Environmental Focus

Many at Canford are extremely passionate about environmental matters. Awareness and action are already evident in both the pupil and staff body however all appreciate that such concern must be dynamic and forward-thinking.   The Community Service programme includes weekly activities by the aptly named groups of  “Green Team” (our recyclers and allotment managers) and “Cabbage” (our award-winning gardeners).   Not always glamorous work, pupils nevertheless give willingly of their time to do their bit in reducing the Canford carbon footprint.   Support staff also get involved and have become ingenious in encouraging reuse of many administrative items (ring binders/recycled note pads). 

The Environmental Focus Group is a cross-section of pupils and staff who meet three times per term to initiate campaigns designed to raise awareness and change habits.  Discouraging the unnecessary use of electricity is a simple target but one already saving on CO₂ emissions from the school.  As part of the national Eco-Schools programme, Canford pupils have chosen to focus on wastage, energy and global perspectives and they are determined to be more than a talking shop.   With support from the school leadership, movement-sensitive lighting, building management systems and heat-exchange mechanisms are the language of the day.  One day, Canford may even start to re-generate electricity using a hydro-turbine on the River Stour – the EFG dream!