West Pembroke Primary Eco-Club met on Monday at lunchtime. Present at the meeting was Abbie Caldas, Greenrock’s schools programme manager, and Sylvia Hayward, community member assessor for Greenrock.

About 20 students and their Eco-Club co-ordinator, Enid Jacobs, and Wendell Smith, deputy principal, were also present.

The school is in the final stages of receiving international accreditation as an Eco-School and being awarded a Green Flag.

Ms Hayward’s role as a community member assessor involves working with the team to complete a checklist and learn more first-hand about what the Eco-Club have been doing at West Pembroke Primary.

Mr Smith and Ms Jacobs explained that over the past two years, the Eco-Club team have been reducing energy use and waste at the school.

Mr Smith said that on average, the school has been saving $1,500 per month for the past two years on its Belco bill.

Ms Hayward congratulated the students, saying: “You are all leaders and have inspired a lot of schools to follow suit and also start reducing their energy bills.”

She asked the team of students some questions about the Eco-Club, including:

• Why are you a member?

Several hands went up with answers such as, “I want to keep the school clean”, “I like recycling stuff” and “we wish to save money so we can buy more school supplies”.

• What incentive programmes are there for students to get “eco” involved at West Pembroke Primary?

Mr Smith said students received points for being environmentally friendly, which in turn entered them into a raffle.

He explained that each week at assembly, a student’s name from each school house is picked out of hat and they receive rewards such as sitting in the teacher’s chair for the day or being principal for 20 minutes.

He told the group that the incentive reward programme had a positive impact on the whole school, with everyone getting involved.

• What does it take to become a member of the Eco-Club at West Pembroke Primary?

The student team’s responses included:

• Dedicating lunchtimes to Eco-Club meetings

• Paying attention and being respectful and responsible

• Understanding and acting on what they learn in Eco-Club

• Being a leader and learning teamwork.

• Can you give examples of Eco-Club programmes at West Pembroke Primary?

• Energy monitors. Each class has an energy monitor and their role includes turning off lights, computers, fans and closing the door when the class is finished

• Planting, composting and gardening

• Separating trash

• E-mailing parents notes so as to cut down on school notes

• Recycling paper.

• Have you been using your Eco-School knowledge in other classes at school?

A P1 student said they had been learning about water conservation. P4 students explained they had been planting in their science class, while P5 students were learning about elapsed time.

P6 were incorporating their energy savings calculations into their maths classes.

• Have you taken any of the things you have learnt back home?

Several P1 to P6 students shared the different ways in which they are taking their new eco lifestyle home, including:

• Planting and growing gardens at home

• Composting at home

• Reduced Belco bills by turning off lights and their computers

• Stopped buying plastic bottles

• Stopped wasting water by having showers instead of baths.

After the lunchtime meeting, students took Ms Hayward on a tour of the school to show her some recyclable objects and their recently painted recyclable bins.