Harrow Agenda 21 Newsletter Spring 2009
Harrow Agenda 21 Newsletter Spring 2009
School
Environmental
Network
Newsletter
Time for change? Anne Swain Award 2009 - prize
money goes up to £500
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2009.
As I put together this issue, the new US
Don’t forget to submit your
President Barack Obama is stepping
entries for the Anne Swain
into his new role. Will this mean a
Award 2009. This year the
change in the US attitude to climate
prize money has gone up from
change policy?
£200 to £500.
Meanwhile, the UK is enforcing its re-
The competition invites pupils
strictions on the carbon emissions of
and teachers to submit pro-
businesses through its Climate
jects that have a sustainable
Change Bill. The Carbon Trust, a UK
or environmentally friendly theme. Pupils can make
organisation, is offering small busi-
individual submissions in the form of coursework or
nesses loans and grants to help them
can work as a team, and create anything from a
reduce their carbon footprint.
recycling project to pond conservation.
Why not incorporate the debate into
Budding journalists and artists may also submit ar-
your classes? How to balance the
ticles, posters and cartoons to this newsletter.
needs of business and the economy
Entries may be accompanied by posters, CD-ROM,
with protecting the environment?
photos or video, but this is not essential.
Business studies students, in particular,
could benefit from understanding the
To enter, e-mail: [email protected].
challenges of running a business in the
Deadline: Friday 22nd May 09
21st century.
Prize: £500 for your school.
Meanwhile, the rest of this newsletter is
packed with ideas to incorporate into
your classroom or after school clubs. LSEA Awards discontinued
And find out more about how to get in-
volved with the HA21 Education Despite its popularity, the London School Environ-
Group on 19 March. mental Award has been discontinued for the fore-
seeable future. The decision made by London
We also look forward to more entries Mayor Boris Johnson and his team is unfortunate,
to the Anne Swain Award 2009. The especially given the efforts made by Harrow’s
prize money has gone up to £500. teachers to enter the competition (see the Autumn
2008 newsletter).
Editor, Rupal Mehta
E-mail: [email protected]. However, the HA21 Anne Swain Award is still going
strong (see above).
Our Committee meetings will now become hands on for all...particularly as this way we’ll get
immediate feedback and suggestions of your preferences. This worked well at our autumn
meeting, at which the consensus for our spring meeting was to take advantage of the longer
evenings and have a guided walk over Bentley Priory Open Space. This is a site of special
scientific interest and the lake is a valuable Harrow site for your pupils. Details will follow, but
mark up 4pm on Thursday 19th March in your diaries.
Finally another date for your diaries, Thursday 25th June, where following your requests, Three
Valleys Environment Centre and Waterworks will be pleased to host a follow up to our
previous summer trip.
Best wishes for the New Year, and how about some feedback on our Newsletters. Let us publish
your fresh ideas to motivate your students in this new school year.
Marilyn Raymond
0208 954 3329
[email protected]
The Time Capsule is an open tray containing typical waste 6-15 National Science and
materials: newspaper, supermarket plastic bag, plastic milk Engineering Week
bottle, yoghurt pot, Royal Mail rubber band, wooden www.the-ba.net
clothes peg, aluminium can, steel tin, and glass jar and lid.
The tray is an open tray of plastic-coated steel, which will 22 World Water Day
be long-lasting in the conditions it will experience. www.worldwaterday.org
The project uses three similar trays, all with the same ma- 23 World Meteorological
terials. You need a patch of ground which is not going to be Day www.wmo.int
disturbed, or built on, or cultivated, and need somewhere
that is accessible for two years. Two trays are buried one April
foot deep, and the third tray is stored inside as the control National Pet Month
sample, in dry conditions, out of direct sunlight. www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk
At the first anniversary one capsule should be dug up, and 7 World Health Day: Marks
the class or School Environment Club should examine the the founding of the WHO
contents to see how and if they have changed. At the sec- www.who.int
ond anniversary the second capsule is dug up, and exam-
ined in the same way. Contact Marilyn Raymond for more 22 Earth Day
information (see above for contact details). www.earthday.org
The Earth Project so far ...
The Earth Project, based on Newton Park West Allotments, Harrow, was officially opened by the
Countess of Wessex in May 2007. It was developed by Harrow Council, Harrow College and the
Learning Skills Council to foster and nurture the horticultural and environmental skills of young
people and the local community as the Borough’s first and
only Environmental Education Centre.
The Earth project has also seen Year 5 and Year 7 students
from a local school visit weekly for several months as part of
a science project.
Year 5 took on three allotment plots, growing a variety of plants and vegetables. They also set
up and managed an experiment whereby they grew seven different plants in 12 boxes of differ-
ent media. These ranged from compost with fertiliser, to compost with just rain water or shred-
ded paper. As can be imagined, some plants fared better
than others and the experiment was a wonderful way of
highlighting what a plant needs to grow well.
The Year 7’s are a very able group and use the centre and
the 2.65 hectares of nature reserve next door to improve
their knowledge of habitats. There is much fun had pond
dipping and bug hunting, then recording the results.