Sustainability

Sandhurst Switches Off

Thankyou to all students and staff who committed to consciously ‘switching off’ lights and electronics last Friday for ‘Sandhurst Switches Off’. This was an initiative across all Sandhurst Schools across our Diocese. This action is symbolic of our commitment to the preservation of God’s fragile creation. It is also symbolic of our solidarity with those who are suffering due to climate change.

During Sustainability Rotations, Year 2 has been learning about renewable and nonrenewable energy. We know some of our electricity comes from renewable sources such as the sun and the wind. Still the bulk of our electricity comes from nonrenewable energy, taking resources from our Earth that will eventually run out, such as coal and oil.

Our students brainstormed ways we can save energy. Here is a list of what they came up with:

• Turn off items at the powerpoint 
• Dress for the weather both for inside and outside
• Use natural light
• Wash full loads of washing and wash in cold water
• Light a candle and turn off the lights
• Play with lego, draw, cards and do craft
• Read or play instead of screens
• Turn off unnecessary lights
• Pull down blinds in the Summer to keep things cool
• Have smaller bathes and shorter showers
• When leaving the classroom or house switch off heating, cooling and lights
• Dry clothes on the clothesline 

Year 2 has also been sharing the text ‘The Little Red Hen’. This is where a hen single handedly grows and threshes wheat, turns it into flour and bakes bread. Not having electronics available for the day to show children how flour is made, the story was told orally using wooden animals, wheat, grain, flour and bread. To deepen the connection, students then became millers and pounded the grain with rocks to produce flour.