CASE STUDIES; in association with Environment Agency.

Bottles to Benches

Byker Primary was invited by Enviro Schools to take part in the Bottles to Benches Scheme to give the pupils an appreciation of the recycling process. Pupils and staff collected more than 2,000 plastic bottles which were processed into planks which were then made into a bench and presented to the school.

Solar Car Challenge

Students from nineteen schools around Tyneside including two Enviro Schools took part in the fourth annual Solar Car Challenge final at Nissan's Sunderland plant in July 2007. The event was designed to show pupils the uses of renewable forms of energy and get them thinking about other ways to help the environment.

Racing their model cars at the Nissan plant marked the culmination of four months by eight to 11 year old pupils as they competed for the titles of best designed and fastest cars.

Working with neighbourhoods

The Enviro Schools programme encourages schools to widen their positive environmental impact to encompass their neighbourhoods.

Enviro Schools works closely with Newcastle City Council staff to achieve this. Some examples of the work include a poster competition at Chillingham Road and Ravenswood Primary schools to raise awareness about dog fouling offences.

This produced some excellent results with all the children from two schools participating. The winning designs were made into signs and the winners took part in seeing their drawings manufactured and sited across the Heaton area. The initiative was so successful that other wards across the city have adopted the scheme for other environmental themes.

CAPTION(S):

SOLAR CARS Local pupils took part in the fourth annual solar car challenge at Nissan Sunderland; BOTTLES BENCH Byker Primary collected 2,000 plastic bottles which were made into a bench.; ENVIRO SCHOOLS TEAM From left, Steve Tinling, Ben Grant, Alistair Wilson, Melanie Wallace.; FOUL MESSAGE A local pupil designed this warning.