Ailsa Nursery Centre in Motherwell and Richard Stewart Nursery Centre in Airedale both achieved Eco School Green Flag status for their commitment to improving their environment. The top international environment project award, also awarded to nine North Lanarkshire schools, is for introducing initiatives to involve children and staff in minimising litter and waste, becoming more energy efficient, improving the outdoor area and encouraging healthy living.
Speaking at a special ceremony, Mr Stephen said, 'Achieving Eco-School status is one way of demonstrating practical involvement in promoting citizenship and environmental awareness.
'As well as achieving Green Flag status, those involved will leave a lasting legacy of changes to the way their schools work. North Lanarkshire has made a great success of the programme and it is particularly impressive that so many of Scotland's Green Flag schools are based in North Lanarkshire. The pupils here know that the Eco-Schools project is as much about having fun as it is about protecting the environment.'
Margo Loy, head of Richard Stewart Nursery Centre, said, 'Our environmental involvement began with developing our outdoor area so the children could explore, dig, plant things and look for mini beasts.
'We wanted to make the outside area more attractive to the children and allow them to be more responsive in their own learning. We have also discovered that some of the children learn better outside and take more of an interest. Among other ideas, we have tree trunks and bark that children can lift up and look for creatures, and tubes along the fences that recycle rainwater and water the plants. The children enjoy filling the tubes and watching the flowing water.
'Parents have said the environmental project has encouraged a lot more active learning in the nursery. We have helped the parents to feel involved too and they understand the learning that is going on. Parents say their children now show a great interest in the environment and are talking about it at home. Above all, the children enjoy it.'
The nursery has developed links with a local primary school where they recycle newspaper, aluminium cans and plastic bottles. Waste minimisation is the nursery's next challenge.
At Ailsa Nursery Centre, staff and children make a point of turning off computers, lights and water taps when they are not in use. Each year they hold an eco-week when activities include fruit and vegetable tasting sessions to encourage healthy heating, planting bulbs and making seed cake to feed the birds.
Deputy head Susan Tobasnick said, 'We try to get across to the children and parents how important it is to take care of the world around us and ourselves.
'Even one child saying to their mum at home that a light does not need to be on makes us feel that we are getting the message across. Children are very good at taking environmental issues on board and encouraging parents not to throw away rubbish that can be brought into the nursery and re-used.
We are passing on to the next generation how vital protecting our environment is, which is for their benefit.'
For further information see www.eco-schools.org.uk.
