Newcastle High School for Girls cultivates future ecologists with pioneering ‘Touch of Green Week’
Newcastle High School for Girls (NHSG) recently concluded its fourth annual ‘A Touch of Green Week,’ a vibrant initiative designed to inspire environmental responsibility and foster pupil well-being through focused sustainability and biodiversity activities.
Running from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd May, the week showcased NHSG’s deep-rooted commitment to responsible practices and its proactive approach to nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards.
Excellent work, everyone!
Working together to reduce our impact on the environment
The impact of this ongoing commitment is already clear, particularly in the area of food waste reduction.
Emma Waton, Head of Science and Biology at NHSG, commented: “We’ve been gathering food waste figures for the last few years to see how we’re doing and it’s really satisfying to see a significant shift and reduction in waste.
“We’re now regularly sending less food to landfill and seeing more of it being eaten by our worms in the school wormery – where food is turned into compost. The Touch of Green Week celebrates these ongoing achievements as well as creating a whole host of new activities for pupils to take part in and learn about the many ways we can reduce our impact on the environment.”
A week packed with green initiatives
‘A Touch of Green Week’ built upon NHSG’s year-round environmental efforts, such as its sustainable food menu and thriving school wormery, while introducing a diverse range of new activities for pupils and even parents to engage with:
- Sustainable Food Menu: The school’s kitchen showcased daily ‘deliciously recycled’ dishes, ingeniously crafted from surplus and leftover ingredients to minimise waste and inspire culinary creativity. The menu also highlighted sustainable plant-based options, with weekly displays charting progress in food waste reduction.
- School Wormery: A buzzing hub of ecological activity, the School Wormery continued its vital work, transforming food waste into nutrient-rich compost and liquid fertiliser, demonstrating a tangible, circular economy in action.
- Junior School BioBlitz Event: In a first for the Junior School, a BioBlitz event was held in partnership with the Natural History Society of Northumbria. This exciting collaboration saw young pupils actively collecting data and contributing to vital scientific research to measure biodiversity across the school’s extensive grounds.
- Community Litter Pick: Demonstrating immediate local impact, pupils joined forces for a litter pick in the Jesmond area, collecting an impressive 21.13kg of rubbish in just 15 minutes – a powerful visual of collective action.
- UCL Pupil Panel: At the Senior School, three pupils were selected for the prestigious opportunity to collaborate with University College London as part of a pupil panel, lending their valuable voices to discussions on sustainability education at a higher level.
- Nature Walks and Pledges: The week also included engaging activities like a bat walk, moth trapping and observation, a dawn chorus walk, bug identification, and pond dipping. Coinciding with the national ‘Walk to School Week,’ pupils were encouraged to walk where possible and perform an ‘Act of Green’ to earn a Green Badge and make a lasting Green Pledge for the future.
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, commented on NHSG’s initiative: “It’s fantastic to see Newcastle High School for Girls leading the way with their ‘A Touch of Green Week.’ Their holistic approach to sustainability, from reducing food waste to engaging pupils in hands-on biodiversity research and even influencing national discussions, is truly inspiring.
“This proactive commitment not only teaches vital environmental responsibility but also empowers students to become active agents of change, which is crucial for the future of our region and beyond.”
NHSG’s ‘A Touch of Green Week’ is a shining example of how schools can embed environmental education into daily life, fostering a deep appreciation for our planet and nurturing the ecologists and sustainable leaders of tomorrow.
NHSG is a Schools North East Partner Trust. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.
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