Getting our hands in the soil!

This week a group of 1ºESO EP implemented a planting workshop they had prepared for the Reception class. They organised the materials and planted seeds : parsley, cat grass, pansy and other flowers. All these plants were chosen because they grow quickly and are adapted to a cold environment (winter is coming!).

Thanks to Carlota Carulla, Hugo Thackwray, Anna Rosell from 1ºESO for doing this project, and to our photogaphers Tatiana Mussons and Valentina Latorre and Hugo Thackwray

At the same time we had our IB CAS environmental team leading a gardening session on the Batx/IB roof. This week they were checking on the seeds they planted two weeks ago, and harvesting useful plants from the garden to share with the school community!

Planting on the Batx / IB roof!

Two IB1 students are running some gardening sessions with students from 2ºESO, after deciding what to plant and planning it, they have planted seeds today...

We planted corn, lettuce, carrots, flowers. We planted corn, lettuce and carrots because they
were all autumn/winter food and so that we could eat it in school as they are healthy. We also
planted flowers because we discovered that if you plant flowers with food the insects will go to
the flowers and not to the food.
Our experience was great, we had a great time planting plants. We enjoyed working in teams
with IB girls, and we learnt how to plant.
Next week we want to see if our plants have grown and if something goes wrong, for example,
they are rotten, we will take the plants out.

What can help stop climate change?

According to BBC, chip fat and other vegetable oils can help in stopping ships causing so many greenhouse gasses.

Click here for more information:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45862228

Hugo Thackwray

Check out this information about 4ocean!

Valentina and India have produced an amazing and informative presentation about an organisation which is trying to reduce and remove plastic from the oceans. As you may know the plastic pollution problem is killing animals, damaging habitats and poisoning our water.. find out more with this series of posts about 4ocean!!!

Environmental news report!

Environmental news this week..

Floods in Mallorca 

At least 12 people have died and a child remains missing after torrential rains ravaged Sant Llorenç and other small towns on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Two more bodies were recovered on Thursday in Artá. Rescue services said they might be a German couple who had gone missing. A five-year-old child is still unaccounted for.

Read more

In this same week the IPCC has published a report and concluded we have 12 years to make a real difference and stop the worst effects of climate change. 

Read more

It's time to act and stop climate change!

The #NoPlastic campaign will continue next year

We weren't the only ones thinking about reducing plastic use this year - it has been a hot topic. See this short, excellent video

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06bsx63

Last photos from the Secondary Roof Garden before summer

We are lucky enough to have an automatic watering system during the summer, and the school gardeners visit once a week to check on things. 

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE GARDEN DURING THE YEAR!

The seed collection project : these 3 radishes produced about 12 000 seeds!! Read more here

Here are seeds from spinach and radish plants which we'll keep for next planting season

These are the tomatoes growing from seeds we collected from students

We planted beans, peppers amongst the spinach and tomoatoes already growing here

The leftover radish and spinach plants which could be composted

French climbing beans growing from seeds brought by students. A small plant, possibly an apple tree is growing here too!

We planted chilli seeds

and here nispero seeds.. which were already sprouting in the bag

Eco-Committe 2017/18

In the first term we came up with a list of all the projects pupils and Miss Gurney suggested for the year, here is the evaluation of that list! 

We did even more than what was on the list.. and if you look through the blog you can see the extra projects on top of these, like sharing environmental news each week, and the seed / cake exchange.

#NOPLASTIC

- great poster

The posters are made and laminated ready to go up all over the school in September

- blue planet clip to share with everyone

Here is the clip we watched

- yoghurt pots in the kitchen? One wednesday this term they didn't use them

We have only seen them NOT using yoghurt pots once, and kitchen staff said that it didn't work very well economically. tbc...

- sign petitions from Greenpeace

We receive newsletters from Greenpeace and shared a petition on the Change Happens blog 

- Raise awareness among parents / AMPA / teachers

We shared information on our campaign in the newsletter, but there is more work to do!

- make art from rubbish

- upcylcing workshops

We haven't done upcycling yet, but we had a great workshop from Aimee Van Vliet, a sustainability entrepreneur.

- collect rubbish from around the school to recycle it

Some students from 2ºESO took charge of this project, they made a video to show what they were doing, but sadly in the video they put the rubbish in the wrong bin so we decided not to publish it.

- offer reusable bags outside school in case people need a bag

An idea from the students that needs to be tested for viability

- talk to primary/ secondary / batx about plastic reduction

A group of 1º and 2º ESO students visited classes to share information about the #noplastic campaign

- cake sale lids pay for the cakes!

This idea developed into the seeds for cakes exchange!

- no disposable cups in the school dining room

1. We haven't seen disposable cups in the dining room for many months! And are pleased to see paper cups in the staff room as an alternative to the plastic ones.

AIR POLLUTION

- experiments and make a video p.98/99 // testing air quality
The group borrowed equipment from E+S and did the experiments suggested! They didn't have time to make the video though

- campaign to reduce car use / posters about air pollution 

The group in charge of this campaign made an infographic, which was shared with 1º and 2º ESO pupils and with parents via the newsletter. They made a poster showing the steps of the campaign as we were following a strategy from E+S

- questionnaire about how people travel

As an indicator about how the campaign worked two 2ºESO pupils prepared a questionnaire and gave everyone in 1º and 2º ESO the chance to fill it in. Sadly only 8 people (6 from Environmental EP and 1 teacher) filled it in. The results showed that no one changed their behaviour as a result of our campaign.


OTHER STUFF

- Eco-committee meeting

Done!

- Ecosia search engine

Miss Gurney uses it, but we never took it to a bigger level

- weather station

Still not set up due to timetabling issues

- blog thursdays

Luis Palau got this started and we will carry on next year

- insect hotel

still to investigate!

For the last three see this blog post!!
- tree guilds on the roof
Yes!! (can be improved)
- trees from seeds
Yes!! The apple trees - but they got eaten...
- grow veg on the roof
Yes!! 

Environmental news this week...

A surprising find to reduce methane emissions...

Feeding cows seaweed cuts 99% of greenhouse gas emissions from their burps. Now, scientists in California are hoping to help farmers meet strict new emissions targets by performing the first ever tests of seaweed feed in live dairy cows.

(From: The Independent )

AND

We were surprised and sad to see that illegally cutting down trees is happening to a huge scale in Europe..

Romania breaks up alleged €25m illegal logging ring

Security forces launch raids linked to deforestation in the Carpathian mountains, home to some of Europe’s last virgin forest. Romania’s security forces have mounted a series of raids to break up an alleged €25m illegal logging ring, in what is believed to be the largest operation of its kind yet seen in Europe.