Students raise the green flag (From Penarth Times)

Students raise the green flag

THE future is not just bright for Stanwell School, it's green!

Environmentally friendly pupils from the school shot to the top of the award stakes by securing their first coveted Eco-schools Green Flag award.

Managed in Wales by ENCAMS (who also run the Keep Britain Tidy campaign) Eco-Schools asks children to set up a committee which has representatives of all members of the school community.

They then look at problems from how much rubbish they throw out to how much electricity they waste and create an action plan to solve them.

Stanwell Eco-Schools co-ordinator Miss H Morgan said: "Obtaining the Green Flag award is something that the whole school and its surrounding community can be proud of.

"Each pupil will be able to take away some degree of satisfaction in the knowledge that their actions have significantly altered their local environment.

"It has been a fantastic initiative for all involved - however it is by no means over, as the greater challenge is to maintain what we have achieved so far and look towards ways of improving even further."

The pupils have been working their socks off to transform their school's daily routine into one that benefits the environment. Simple changes like ensuring all unnecessary lights are switched off and that paper is recycled. Research conducted by ENCAMS found that schools spend just under 1million a year on electricity.

Energy-saving light bulbs last up to ten times longer than ordinary ones and save between 5 and 10 per bulb, per year. Considering the amount of light bulbs required for each school - this change could prove to be a massive saving.