Eco Classroom Officially Opened
Friday 3rd May 2019Yesterday Bishop John officially opened the new outdoor eco-brick classroom at St. Mary’s RC Primary School, Clayton-le-Moors. Those present watched presentations by the G.I.F.T. team and the Eco-group before being escorted to the outdoor classroom.
The opening was a parish and school celebration as they pupils were joined by parents and parishioners who have been very keen in collecting eco-bricks for the school – something that has raised awareness about waste plastics and their damage to the environment whilst bringing the community and the school closer together.
The Headteacher Michael Mashiter explained the importance of the eco brick:
“An eco-brick is a plastic bottle that is stuffed with waste plastics such as cellophane and food wrappings. When it has been pushed down they are quite a weight and it can take up to 2 weeks to fill one.
In just a year the school children and community have collected nearly 3,000 eco-bricks which equates to over 2 tonnes of plastic waste that we have reused rather than see it enter our precious environment. With the valuable help of Bob Turner who works for CAFOD, we have made children aware of their duty to look after God’s world.”
Bishop John blessed the classroom and was taken on a tour by the pupils. Speaking after the opening Bishop John said:
“It is wonderful to see the school and pupils at St Mary’s so enthusiastic about their new eco-brick classroom. The commitment shown by the young people here is a real example to us all.
The effects of Climate Change is not a problem that we can just leave to governments to remedy. They must certainly play their part but Pope Francis tells us that we are all required, every one of us, to make changes to our lives and begin to repair the damage before matters become irreversible.
The recycling of plastic into eco bricks is just one way our schools and parishes can come together to take action and heal the damage and “care for our common home” for future generations.”
The eco classroom has been in the planning for some time at St Mary’s but it is just another example of how schools and parishes can respond to Bishop John’s challenge for us to take the climate emergency more seriously in our lives. You can read how other schools and parishes have responded here.
Tagged | Environment
