For more information about the committee, please contact Mrs Saunders via marketing@littleheath.org.uk

The Eco-Committee

Our Eco-Committee is made up of students from mixed year groups. It is a proactive and practical student lead committee, and was first set up in September 2022 to run the Eco-Schools programme and they successfully achieved our Green Flag status in summer 2023.

Luke Year 7

Ben Year 7

Felix Year 7

Leo Year 7

Clara Year 8

Sofia Year 8

Daisy Year 9

Lottie Year 9

Sara Year 9

Jamie Year 10

Abbie Year 11

Aaron Year 11

Ruby Year 11

Keira Year 11

Alex Year 11

Alice Year 11

Grace Year 12

Lilia Year 12

Claudia Year 12

Hannah Year 12

Selma Year 12

Mahir Year 12

Kayleigh Year 12

Poppy Year 13

Every year UK consumers dispose of 1.13 million tonnes of clothing and shoes of which 540,000 tonnes (70%) are reused overseas, 160,000 tonnes recycled, 80,000 tonnes are incinerated and 350,000 tonnes end up in landfill.

* WRAP report - "valuing our clothes"

Clothes recycling collection

Every autumn and spring, we hold a clothes recycling House competition. On average, we collect around 1,000kg of clothing each time. 

Thank you for helping to keep clothing out of landfill and giving them a second chance.

All our collections also raise money for the school Foundation.

Details of the next collection can be found on our website, here: Little Heath School - Support Us or via our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

1st Place - Hirani Y7  

Saving Energy KS3 competition

We previously asked students in Year 7 and 8 to come up with a creative way to encourage everyone at school to save energy by switching off lights and appliances.

We received a number of entries including posters, poems and presentations. Thank you to everyone who entered, the Eco-Committee enjoyed reviewing all the submissions and have chosen their winners!

Congratulations to the following students:

1st Place - Hirani in Year 7 (Arundel)

2nd Place - Ali in Year 8 (Stirling)

3rd Place - Sierra in Year 7 (Conway)

The posters and poem are used to promote energy saving initiatives in classrooms and offices across the school site.

2nd Place - Poem by Ali Y8

Energy, so useful
Power gained from burning fuel
Lights glow, cars go
Did you think of the consequences, though?
Whilst your truck traverses, low and high
Emissions globally continue to rise
Factories guzzle energy, increasing demand
Ecosystems threatened across the land
Private jets for convenient travel
As the rich enjoy luxury, the risks start to unravel
Should've acted on climate change long ago
But now's our chance to be our own hero
Left the light's on, surely not a big deal
And nature's dying, yet no appeal
Air pollution's consequences will continue to last
Just because you wanted to get places fast
Next time, just take a bike
It's not like the place round the block is a massive hike
Change is needed, even if we need to act a ton
So think next time before you leave the lights on

3rd Place - Sierra Y7

RSPB Big Schools' Birdwatch

During February we took two groups of Year 7 and 8 students out around the school site to complete the RSPB's Big School Birdwatch.

The first session was spent in the Inclusion garden, a secluded area of the school with lots of trees and bramble bushes, the perfect habitat for wildlife; and the second session was spent walking around the field and the small wooded area behind school. Amongst the, what felt like, hundreds of pigeons and gulls, we also spotted Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Sparrows. We were also lucky enough to watch a Red Kite land on the field to fight a Magpie and a Crow for some food!

The birdwatch was the perfect activity to connect with nature during Children's Mental Health Week and will count towards our Eco-Schools application this year.

Glasses collected for reuse

As part of our Eco-Schools programme, we collected around 100 pairs of glasses. All these glasses were shipped to Zimbabwe to Chisipite Eye Care. The optician visits villages a couple of times a month where they fit glasses to people who otherwise are unable to get them.

Thank you to our Eco Committee for organising this collection!

Earthling Ed 

During 'Veganuary' in 2023, we welcomed Ed Winters, also known as Earthling Ed into school to talk to Year 8, Year 9 and Sixth Form students, as well as joining our Eco-Committee meeting.
Ed is a well-respected public speaker and vegan educator with a combined social media following of over 1 million people worldwide. He is passionate about saving animals and the planet, and is known for his best-selling books, viral debates, speeches and video essays.

He raised some interesting issues for the students consider. He looked at:

- The moralities of how we think and feel about different animals

- The impact on the climate due to the meat industry

- Alternative uses for the land and how rewilding would increase habitats and biodiversity

- When, how and why he chose to follow a vegan diet

The students responded with some excellent questions, including:

"Would you eat meat for £1million?"

"Would the government make veganism law if climate change gets worse?"

"What happens to the farmers if we all adopted a vegan lifestyle?"

"Does veganism include insects?"

"Although your boots aren’t leather, fashion dictates that they ‘look’ like leather. How do you feel about this?"

"Would you sit next to a friend while they ate a Big Mac?"

We hope our involvement with the Eco-Schools programme will educate the students, staff and families in the Little Heath community, and help them to make more informed, sustainable choices. 

