Is your school play equipment a climate change winner?
Hardly a day goes by nowadays without the issue of climate change being mentioned on the news, backed up by disturbing scenes of the first obvious manifestations of global warming and its devastating effects upon the planet. Raging bush fires in Australia and severe flooding in Indonesia are but just two recent examples. International high profile personalities and groups such as Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion are giving this important topic the airtime and publicity it so rightly deserves. And that is why we at the Hideout House Company have developed a range of recycled plastic play equipment for school playgrounds rather than using the traditional rounded timbers. We have this whole big issue of plastic pollution which is wreaking all kinds of havoc on the environment adversely affecting wildlife, wildlife habitat and us, humans. David Attenborough has told us all about it in his television programmes and even school children from around the world recently went on strike for a day to drive the message home. There is already an excellent international programme within the educational community called Eco Schools which encourages environmental awareness and teaches children to adopt skills and practices to drive through change. Recycling forms a major part of this initiative. And that is why we are now using recycled plastic for our play equipment. Rather than polluting our planet, plastic bottles and cartons can now be 100% recycled and made into recycled plastic which is a low maintenance and environmentally friendly alternative to timber. Rubbish can therefore be transformed into a useful, high quality playground product rather than having to chop down trees to provide the timber alternative. But there is more. As well as its extremely eco-friendly credentials, there are also lots of other benefits to be gained from recycled plastic play equipment: • It will never rot or degrade as it can easily tolerate damp conditions • It will never splinter or have cracks and shakes • It is extremely low maintenance • It is hard wearing and exceptionally durable lasting five times longer than timber and does not degrade with age • It is UV, graffiti, algae and insect resistant There is a secondary benefit too in that children can actually learn about the recycling process from just using this type of play equipment by understanding and appreciating its provenance. See the video on the benefits of recycled plastic school play equipment below. Some very good reasons therefore to make playground products out of recycled plastic and by doing so, this demonstrates a good environmental practice within your school and could even go towards your school’s Eco School accreditation. The range has now been extended out to include not just trim trails but planters, benches, sandboxes, water play tables, play boats and mud kitchens. The Hideout House Company also offers other unique products to schools which promote and encourage environmental awareness – these include special eco classrooms which feature renewable energy systems such as dynamo bikes which the children have to pedal to create energy/electricity and solar panels with mini wind turbines. By Simon Fearnehough, MD of the Hideout House Company Ltd See QA Education’s climate change blog here.
STEM event set to launch competition to stop plastic pollution
The British International Education Association (BIEA) is proud to host its second annual international Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) conference on 15 January 2020. Focusing on the theme of plastic pollution and how to combat the global issue, the conference will convene a series of expert speakers and panellists who will discuss how technology can help counter plastic waste and save threatened marine and land-based life. “We know that the world has a plastic problem as our oceans and lands have become polluted with our carelessly discarded plastic waste. This plastic will take thousands of years to decompose on land, whilst the plastic in the oceans break up into toxin-laden tiny particles, causing chemical pollution in the oceans. By bringing attention to this crisis and discussing how scientific technology can help clean up plastic waste before it becomes environmentally dangerous, we at the BIEA hope to engage today’s international youth to use education to become the ones who can help save the planet of plastic pollution,” said David Hanson, STEM competition chairman at BIEA. The 2020 conference will also mark the beginning of the BIEA’s International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, whose theme will also encompass the plastic pollution problem. The competition will engage young STEM students in technological innovation and how it can be used to clear detrimental plastic waste from our rivers and oceans. Teams from 40 countries and regions have registered so far, including UK, USA, Australia, China, Finland, Mexico, Pakistan, UAE, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland etc. Participating international student teams will research, write a report and design the solution on how to ‘Save our shores from plastic waste through STEM,’ with finalists moving on to final rounds in June/July 2020. Open to anyone between the ages of 9 and 21 years old, and the winning teams will take cash prizes to contribute to their school/university STEM labs. Conference speakers, panelists, and moderators include experts from Imperial College, Thames21, the Royal Society, the British Council, BIEA and the Royal Institution. A mystery giant marine animal sculpture is being made by a team of young artists to highlight the impact of plastic pollution. The empty plastic bottles are loaned from London Energy and will be returned after the campaign for recycling. The conference will be held at the Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle St, Mayfair, London W1S 4BS. To purchase tickets to the BIEA conference, visit https://tinyurl.com/wvdrosr For more information about the STEM Youth Innovation Competition visits www.bieacompetition.org.uk or follow BIEA @BIEAeducation on social media.
Climate change – through the eyes of our school children
Our younger generation is now more aware of the world’s environmental issues than ever before – especially around the subject of climate change and the effects of global warming on our planet. Greta Thunberg brought the issue even more to the forefront of their minds, leading the revolution when she walked out of school and organised a strike to raise awareness of climate change. It was proven just how much our school children care about their planet when on the 20th September 2019 millions of children around the world left their classrooms to follow her in a global climate change protest – it was the biggest ever! Our school children have become so passionate about the subject as it will be them who will be hit the hardest and will have to deal with the impact of global warming in the years to come. With this knowledge, here at QA Education, we want to share schoolchildren’s work from up and down the UK, giving their perspective on the effects of climate change and how they are tackling the issue within their schools and communities. Whether this is through poetry, posters, videos or in another medium, we will share their work here with you. School children’s work on climate change Plastic Pioneers from St Andrew’s Church of England High School in Worthing: “St Andrew’s entered a piece of art called ‘Man ‘O’ Waste’ in the 2019 Worthing Light Festival. The exhibition showcased a number of stunning, sustainable art installations that lit up using renewable energy on Worthing’s East Beach recently. There were over 35 entries that were judged by Ali Lapper MBE and a panel of experts and we were delighted to be awarded 1st place in our category. “As part of St Andrew’s Plastic Pioneer project we are looking at ways to reduce the use of single-use plastic in school, raising awareness about the environmental effects single-use plastics have and change behaviours whilst at the same time creating stimulating new experiences for our students. “St Andrew’s are building an environmental policy around the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. This will, in turn, save money and help ensure that any changes the school make have a positive environmental impact, improving the future of our planet and leaving our legacy for future generations to enjoy.” Plastic Pioneers from Monkspath Junior & Infant School in Solihull give advice on how to reduce, reuse and recycle: The Sustainers group from Acland Burghley, North London give their insight into climate change and sustainable living: Protest on Plastic – Rufus, a Year 7 pupil at Acland Burghley School in Camden, London: Would you like to be included? If you are a pupil or teacher and would like us to include yours or your pupils’ work above, send it over with the pupil’s name, school year and the name of their school. If your school has a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest account, please send those details too and we can tag you into our social media posts: follow @qaeducation!