Who are we?

We meet on Tuesday lunchtimes in the Science block and our aim is to help the school reflect and act upon ways of becoming more environmentally friendly and sustainable. We are also trying to become recognised as an Eco-school and will be trying to gain a Bronze award from the international Eco-Schools programme by the end of July 2009.

The group have already started to make their mark with a number of activities including making posters, putting together a fact-finding questionnaire and taking steps to reduce water usage in the school. We’ve also started to collect waste paper for recycling from some of the main offices around the school and this will be expanded across the school when we have a suitable collection facility.

We picked up lots more ideas when we attended a Schools’ Eco-Conference 2008 at Aintree Racecourse on June 23rd 2008 and are currently putting together an Action Plan for 2008-9.

We try and invite visitors along to the Group meetings and in June we heard about proposed improvements to Caldy Nature Park (see below).

The Group is always on the look out for new members and pupils and staff wanting to get involved with the Group should contact Dr Hooper in the Science Department.

Our activities thus far include:

• making  posters
• devising a fact-finding questionnaire
• analysing the questionnaire responses
• making water hippos
• making bird feeders
• Schools Eco-Conference, June 23rd 2008
• waste paper collection

Caldy Nature Park Improvements

In June 2008 we heard about proposed improvements to Caldy Nature Park. Chester City Council, together with local schools and the “Friends of Caldy Nature Park” are developing some ideas for the Park, such as a new entrance feature, new pond, improved disabled access, artwork and replacement bridges. Susie Woodward-Moor, Landscape Architect for the City Council, came into school assembly on Monday 23rd June to talk about the project. A plan of the park showing some of the ideas is now on display in the Bishops’ Community Library. Anybody can write make suggestions on the project and the display will also be at the Caldy Valley Centre, Caldy Valley Road, from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th June, from 9am to 5pm. Any queries on the Caldy Valley project should be made to Susie on: Email: s.woodwardmoor@chester.gov.uk or Tel: 01244 402 397. Keep looking at the web site for progress on this project.

Making Water Hippos

Toilets in school get regular use so this is a good place to look at saving water. An excellent way to save water and money is by installing a water saving hippo device in the toilet cisterns. In a large cistern with a flush capacity of nine litres or greater, you can save up to three litres of water with each flush when using a water saving hippo device!

Water hippos can be bought made from durable heavy gauge polyethylene (which open out into a box shape when put into a cistern) or in the form of expandable gel (which swell in the cistern water). Either way, the overall effect is that less water is sent down the loo on each flush.

The water saving hippo device works best in larger cisterns but can also be used in those with a smaller capacity. Most cisterns fitted after 1993 are designed to use less water but the hippo can still help you to save more.