Above: Eco Banners on display outside of Dame Allan’s Schools
A group of young eco enthusiasts have designed and displayed banners at Dame Allan’s Schools to raise awareness of the impact of traffic pollution on young lungs.
Sparked by discussions regarding traffic idling at drop-off time and causing air pollution, members of the Eco Panel at Dame Allan’s, held a competition to design eye-catching banners to hang outside of the Senior School site.
From the many designs entered, three were chosen to be produced and displayed outside the School; ‘The World’ by Scarlett and Kate (both Year 8), ‘The Car’ by Tyler (Year 8), and ‘Children’s Lungs’ by Mo, Edward and James (Year 10). The banners went on display late last week and can be seen on the Fowberry Crescent entrance to the Schools.
“We’re proud that our pupils are passionate and vocal about environmental issues.” said Mr Etherington, a geography teacher at Dame Allan’s who also helps to run the Eco Panel. “Pupil-led discussions, such as those about air pollution and air quality near schools, are so important and help us take actions that really resonate with our young people. We hope that the wider community will embrace the messages on these banners and consider the impact of idling near the Schools with engines on.”
Year 8 pupils Scarlett and Kate are proud to have their banner artwork displayed, with Scarlett commenting: “The involvement in the competition was a great way to bring attention to the dangers of idling in a creative way.”
Kate added: “I really enjoyed taking part in the competition, and I thought it was a brilliant way to contribute to helping to stop idling. I was pleasantly surprised when my design was chosen as one of the final banners.”
Will Scott, Principal at Dame Allan’s Schools, said: “At Dame Allan’s, we’re always working to become greener as a school community. It is inspiring to see our pupils taking an active interest in the environment and looking after our planet.
“Sustainable travel is something that we champion. We communicate often with our parents about more eco-friendly ways to travel to the Schools, offer transport booklets to all of our families with advice on public transport routes, plus provide a minibus service across the region to help minimise the amount of cars used by parents during the busy drop off and pick up periods.”