• Raised environmental awareness through assemblies.
• Instigated and continue to run paper recycling schemes. Waste continues to be compacted.
• Collected old mobile phones and inkjet cartridges for recycling.
• Encouraged staff and students to turn off lights and PC's after use. And we are now part of Dorset CC's Low Carbon Schools Initiative.
• Solar data is regularly collected to monitor our electricity output.
• Created two areas of vegetable garden.
• Set up a compost bin.
• Planted a copse of trees around the new school garden this Autumn.
• Created and are currently running an EAT notice board to highlight environmental issues, especially our energy use.
• Litter surveys and assemblies.
• Surveyed staff about travel arrangements and instigated a car share scheme.
• Carried out a chewing gum survey and created some gum free zones.

Woodroffe is now working towards national accreditation of the Ecoschool's Green Flag award.   This recognises that Woodroffe School is considering the environment in many aspects of the school. We are hoping that with schemes such as the recent addition of the largest solar energy scheme in the county and the waste compacter, and the involvement of staff, parents and students in thinking about sustainable actions, Woodroffe will gain this recognition by the summer.

• Classroom Green Code of Conduct (PDF)
• Eco-Schools Action Plan (PDF)
• EAT Assembly Presentation (PDF)
• Green Flag Application (PDF)
• Environmental Review 2006 (PDF)
• Environmental Review 2008 (PDF)
• Solar Data 2010 (PDF)

Thursday 7th Feb was a little bit different for the students and staff of Woodroffe as this was the day we decided to go GREEN !   The Big Green Day was all about raising awareness of what we can do as a school and individuals, to reduce our impact upon the environment.   Regardless of the subject, lessons had an environmental theme ranging from litter surveys, recycling topics, lichen surveys, designing "switch off the lights" notices to studying pieces of literature on the environment and calculating the amount of space saved in landfill sites through the use of our new on site rubbish compactor. Did you know that a 100watt bulb switched to an energy saving equivalent and used for an average of 5.5 hrs a day can save approx £16 per year on your electricity bill (according to a yr8 maths class calculations)?

Tree planting
Tree saplings of native species, donated to the school by the Woodland Trust, were planted around the school site on Feb 7th . A group of year 11 students got rather damp in the process but kept smiling! Protected by tree guards, we hope that the trees will flourish and provide habitats for a range of insects, birds etc.

Composting
Some students discovered the delights of composting.   Kate Bagshaw, from WRAP (a waste management group) demonstrated what actually goes on in composting bins and there were stimulating discussions on why composting should become part of a sustainable lifestyle. Inevitably the topic of discussion came round to the big question of whether one should pee on your compost pile (and yes you should).

Plastic bags
Lyme Regis is looking to reduce the number of plastic bags within the community,   through the actions of the Turn Lyme Green group. There has been a push to achieve this aim through activities in the town.   So on the Big Green Day, over 600 used plastic bags were brought in and stuffed into a chair to represent how plastic bags can be used in other ways instead of ending up in landfill.   The chair will continue to be passed around businesses within the community where it is hoped over 2000 plastic bags can be collected as a symbol for a plastic bag free town. We were pleased to support TLG and help to recycle and safely dispose of the bags.

An Inconvenient Truth and Message in the Waves
Yr 11 students were given the opportunity to watch the controversial film of Al Gore's lecture about climate change. There was plenty of food for thought and students will hopefully take the ideas away with them and start to act more sustainably.

Yr 9 students were given the opportunity to watch the film Message in the Waves. Surfing is a pastime many of our students enjoy and the film highlighted images of the plastic problem in the sea.