Beaconhurst for Global Goal 6

This year the Beaconhurst Senior Eco Committee are going to make a valuable contribution towards a Global Goal and are using the Water Explorers programme to help. There are 17 Global Goals. These were identified by the United Nations and were created in order to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change by 2030.

The school as a whole decided which Eco-related Goal to contribute to through a consultation process in which members of the Eco Committee recorded votes, opinions and suggestions from pupils and staff. One aspect of the process involved each Senior Eco rep presenting ‘The World’s Largest Lesson’ to their year group. Some of the committee surveyed Bridge of Allan residents in the street and another set up an online poll to ask parents.

The winning goal was number 6: ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’. The committee then signed up for Water Explorers as ‘Water Warriors’. The challenges provided lots of ideas for the annual Eco week. Some of the activities that the warriors were involved in were:

• An assembly presented by the Eco committee to raise awareness of their work.
• Raising £237.70 for the Oxfam Haiti Hurricane Appeal by holding a dress down day and a ‘guess the volume of water’ competition.
• Presenting and/or participating in activities within house groups including: making a personal pledge to reduce water consumption; writing letters to companies asking them to discontinue the use of microbeads; considering how much water is used in producing clothing; and coming up with ideas on how to reduce paper use in school and therefore the water used in paper production.
• Running or participating in a post-hurricane scenario to transport and filter water.
• Helping nursery pupils grow bean sprouts to eat.
• Playing computer games, on the Scottish Water website, which educate on the water supply.

Now the Water Warriors are working to complete several challenges including ‘Thirsty Paper’, ‘Thirsty Farming’ and ‘Fashionable water’. We are also going to test our local river, the Allan Water, for signs of pollution.