Pupils at Gilwern Primary School have been excited to welcome some new friends – they are ponies!

The ponies are being looked after by the children, under the guidance of a local vet, while they are looking for a ‘forever’ home.

Opportunities like this one give pupils a chance to understand the natural world more fully and increase their confidence with dealing with other creatures.

In addition to this the school has also further developed a pond area to allow pupils to find out about water based animals such as newts, frogs and insect larvae while enjoying the health benefits of working outside.

Of course, this is possible only because of our close proximity to the Brecon Beacons National Park, an area of protected wild land. You can find out more about the park by following this link:

http://www.breconbeacons.org/

There have also been some interested ideas in the UK about claiming city spaces to creature a national park also. You can find out more about these ideas in this article:

London will become the world’s first national park city

Regeneration – A best Practise from Wales

Regeneration projects within Wales help with the following Global Goals:

8 – Good jobs and economic growth: by reducing unemployment.

11 – Sustainable communities: By allowing activity in communities that are in a ‘post-industrial’ phase.

The Welsh Assembly Government oversees the development of these projects. For the last 50 years, since coal mining and iron-smelting came to an end here, efforts have been made to improve the lives of people living in the towns and cities that had previously relied on these industries. This work continues to this day, and will be needed for many years to come.

The national museum of Wales is committed to celebrating the industrial heritage of Wales into the future

What?

1 – No poverty, 2 – Zero Hunger, 10 – Reduced Inequalities

Who? Where? When?

The Trussel Trust is a charity that operates across the UK. They aim to make sure that people do not go without food if they find they are not able to afford food due to loss of work or other changes in their circumstances. They operate ‘food banks’ across the UK. We have a local food bank in the nearby town of Abergavenny. You can read about the work of the Trussel Trust here:

https://www.trusselltrust.org

Why?

Food poverty leads to great hardship and difficulty. It affects people’s health and well being. By working together to ensure everyone is fed we are creating stronger communities. Many families give to the food bank at the supermarket and many churches help with the collection of food. At harvest time it is becoming increasingly common for school children to collect packets and tins for the food bank.

Describing the activity:

Each year in the autumn schools in Wales hold an assembly to celebrate the Harvest. Traditionally we display fruit and vegetables but this year we collected and displayed tins and packets of dried food because it can be stored for longer. We talked about how food is not shared fairly around the world.

Most children brought in a food item to create this collection. It was important that everyone felt involved in creating the gift.

Once we had bagged up all the items it was taken to the local food bank by a volunteer. The food bank needs volunteers to run the bank. This volunteer is a parent at our school.

The Big Pit National Coal Museum is an excellent example of the recovery of abandoned industrial areas. Thanks to this museum the workers of this ancient coal mine, now closed for years, have been able to keep a decent work.

Subjects  of the Sustainibility: 8-10-11

The museum provides an underground tour. The route runs 100 meters underground. Only by visiting these places is it possible to understand how the life of coal miners was.

An award-winning national museum that still retains many features of its former life as a coal mine, standing high on the heather-clad moors of Blaenafon, the tunnels and buildings that once echoed to the sound of the miners now enjoy the sound of the footsteps and chatter of visitors from all over the world.

During the mobility in Wales in the United Kingdom, the teachers and pupils involved in the “Erasmus + G.R.E.E.N. in Europe” project had the opportunity to visit the recent seat of the National Assembly of Wales.

The visit highlighted many good practices in the field of sustainable development.

Subjects  of the Sustainibility: 9-11-16-17

The National Assembly for Wales has held an international competition. From a shortlist of six architects, Richard Rogers Partnership, were chosen. The jury described with a view to the future of Wales.

The design of the building is a minimum of 100 years of lifespan, and that, if possible, Welsh materials be used.

Richard Rogers Partnership employed in the design of the National Assembly for Wales. The building would be a transparent envelope, looking outwards to Cardiff Bay and beyond; making visible the inner workings of the assembly and encouraging public participation in the democratic process.

The idea of ​​openness is exemplified with the slate clad plinth stepping up from the water and cut away to allow the daylight to penetrate the administrative spaces below, thus enabling visual connection between the electorate and elected . A lightweight, gently undulating roof shelters both internal and external spaces, extending downwards to encapsulate the chamber. The roof is pierced by the wind coil that rises above the debating chamber at the center of the building.

The Main Hall and the Debating Chamber form the internal, a spatial representation of the electorate and the principle of the key focus in the design process. The reception area is arranged on two levels. A glimpse of a glass of glass and a glass of glass and a glimpse of glass.

The Debating Chamber, a large circular space at the heart of the building. The interior of the bell is finished in concentric, satin-finished aluminum rings. Surmounting these, a glazed lantern allows diffused daylight into the chamber. The view from the public view gallery above.

The exterior areas around the National Assembly form a cohesive new open public space Cardiff. The landscape of Cardiff. Low slate terrace walls define a series of terraces.

The National Assembly for Wales exemplifies high environmental standards and has been awarded to BREEAM rating of Excellent.

Virtually all areas of the building are naturally ventilated. A conical mirror suspended under the wind cowl has been installed to reflect daylight from low altitude. Roof lights and customized roof ventilators serving the committee rooms / offices reflect low-level winter daylight into the space, assisting daylight penetration

A biomass boiler – processing both wood chips and pellets – provides high grade heating to heat emitters. Water usage is minimized through the application of appropriate fixtures and fittings and the use of potable mains water. The ground source heat pump system provides cooling for mixed systems and technical computer suites and low-grade heat, which is required for the under-floor heating system.

Pupils at Gilwern Primary School learn about one important Eco-theme in each year they are at school. This way they know how to live a sustainable lifestyle when they are older. Even very young children can learn about how to do this. The children have drawn pictures and shared messages with the world.

A message from children aged 5: Ride your bike to keep the air clean.

This links to UN Global Goal 11: Sustainable cities and Communities

A message from children aged 6: Turn off running taps, don’t waste water and save the rainwater to use on the garden.

This links to UN Global Goal 6: Clean water and Sanitation

A message from children aged 7: Put your rubbish in the correct bin, send it to the recycling centre, avoid sending rubbish to landfill.

This links to UN Global Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

A message from children aged 8: Litter on the floor can harm wild animals, many animals are dying because of plastic in the oceans, litter on the floor looks ugly – pick up litter!

This links to UN Global Goal 15: Life on Land

A message from children aged 9: Eat at least 5 different fruit and vegetables every day, drink plenty of clean water, eat only small amounts of unhealthy food.

This links to UN Global Goal 3: Good health and well-being

A message from children aged 10: Turn off lights when you leave a room empty, turn your TV, phone, iPad and game console off when you are not using it, don’t turn the classroom lights on unless they are really needed.

This links with UN Global Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

A message from children age 11: Respect and value diversity, understand that everyone is different, take responsibility for your actions, understand how the world works.

This links to UN Global Goal 16: Peace and Justice, strong institutions.

Eco-Schools is an international environmental education programme developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1994 and run in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy.

Eco-Schools is one of a kind – it’s student led which means young people drive the programme (with a little help from their Eco-Coordinator, of course!)

It’s designed to empower and inspire young people to make positive environmental changes to their school and wider community, while building on their key skills, including numeracy and literacy, and encompassing Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship.

The programme is funded by Welsh Government and free for Local Authority schools.

https://www.keepwalestidy.cymru/Pages/Category/eco-schools

Eco-Schools_Guide