Green Day by Team Green

March 2010

Once upon a time in a School called Morpeth during the Student Leadership Team Meeting a suggestion was made that Morpeth could do more to be environmentally friendly. One bright spark proposed that we have a ‘Green Day‘ to highlight the importance of looking after our planet and to see what changes members of the school community could make to make our school more environmentally friendly.

Two members of Senior Leadership Team went to the Investec Bank as they had been making a real effort to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’. In fact they had just put on a ‘Green Day‘ of their own which provided the pupils with lots of ideas.

A group of pupils from Year 7 and Year 8 who shared an interest in Green Issues volunteered to form Team Green. They decided to work out what Morpeth could do to make a difference. They worked with a charity called ‘Global Action Planning‘ (GAP) who have worked with other schools in London.

Team Green’s first job was to do a waste audit at the school. This involved doing a very smelly and messy analysis of twenty four hours waste at Morpeth. It provided some very interesting results;

• 54% of rubbish that was thrown away in ‘normal’ bins is paper

• 7.7% was cardboard

• 10% was food waste

• 7.2% was packaging

• 4.5% was plastic bottles

• 1.7% was cans

At the same time, a group of staff from Morpeth were equally keen to make a difference. They met and came up with some good ideas themselves.

Yippee! Morpeth‘s Team Green has officially been launched with a brilliant event called “Green Day“ which took place on Thursday 11th March.

Our aim was to show everybody the effect our non-recycling, constant energy using etc. is having on our school as well as our homes and the wider community. A number of events took place during the day including; a chance to work out your own carbon-footprint, the “BLENDER VENDOUR” where pupils had to pedal a bike to generate their smoothie and much, much more. The Foyer was packed with lots of information, competitions and an organic fruit display. Thursday’s lunch was also fair-trade and organic. We were also lucky enough to have the Tower Hamlets Outreach Team in the school they brought in lots of a interactive displays with some interesting information and tips. All pupils wore one item of green clothing on the day. Their £2 contribution will go towards making Morpeth a more environmentally friendly school.

Finally, a film crew were in school filming the day for us and are producing a film that will be shown at the East End Film Festival.

Green Day is just the start, we hope now that pupils and staff will think even more about the waste we produce as a school and look for ways in which to reduce it. Have a look at Team Green’s top tips to see how you can help in your homes and our community.

Please look out for more Team Green Newsletters in the future.

Nadia Rahman 8H,

Team Green

Top Tips

1. Recycle

Find out what your local council recycles and make sure to adhere to their rules. Clean out your cans and jars and take your paper (newspapers, cardboard, old letters etc) to your local dump. Recycling is one of the best ways we can cut down on our unnecessary consumption!

2. Simplify

Your life – cut down on any unnecessary expenditure. Take any un-used clothes to your local charity shop and try not to buy too many things you don‘t need! Getting rid of things you don‘t use and cutting down on things you don‘t need helps reduce unnecessary waste in the future!

3. Avoid Throwing Away Food

Try to budget and plan your weekly shop so you don‘t throw away food. Keep a small compost heap so any raw vegetables that you might have thrown away get put to better use. If you enjoy gardening then grow your own instead of buying your fruit and vegetables!

4. Reusable Products

Get rid of all your disposable products and replace them with reusable products. This might include plates, cups, cutlery, razors, bathroom products, towels, bags, pens etc.

5. Use the Library!
 It is a great local free service. Instead of buying all your books new go down to your local library and borrow for free! Great for the environment and your purse strings.

6. Buy Organic, Local and Free Range Where You Can

One of the best ways to be sustainable is to keep your local businesses thriving. Instead of large supermarkets head down to your local butchers or grocers and try to support your local Farmer‘s Market. Try to avoid food which uses unnecessary packaging and has been processed. It’s better for your health and the eco-system! Only purchase ‘dolphin-safe‘ Tuna and try to buy Fair Trade wherever possible. Helping other people is the first step to helping the world.

7. Cut Down on Your Energy Usage!

Buying an energy-meter can be one of the best ways to measure and cut down on your energy use. Turn off your TV at the socket and try to keep your computers off-charge when they don’t need it. Turn off lights when you‘re not in the room – it is these little changes that can make a massive impact on energy consumption in your community! Try these changes in your office as well!

8. Conserve Water

Try to commit to cutting down your water consumption. Place a water-saving product in your shower such a timer and try to avoid having too many baths! Only fill up your kettle to the level which is needed and consider buying a low-flow flush toilet. Always run your laundry and dishwashers on full – they should be packed before you turn them on! Use a dishwasher instead of hand washing and don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the wash! Fix your leaks and try to use a recycling-water car wash!

9. When Outdoors

Don‘t throw your trash on the floor and try to pick up any you see left along the roadside. Get involved in a local clean-up project and think of planting some trees in your local park. Helping to support local parks is an important part of keeping your community green.

10. Natural Products

Try to use natural products whenever possible. This includes make up, cosmetics, body lotions, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner etc. Make sure they‘re cruelty free. Good for your body and the world! Try to use natural products for the home as well (such as Ecover)