ECO and Climate
Great Big Lesson for Climate and nature- live from Cop26
Explore and find out more about the key climate change concepts and solutions, how to take action effectively and how to put nature first.
Meat free Mondays
Can you make a difference by going without meat for a day? Click the link to find out.
Look at the pollution levels by our school gate!
Please reduce the number of car journeys to and from school as we have recorded shockingly high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide at the school gates .
2021
2024
“We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that.”
— David Attenborough
“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”
— Barack Obama
"Avoiding climate breakdown will require cathedral thinking. We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.”
— Greta Thunberg
NO MOW MAY
Schools across the city participated in No Mow May, with 3 involved in a local research project.
Students from Brighton University surveyed No Mow areas at Goldstone Primary, St John the Baptists and Balfour in May and then again in June.
They found leaving the grass to grow long had a good impact on the area on plant species.
In particular in sunny areas, plants grew high, bare ground disappeared and new species appeared, benefitting biodiversity and soil quality.
OVESCO - School solar panels
How much electricity do our solar panels make?
Our City Our World
We are proud at SJB to been one of the leading schools in Brighton and Hove in the pilot of Our City Our World, a project to introduce climate change and sustainability into the school curriculum.
It has involved ground breaking work within the local authority and is now beginning to be rolled out to other schools. We introduced this important curriculum in September 2023 with an inspiring and engaging approach to teaching our children about the environment and the current climate change emergency. Across all year groups and curriculum areas we now educate our children in the importance of planet care, giving them the knowledge, skills and support they need to be the change makers for the future. The children are the future and their enthusiasm for protecting God’s wonderful world is truly inspiring.
City of Meadows Project
At SJB we are excited to be part of this important citywide project to support the valuable wildlife in our city. In 2022 a team of children, parents and staff created an area of natural meadow to give our valuable pollinators a rich and much needed habitat on our grounds. Alongside other schools and community groups we have created vital pollinator corridors and rest stops for many different species to thrive in our city.
SJB Eco crew
Each year group has two elected Eco committee members. They meet regularly to discuss suggestions made by their classmates via the Eco suggestion box in each class. Their duties also involve being Eco ambassadors to save electricity, water, paper and encourage us all to follow the 7 R’s.
- Refuse - avoid buying products that are not sustainable or recyclable
- Reduce - use less of something
- Reuse - put the item into action again or for new uses
- Repair - fix it and use again instead of buying new
- Repurpose - upcycle and transform your things into better than original
- Recycle - re use the item by creating something new out of it
- Recover - return and put back to nature- compost grass cuttings etc
Places to visit within local area
If you would like to get closer to nature and explore amazing places in our local area here are a few suggestions.
- Devil’s Dyke – with a rich Victorian history , spectacular landscape, beautiful walks and great views.
- Beacon Hill – just 5mins from Ovingdean beach this chalk grassland offers spectacular views is one of the richest and rarest habitats in Europe- and it has an historic windmill!
- Whitehawk Hill – our very own doorstep Neolithic site with panoramic views over the city to the Downs and the sea.
- Stanmer park – full of woodland walkways and bluebells in Spring. One garden café and centre is open all year round.
- Undercliff path – perfect for an exhilarating coastal walk or bike ride between Saltdean and The Marina.
- Ovingdean Rockpools – visit at low tide to discover gobies, crabs and limpets living in our unique UNESCO world heritage bipshere.
- Rampion wind farm centre – find out all about offshore wind energy and how we are using wind power to run our homes.
- Earthship – within Stanmer park and built in 2006 it is England’s first ever fully self sustaining building.
Glossary of terms linked to Climate Literacy