodham Academy is already well ahead of the curve, having had 184 solar panels installed, as part of Solar for Schools, in the summer of 2018. Since then the school has generated 46, 030 kWh of its own electricity, using the power of the sun, and has, as a result, avoided adding an additional 18 tonnes of the ‘green-house’ gas C02 to our already overheating climate.
The actions of these young people just goes to show that, with regard to climate change, we can all make a difference, if we try.
