By Matilda Y6EMWhat is an Eco-Brick, and how do we make one? An Eco Brick is a plastic bottle filled with used, clean hard or soft plastics. To make one:
Why are Eco-Bricks good for the environment? Plastic is not biodegradable. This means that once plastic has been made from crude oil it is pretty much around forever. Some types of plastic can be recycled: this means collecting the plastic, melting it and molding it into something new, but this has consequences for the environment and many types of plastic cannot be recycled in this way. Plastics that are not recycled are taken to landfill sites which are unsightly and smelly and can destroy natural habitats. Lots of plastic is dumped or washed into rivers and ultimately the ocean where they are a choking hazard to marine life. So it is much better to find a way to reuse plastic. What are we doing with our Eco-Bricks? We have had eco-brick making stations around our school and a big crate to collect finished and weighed ones. Now we have plans to make furniture and playground equipment at the school Youth Club. We are hoping to make more Eco-Bricks, so we can build more things and possibly make some things for charity. Join us at Lunchtimes Monday- Friday this week!Now that you know how beneficial and eco-friendly Eco-Bricks can be, there is a perfect chance for you to make your own!
Join the Green Council this Monday through to Friday (Monday March 15th- Friday March 19th) for a chance to win a scoop of ice cream for successfully creating an Eco-Brick weighing more than 175g. We look forward to seeing you at the Thai Sala between the Core Building and the Canteen!
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By Mr. Alex Moxon1. Buy local, seasonal foodsNowadays, we can get pretty much any food produce anytime of the year from our local supermarket. But buying fruit and vegetables out of season or from far flung places increases our food costs, raises our carbon footprint and makes life more complicated than it needs to be. Simplify things by buying locally produced, seasonal foods whenever you can and support local farmers and food vendors. The environmental benefits are sizable and it feels good to be working with the grain of nature. 2. Eat less meat and dairyBelieve it or not, meat and dairy production comes with huge environmental costs. It requires huge swathes of fertile land, vast quantities of water for irrigation and it’s a big emitter of greenhouse gases. By simply reducing our meat and dairy intake, we can drastically reduce our ecological and carbon footprints. And the best part is, we don’t have to cut our intake down to zero to have an impact. Try starting with “Meat-Free Mondays” by choosing to eat a tasty vegetarian meal every Monday in the school canteen! 3. Reducing plastic useReducing our use of plastics is an easy way to live a greener lifestyle. The average plastic bag takes between 10-20 years to degrade, so limiting our plastic use is a really simple and effective way to reduce your ecological footprint. Simply swapping single-use plastic bags with reusable canvas bags when you go shopping can significantly reduce your plastic waste, particularly over a whole year. 4. Get involved in community actionGetting involved in environmental action and initiatives in the local community is a really good way to have a positive impact while having fun and meeting new people. Come along for the next beach clean-up and help remove garbage from the stunning Rayong coastline! 5. Educate friends and familyThe chances are you are more environmentally aware than many of your family and friends.
So by teaching them what you know and striving to live more sustainably, you create a ripple effect which spreads to others. Remember good ideas spread fast! #greenmatters #greenvalley #green #sustainable #ecofriendly #action #sustainabledevelopmentgoals #sdgs By FlorenceStaying eco-minded during a pandemicPhoto by Manuel Peris Tirado on Unsplash
Our 8 Top Tips for Staying Green at Home Spending time isolated from friends and family can be really tough especially with so much time on our hands. It's tempting to lay down and watch a bit of Netflix or YouTube with the air conditioner on full blast- but just because the world is in lockdown doesn't mean the environment should suffer any more than it already does. Here's some great ideas for how to be green at home! Tip #1 - Set up a bird feeder outside your window Tip #2 - Plant some bee-friendly seeds to help out pollinators like bees and butterflies Tip #3 - Mend your clothes! Use free time to sew up any holes in clothes. The more you reuse clothes, the less you are tempted to buy new ones. It takes lots of water to make cotton, which adds to your carbon footprint. Tip #4 - Turn things off when they're not in use. If you're spending more time indoors, you may be more likely to leave on appliances such as your TV and air conditioning when you're moving from room to room. Be sure to switch them off and reduce the amount of energy you use. Tip #5 - Eat less meat. Try tofu or Quorn mince, or plenty of veggies, as an environmentally-friendly alternative. Veggie curries are my personal favourite! You could try meat-free Mondays if you feel you can't commit to becoming completely vegetarian. Tip #6 - Compost your food scraps! Whether you have a garden or a communal food waste recycling bin, it's a great way to help the environment. Tip #7 - Try out some plastic-free products. Enjoy loose leaf tea instead of tea bags with plastic in, or try out a bamboo toothbrush or silicone straw! Tip #8 - Shorten your showers. Yes, you have more time on your hands, but it's likely that there's more people in your house, and they're all taking more showers too, which uses more water and consumes more electricity. Thank you for reading our Green Council tips! Want to share some of your ideas?- You can do so in the comments below! By LennyDuring a pandemic and lockdown where we are separated from social occasions, we can often forget the importance of laughing and acknowledging small joys.
Here are some eco jokes for you to have some laugh! Let us know in the comments section which one you liked the best!
By Opal and LydiaEco initiative with Hand 2 Hand 2020-2021Hand 2 Hand is a charity we, at St. Andrews Green Valley has been working for the past few years. It focuses on helping both those in need in their care as well as helping families that are struggling within the rural/ suburb areas. We initially collected 2 litre milk cartons as part of a drive on recycling which we cut to use it as planters. Miss Ginny and the primary students have been planting vegetables such as green beans, herbs and peppers that we have then transferred to “giving garden” to be able to grow stronger. In this “giving garden”, we have already been growing sweet potatoes, spinach and kale. Last year in december, a group of CAS students took the sweet potato cuttings, green beans and banana plants down to Hand 2 Hand and planted it all out in the beds there. The vegetables that we helped grow would contribute to the Hand 2 Hand project to supply healthy fresh vegetables and produce to families that they are supporting.
We look forward to growing more vegetables this 2nd term and next as well. You and your families can get involved by growing their own plants at home and by recycling your milk cartons to make planters.
Before the official launch of the Green Council, we asked members of the Green Valley community to come up with ideas they think we can adapt to make our environment greener in the future.
Using forest school, eco bricks, hosting eco activities... Watch the video and find out what things they had in mind. |
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