Hemel Hempstead-based Primary School Wins Top Eco Award
A primary school in Hemel Hempstead has been named 2022 Eco-Primary School of the Year.
Westbrook Hay Preparatory School won the Eco-Schools England award, which recognises a primary school able to demonstrate it has implemented the Eco-Schools programme to positively impact the school and its local community.
Some of the green initiatives, which participating students (known as Eco Warriors) undertook at the school included:
- ‘Switch off’ weeks when teachers turn off their interactive white boards and computers for lesson
- Recycling batteries and ink cartridges
- Encouraging families to lift-share and make use of the school shuttle buses to reduce the number of cars travelling to and from school.
Other sustainable activities include the school’s gardening club, growing their own vegetables for use in the school kitchen, and school leavers being able to choose a fruit tree to plant in the onsite orchard.
Cllr Graham Barrett, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services at Dacorum Borough Council, said: ‘This award is the highest accolade the school could have achieved and is a fantastic recognition for all of the hard work carried out by the school’s Eco Warriors and staff in aiming to become a more sustainable school.’
The Council provides support to schools wishing to achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag, including hosting school assemblies about litter and recycling, and supplying litter-picking equipment for classes to borrow.
A regular ‘SEED’ (Supporting Environmental Education in Dacorum) newsletter is published by the Council, with schools encouraged to sign up to receive the latest information about environmental campaigns and events.
For more information, and to receive the SEED newsletter, please visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/schoolrecycling or email recycle@dacorum.gov.uk. To find out more about the Eco-Schools programme, visit www.eco-schools.org.uk.