Pupils push for plastic reduction with new Eco Committee
The staff and students of Rendcomb College have set up a new Eco Committee in response to the growing environmental concerns and especially the 1.5℃ limit that scientists have set if we are to minimise the impact of global warming.
The pupils and staff feel that it is in keeping with the school ethos and school motto, ‘Quo Lux Ducit’ (where the light leads), to set an example in this field and ensure that they are doing their part when it comes to reducing emissions and maximising sustainability.
The aim of the committee is to coordinate all the eco initiatives taking place in the school, to champion the progress they are making and for students and staff to collaborate when it comes to setting new and ambitious goals so that Rendcomb College continues to be a greener school.
Unanimously, plastic bottles were identified as an area where the College can do better and everyone on the committee lamented the unnecessary plastic created by the water bottles included in the school packed lunches taken on trips and fixtures. Therefore, there has been an initiative by the Eco Committee to phase this out after half term.
To ensure students remain hydrated throughout the day the students have been asked to come to school with a refillable water bottle, which they can fill up at various water points around College throughout the school day. Many students already do this and there will, of course, be back up measures in place to ensure that students who forget their bottle on a given day will not go thirsty. Mr George Toms, Head of Spanish and an Assistant House Parent of the Sixth Form boarding house at the College said: “It would be great if Rendcomb College could get to a situation where participation of the scheme reaches 100%. This will really help to dramatically reduce our single-use plastic as a school community. The toilet cisterns have also been changed this year, with the aim to save thousands of cubic metres of water use per annum. The next focus for the Eco Committee is going to be lights. We want to encourage students and staff to turn lights off after leaving a room. I am delighted to see so much great energy during our meetings, our pupils have loads of brilliant ideas about how we can change habits! Keep watching this space for our new green initiatives...”
