TeachEco – a company which helps schools with eco practices, working in partnership with Abbots in Transition’s schools group APES, has won a Bronze Green Apple Environment Award in an international campaign to find the greenest companies, councils and communities. The award was given for a project in which raised beds, compost, seeds and cuttings were given to eight local schools to grow vegetables for sale at community markets in Abbots Langley with sale proceeds going back into APES group to fund future joint school initiatives.
They competed against more than 500 other nominations in the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice. Claire Scott from TeachEco and Denise Bond chair of APES were presented with the trophy and certificate at a glittering presentation ceremony in the Houses of Parliament in London last November.
The APES group have set up an eco “Youth Forum” which gives both students and teachers an opportunity to share best practices through workshops and offer eco ideas into the community, as well as networking amongst themselves. Participating schools are Breakspeare special needs, Woodfield special needs, Abbots Langley primary, Divine Saviour primary, Tanners Wood primary, CofE St Pauls Langleybury primary, Bedmond primary and Francis Combe Academy. Denise Bond, Chair of the APES group commented, “It’s fantastic to see the different ages and abilities coming together, enthusiastically sharing their ideas for eco workshops and learning how to grow fruit and veg together for the benefit of schools and wider community. The students are really proud to have received this award for their hard work over the last growing season.”
“Abbots in Transition” is a voluntary group which encourages sustainable practices on a local level, focusing on local food, sustainable transport, recycling and renewable energy and is part of the Transition Network – a charitable organisation whose role is to inspire, encourage, connect, support and train communities as they self-organise around the Transition model, creating initiatives that rebuild resilience and reduce CO2 emissions. Since it began in 2005, 1196 official “Transition initiatives “ have set up across the world following this positive, solution-focused model.
To get involved or learn more about “Abbots in Transition” see our website http://altta.org.uk/
To find out more information about the Green Apple award see http://www.thegreenorganisation.info/green-apple-awards/
