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Nature Corner!!

Lake Clark Landscape Photography

 

Our Nature Corner is positioned in the far corner of our playing field and it provides a habitat for many types of creatures.

We have spotted:

 

 

This is our pond. It contains lots of wildlife like frogs, toads and even newts!

 

                                        

Amblecote Primary encourages all its pupils to be environmentally friendly and to treat our natural environment with respect.

 

Click on the image below to learn more about what you can do to help the environment...

 

The Year 3 gardening club have been REALLY busy!

·   They have grown cress. They ate it as a cheese spread and cress sandwich!

·   They have learnt all about composting and designed posters to explain it to the rest of us!

·   They have weeded the school garden and dug new compost into it.

·   They have planted carrots and peas.

·   They are watering the garden and looking forward to harvesting rhubarb and gooseberries which are also growing in the garden.

 

 

Wildlife Watch!

Can you spot any of the birds, shown on the poster, outside our school?

Did you know that there is lots of frog spawn in our school pond?

Did you know that the gardening club have put up a birdfeeder over by the School Wildlife garden?

Please help us to keep wildlife safe and our school tidy by putting your litter in the bin!

 

Lets see the facts.....!

UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling. (source: defra.gov.uk) This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% for their waste. There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment.

Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. Did you know that:

  • 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
  • 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
  • 1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.
  • 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

Some Interesting Facts

  • Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
  • The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
  • The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months.
  • On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
  • As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted.
  • Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
  • 9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.

Aluminium

  • 24 million tonnes of aluminium is produced annually, 51,000 tonnes of which ends up as packaging in the UK.
  • If all cans in the UK were recycled, we would need 14 million fewer dustbins.
  • £36,000,000 worth of aluminium is thrown away each year.
  • Aluminium cans can be recycled and ready to use in just 6 weeks.

Glass

  • Each UK family uses an average of 500 glass bottles and jars annually.
  • The largest glass furnace produces over 1 million glass bottles and jars per day.
  • Glass is 100% recyclable and can be used again and again.
  • Glass that is thrown away and ends up in landfills will never decompose.

Paper

  • Recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials.
  • 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used annually in the UK.
  • The average person in the UK gets through 38kg of newspapers per year.
  • It takes 24 trees to make 1 ton of newspaper.

 

Plastic

  • 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK, that?s about 15 million bottles per day.
  • Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.
  • The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing about 4% each year.
  • Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose.

Rubbish Bin?

A large percentage of UK household's still do not recycle enough and throw everything that they consider 'rubbish' into their ordinary bin.

Much of this waste can be recycled and should be disposed of separately to general household waste. Look inside this rubbish bin to see how much of the contents should actually have been recycled.

  

 

 

The environment may be a global issue, but there are many ways you can act locally. Here are a few ways in which you can "do your bit" to really make a difference.

 

1. Think before you buy!
The products we buy often have unnecessary packaging. Do fruit and vegetables have to be bought in plastic wrapping or can you buy them loose? Do meat and fish have to be pre-packed? Before buying disposable plastic razors, think about buying a metal one that lasts longer. Consider biodegradable nappies, which decompose much faster. When you come to taking your shopping home, why not use a string or fabric bag, instead of lots of plastic ones? So before you reach for that item on the shelf - think! Is there a better alternative?

 

2. Recycling Centres in your area
Most local authorities run recycling centres, where you can take almost anything for recycling. Batteries, cans, electronic equipment, computers, fluorescent tubes, furniture, glass, household appliances, metals, oils, paper, glass, plastic and textiles can often be taken to recycling centres.

 

3. Supermarkets
There are often bottle banks and recycling bins at the big supermarkets situated in the car parks. These sites sometimes also take paper and textiles, so next time you're at your supermarket, keep your eye out for them.

Inside some supermarkets there are also recycle bins for plastic bags, so rather than throwing that pile of bags in the rubbish, pop them in the recycling bin instead.

 

4. Charity Shops
You can do your bit for the environment and help others by taking your unwanted items like clothes, shoes, books, etc. to your local charity shop. The Red Cross, RSPCA, Help the Aged, Salvation Army, Cancer Research and Oxfam all have charity shops, which will take your unwanted items.

 

5. Get Composting
You can compost your vegetable peelings, grass and all manner of things in a composting bin, which can be used to enrich your garden. There are details on how to do this on this website.

 

6. Get Active
Is there something you feel strongly about which is damaging the environment in your area? Do you think recycling could be improved? Act locally. Contact your local Councillor, MP or your newspaper to get your views heard. Most local councils can be found on the Web and will provide you with the name of your Councillor or MP. Alternatively you can find out from your local Council Office or Local Authority Library.



To find out more about recycling go to: www.recyclemore.co.uk.

 

Information.....

 

Pollution!!
 

Problem:
 Smoke stack at night Pollution can be local or widespread. Substances dumped into a river will often end up in the sea. The biggest pollution problem is global warming. This happens when greenhouse gases, such as CO2 are released into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the planet to warm up. Since species are adapted to particular climates, when the Earth warms up they have to move to keep comfortable. This can be difficult if natural habitats are isolated by human settlements and agriculture.

 

Facts and Figures:

Chemical containers Chemical pollutants have been responsible for affecting the reproductive organs of fish, alligators and polar bears, preventing them from producing babies. Chemical pollution in the environment also affects humans - 46 US states have issued warnings against eating local fish because of dioxin contamination, and in Europe, human breast milk passes on more dioxin to our babies than is legally allowed for cow's milk. Despite this, the amount of pesticide sprayed on our crops around the world has increased 26 times in the last 50 years.

Species Affected:

Polar bear in the water Species living in water are often most strongly affected because water spreads pollution easier than land, and because we often dump our pollution into water. Global warming will affect every species on Earth to some extent, and although some species will thrive in warmer climates, many will not. Coral reefs have already been very hard hit by climate change, and polar bears have received the double-whammy of climate change and chemical pollution.

 

Solutions:

Solar panels Most human activities produce some waste products, but it is important to make sure that we have as little pollution as possible. Many people are switching to 'clean technology'. That means having the same benefits from our modern life-style without the pollution. Electric cars, environmentally sensitive washing powders and solar-powered energy are examples. Less pollution is not only good for wildlife and nature - human health benefits from less pollution as well. That means lower medical bills, and a better quality of life.