All around the world governments, businesses, institutions and individuals are being confronted with mounting evidence about the impact that human activity is having on the planet, and many are trying to work out how to respond by living in a more sustainable way.

Christ Church Cathedral School is part of this process and its members have signed up to the Eco Schools Project, working towards the first phase, the Bronze Award.

We look with some envy at the case studies of other schools taking part, especially those in the suburbs or countryside. We are an urban school, our buildings jostling for space amongst the shops, colleges and houses adjoining St Aldate’s.

Only one of our buildings is modern, constructed with energy consumption in mind, the rest of our site is Tudor or Victorian — stone walls and single-glazing are common. Although, fortunately, we enjoy extensive playing fields at the top of Christ Church Meadow just across the road, there is little green space in the school itself.

That is partly why the development of the modest garden at the front of our main building, No 3, Brewer Street (pictured), which has been taking place this summer, is so important to us. By restoring the original cast iron railings to the boundary wall and adding a completely new side wall, we now have a secure area in which boys can both relax and have some scope to explore ‘ green’ possibilities.

We are looking to the school’s eco council, which is made up mainly of pupils, but which also includes representative parents, teachers, governors, ancillary staff and members of the local community, to guide us in developing the garden.

Ideas so far have included planting with insects, especially butterflies, in mind; siting nesting boxes; providing bird food, and installing a weather station. Other suggestions will certainly follow.

It may well be that what can be achieved finally is limited in its ‘green’ impact but we are already discovering that the process of focusing on our sustainability and carbon footprint is probably far more important, for a number of reasons.

First, although the project was initiated by a teacher, it is now carried entirely by pupils, who have appointed representatives in each form to run the council. We give support and encouragement, of course, but what we achieve will be down to the boys.

Secondly, the whole school community has been invited to play a daily part in our effort and this is driving an even stronger sense amongst us of common purpose.

Finally, we have all, already, become much more aware of our relationship with energy consumption.

Digital displays in a main corridor reflect our minute-to-minute electricity consumption and over time we aim to be able to demonstrate lower and more efficient and lower usage. We have all become happy to be reminded by the boys if white boards or computers have been left on, or even left on standby; and it is not uncommon to turn a corner into a darkened corridor or room because an eager pupil has switched off a light to avoid waste.

It will be challenging and exciting to see how far we can go in our search for sustainability but we can already see in our city school that even the process of trying is more than worthwhile, in addition to any end result.

Mr Martin Bruce
Headmaster