Young people are no longer prepared to sit back and watch their future being put at risk by Government inaction on climate change. That’s the message emerging from recent student protests, which have followed last year’s IPCC report saying that that we only have 12 years left to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Picture: Members of Sheldon School’s Eco Council (Centre, L-R, Eugene Spiers (Head of Sixth Form), Nick Murry (Chair, Zero Chippenham), Poppy Jabelman (Chair, Sheldon School Eco Council)
Inspired by Swedish student Greta Thunberg, school climate strikes have been taking place across the UK, with further strikes planned, the objective being to make Government declare a Climate Emergency and commit to taking serious action to prevent dangerous climate change from happening.
But what else can students do if they’re worried about climate change and the environment? Sheldon School’s student Eco Council, led by Poppy Jabelman, has the answer – come and join us! At its meeting at Sheldon School on Monday, the Eco Council agreed to partner with Zero Chippenham www.zerochippenham.org in taking practical action in our own communities here in Chippenham.
“Whilst it’s vital we keep pressure on the Government, there’s a huge amount we can do locally, such as generating solar power on our buildings and putting electric vehicle charging points in our carpark” said Poppy. “We want to work with Zero Chippenham on these and other practical projects that will make a real difference.”
Dr Nick Murry who chairs Zero Chippenham, said “It’s fantastic that Sheldon School’s students are so engaged on this agenda, which is afterall about their future. We look forward to working with them and making a positive change in Chippenham.”
Head of Sheldon’s Sixth From, Eugene Spiers, added “Our Eco Council students are a great example of the kind of initiative and talent we have at Sheldon. I fully support the project.”
Zero Chippenham 