Tub2Pub scheme

Each year we collect plastic sweet or cracker tubs for recycling through the Greene King Tub2Pub scheme. All money raised from recycling will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

If you have a tub to donate, we collect them from November until the end of January. 

No Mow May

No Mow May is a national initiative to encourage homeowners not to mow their lawns during the month of May. 

We’ve lost nearly 97% of flower rich meadows since the 1970’s and with them gone are vital food needed by pollinators, like bees and butterflies.

A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground – and best of all, to reap these benefits all you have to do is not mow your lawn in May (and beyond)!

With over 20 million gardens in the UK, even the smallest grassy patches add up to a significant proportion of our land which, if managed properly, can deliver enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate.

Gaia Trip

Members of the Eco-Committee enjoyed a visit to Reading Museum as part of the Reading Climate Festival events for TheGreatBigGreenWeek. They went to see the awe inspiring Luke Jerram’s Gaia exhibit. Watching the 7m glowing globe of planet earth, slowing tuning, was hugely thought provoking and beautifully peaceful. It made the work we are doing on the Eco-Committee feel even more important!

The group were also interviewed by Reading Arts who are putting together a soundscape of experiences from visitors to the Gaia exhibition, but also their thoughts and views on climate change and what we can do to help.

1st Place - Freddie Year 7

'Litter Pic' House Competition

KS3 students were challenged to take a photo of themselves putting litter in the bin in an unusual place or in a creative way.

Well done to the top three entries:

Freddie, Year 7 - Blackpool Tower

Kyla, Year 7 - Spain

Eva, Year 8 - Morrocco

2nd Place - Kyla Year 7 

3rd Place - Eva Year 8 

Show Your Stripes

21 June is #ShowYourStripes day.

In 2023, members of the Eco-Committee, along with other students with a passion for environmental change, attended the 'Show Your Stripes' Berkshire Schools Mobilisation and Youth Climate Summit. Organised by University of Reading, and supported by local organisations including DesignNatureAction, ReadingCAN and University College of Estate Management, schools from across Berkshire came together to discuss the changes we can action in schools to reach 'Net Zero' in 2030.

The students were challenged to come up with creative ways for schools to become more sustainable, and to put together action plans to begin the journey to 'Net Zero'. There were also informative quizzes and speakers about waste and recycling, as well as meeting Professor Ed Hawkins, the creator of the climate stripes image.

Our students came away feeling motivated and inspired! We are looking forward to working with the other schools again in the future.

If you would like to find out more about #ShowYourStripes click here.

Community Litter Pick

Almost 40 students joined us on a litter pick with volunteers from Tilehurst Litter Pickers and Berkshire Youth to clean up our local area. We split into groups to litter pick along Little Heath Road, Spring Lane, and on the school field. It was a really successful afternoon with lots of litter collected. We plan to continue our partnership with these volunteer organisations and hold a community litter pick once every term.

BBOWT Visit

Charlie Pascoe and her team, from the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, joined the Eco-Committee on Friday 14 July to talk about how they can better engage young people in their work.

Their aim was to open a conversation about their visibility, their relevance to people of a young age, and how they can attract them into jobs in conservation. Their feedback was invaluable and will help form changes for the organisation, recruitment and the way they work with young people in the future.

Hubba Bug Hotel

Volunteers from local waste management company Hubba joined members of the ASDAN group to build a bug hotel in the Legacy Garden, outside the Inclusion department. Together they used pallets, natural materials and roof tiles to create a variety of cosy habitats to increase biodiversity as part of our Eco-Schools 'School Grounds' topic. We even had our first resident, a snail named 'Big Dan'!

Thank you to Hubba and to everyone who generously donated materials.

Environmental Art display at the Newbury Show

Each year we take part in an exhibit in the schools tent at the Newbury Show. Students created artwork along the theme of 'Environmental Art'.

Proctor & Gamble volunteers help with nature project

14 volunteers from the Reading Proctor & Gamble office, led by their team leader and ex Little Heath Student Michaela Wombwell, worked through the sun, wind and torrential rain, clearing years’ worth of litter, dumped building materials and rubble. Many of the items found, and the natural materials, will be repurposed as wildlife habitats and bug hotels, meaning very few items were sent to landfill.

The Eco-Committee are committed to transforming this area into a haven for biodiversity, with space for outdoor learning and wellbeing.

Visit to Hedgecraft Farm, Gallowstree Common for World Soil Day

The 5th December is World Soil Day! It is an annual event that promotes the significance of soil in supporting life on Earth. It aims to educate about the essential role that soil plays in agriculture, food security, biodiversity and climate regulation. So what better day to take the Eco-Committee to visit the farmers at Hedgecraft in Gallowstree Common.

Clive and Veronica gave us a fascinating talk about regenerative agriculture and how they are part of the government initiative to improve soil quality on their field, using sustainable methods that are beneficial to the environment. Their method of farming works with nature. Everything they do aims to encourage worms, increase biodiversity and put nutrients back in the soil.

We received loads of advice for our own nature project back at school, some practical experience building a natural fence with coppiced Hazel and lots of inspiration and food for thought.