“It’s our world and we only have one so we should take care of it together.”
Mayor Fiaz
Talking of making a difference,
Maryland School has been nominated for the Green Champions award at the upcoming Newham Civic Awards.
Can you talk me through what you do to make a contribution to our environment in response to the climate emergency?
Pupil
The Eco warriors [pupils] have many projects, such as our heated compost bin. We put leftover food in, and it breaks down as it gets heated. Then at the end we take it out and use it for the school garden. Parents also get a chance to take bags of compost home for their gardens or flower pots.
Mayor Fiaz
That’s great, how inventive! Can I ask you all, when you’re on your way to school, what do you think about the state of the roads and streets in terms of rubbish?
Pupil
The streets, they are clean, but the bins are quite overflowing and there’s rubbish all over the floor. And you can walk to school without treading on it – but there is a lot and I think that needs to be improved.
Mayor Fiaz
You’ve made a really good point.
One of the things we’re exploring is how do we adhere to regulations around keeping streets clear for people with prams, large buggies or wheelchairs, and so that people can walk freely, but at the same time accommodate the vast number of people moving into the borough. We’ve seen a lot of population growth and our bins haven’t kept up with the pace.
Pupil
Some people just spit their chewing gum out on the floor, or it completely misses the bin.
Pupil
If I saw a friend throw something on the floor, I would tell them straight away to pick it up and put it in the bin. Because most of the rubbish goes through the pipes into the seas and the animals are getting hurt.
Mayor Fiaz
All of us have power to influence other people’s behaviour. We have a network of people, from our parents to our siblings, other family members, but also neighbours. If you had one message to say to those people who drop litter, what would it be?
Pupil
That it’s our world and we only have one so we should take care of it together.
