The Eco Schools group has beern considering its future over the summer and below is a series of emails that have been sent. The links in my email have not survived the transplant process but I'm sure you can find 10:10 and 350 by googleing. Anyone interested in education is very welcome to comment and join the group.

Dear Mohammed

Your email of Aug 3 did escape my attention but I think you have identified the key point in bullet 2 - and I am finding an encouraging degree of support for Oakfield coming from the Sustainability office of SCC. I think they have been given the job of driving the CC towards its carbon targets and welcome initiatives from schools that will help them. They are also aware that these targets can only be partly reached through structural and technical means and that the behavioural element has a crucial part to play. And that means the involvement of the children in the schools through an Eco School initiative or something like it. I am hoping that Oakfield and other schools will be able to continue the expansion of 'eco' consciousness whether it is with curriculum based activities or not.

My initial reaction to your enquiry about the future of the group was a regret that the forum for sharing our progress in helping the spread of this consciousness would be lost - and I still feel that. Can we somehow keep this forum alive without having to meet regularly? There is a section of the Sustainable Frome website that could perhaps be used - see by clicking here and going to the heading YOUNG PEOPLE & EDUCATION.

I don't know about other schools but Oakfield has a website that has an Eco Schools section - click here. Does anyone know of similar pages that other schools have?

I feel that we are entering a new phase of activity in the area of sustainability with the encouragement for schools (and others) to reduce their carbon footprint and with initiatives like 10:10 (see here) and the 350 campaign (see here) that schools can be part of and so I would not like what we have achieved in the Frome Eco Schools group to stop altogether.

What do you think?

Tim
tim@cutting-energy.co.uk

ps: I've added a few recipients to the list - feel free to do likewise

On 10 Sep 2009, at 13:47, Mohammed Saddiq wrote:

Dear All,

I sent the email below to you in early August regarding the way forward for Eco Schools. I am conscious this was during the summer break and some of you may not had the opportunity to review its contents.

Any comments greatly appreciated.

Regards

Mohammed
-----Original Message-----
From: Mohammed Saddiq
Sent: 03 August 2009 10:07


Dear All,

Thank you for your constructive comments to help establish how we move the Eco Schools initiative forward.

From the responses received to date my observations are as follows:
the aims and objectives as originally set have been broadly met and sustainability is much more embedded within the curriculum
moving forward there will be significant pressure on schools/councils to reduce their carbon footprint - the outputs from the existing Eco Schools initiative is unlikely to meet the future challenges
teachers are stretched with existing commitments - any new initiative must be resourced separately so as not to add to workload
My thoughts on moving forward is that bullet 2 is key and whatever the fate of the group there will and should be a continued drive to reduce our carbon footprint across schools. However, the key to the delivery of this must be the support structure to make this happen and a set of new terms of reference. It would be unfair and inappropriate to expect this to be absorbed by existing staff. I am happy to facilitate any discussion to develop this option further - please let me know if you think this is a good idea and if you would like to participate. In the meantime I suggest the group as it stand is dissolved until such time funds become available to provide the resources necessary to support any new Eco Schools initiative.

Thank you all for your help and support..

Very Best Wishes

Mohammed


-----Original Message-----
From: Mohammed Saddiq
Sent: 06 July 2009 10:16


Dear All,

I am writing to share with you the outcome of a discussion I had with Naomi Pauley last week to ascertain the FCLP position regarding Frome Eco Schools.

The FCLP are hugely grateful for the direction and enthusiasm offered by all involved in the Eco Schools group. It is also recognised that the progress made by schools on eco initiatives has been significantly influenced by the group - with most if not all schools within Frome actively participating in the Eco Schools initiative.

Against this positive backdrop the FCLP feel that the group has now met its objectives as originally set. In view of this and as chair of this group I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on how group moves forward. The possible options are:

1.0 We continue as we are meeting once every quarter - setting new clear aims and objectives

2.0 Agree with the FCLP and celebrate the successes achieved over the years and dissolve the group

Any comments would be greatly appreciated by the 10th July 2009. I will aim to get back to you once I have received all the comments.

Very Best Wishes

Mohammed