Sancta Maria pupils care for our planet
VANDERBIJLPARK. - Sancta Maria Junior School was awarded Climate Action Project School of Excellence. Only 250 schools globally were recognised because of their intense work on climate education in a whole-school approach.
The recognition was awarded by Cartoon Network and Climate Action Project, a climate change awareness initiative that sets out to inspire kids to take on daily challenges that collectively can make a big difference to the health of our planet.
This on-profit organisation based in the USA, involves 2,700,000 teachers and students across 146 countries. The project aims to help students learn about the climate crisis in authentic ways and disseminate solutions online.
The recognised schools submitted their work for the past year and met extensive criteria, including a school-wide commitment to climate education and student solutions.
According to Mrs Natalie Small (Climate Action Teacher), Sancta Maria Junior School’s project focused on planting Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra), a small succulent plant found in South Africa. Hectare for hectare, Spekboom thicket can be just as effective as the Amazon rainforest at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by acting like a carbon sponge.
One hectare of Spekboom can sequester between four and ten tonnes of carbon per year, improving the quality of the air we breathe. This remarkable plant uses carbon to make plant tissue and produce oxygen. This makes a powerful tool in the fight against climate change.
The selected 250 Climate Action Project Schools of Excellence were announced on November 4, 2021 during Climate Action Day, an annual online live event attended by 250,000 people globally.
Mrs Elizabeth Crots, School principal: “We are extremely proud of the way our learners tackled this project. Not only did they start a discussion about climate change in their communities, but they also came up with very innovative ways of how to protect our environment.”
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