THE pupils and staff at Highbury Preparatory School have adopted the Eco-school Programme in order to save and protect the environment.
The curriculum-based programme, initiated by WESSA, is aimed at creating and facilitating awareness and action regarding environmental sustainability in schools.
According to Dez Dunstone, head of the school’s environmental committee, some of the school’s environmentally friendly initiatives include growing vegetable gardens, harvesting rain water in JoJo tanks, recycling cans and paper, a five year project to replace exotic flora in the school grounds with indigenous flora, as well as supporting the rhino plight.
Dunstone said the school has initiated a project that encourages staff, pupils and parents to collect cans in order to raise funds in aid of the rhinos, adopting a rhino, Gijima, who lives on a game reserve in Northern Natal.
The school has also switched to using biodegradable cleaning products that do not pollute the environment.
Green Dot Chemicals, a supplier of ecological cleaning products in Pinetown, has awarded Highbury with a certificate to commend its passion and commitment to protect the environment.
According to Dunstone, schools that are involved in the Eco-school Programme are awarded a flag for each year of sustained effort and Highbury is striving to receive its third flag by January next year.
