CONSCIENTIOUS students at a Rugby secondary school have been praised for organising a month of activities centered around the climate crisis.
Rugby High School’s student-run Climate Coalition organised activities throughout February to raise funds for two important causes.
All money raised was split between a donation to Cool Earth, a charity which plants trees in developing countries, and towards improving the school’s recycling systems.
The group is introducing more paper recycling throughout the school, and improving the centralised recycling station so that boxes of recyclable items do not overflow so quickly.
The students are also looking into re-vamping and reintroducing pen recycling for all classrooms.
They organised events including meat-less Monday, when only vegetarian food was available in the canteen, and a cake competition with climate crisis themes such as deforestation and endangered animals.
There was also a sale of donated clothing to encourage students to embrace wearing second-hand clothing instead of fast fashion, and a non-uniform day with a sustainable theme.
The school hopes to highlight the importance of tackling the climate crisis with local and global action.
Climate Coalition member Miriam Clements said: “This exciting event was initiated by us as students who wanted a way to raise awareness – and monetary donations – for an issue that is becoming more and more important as time goes on.
“This is the first Climate Month we have had at our school so we really hope that it is a success and will become a yearly tradition.”
Deputy Headteacher Joanna Grimes said: “We are always happy to support students in organising initiatives such as this.
“We want our students to understand that their actions have the power to make a positive difference to our community and the world around us, and this month will remind us of our day-to-day responsibilities towards the planet.
“We are proud of our students’ creativity, determination and leadership.”
