Pupils at Balcarras have been planting trees this last week. This is part of the schools application for the Green Flag Ecoschools award. As part of this we have identified three areas we are going to work on;

1. Energy and our Carbon footprint

2. Waste and recycling

3. Biodiversity and the schools grounds.

By planting trees we will meet two of the areas we would like to improve. Trees are good at taking in CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing it within the tree. As a school we produce over 300 tonnes of CO2 a year to heat and light the school, so these trees go some way to reducing this impact we have.

The trees planted are native British species, designed for hedgerows; Hazel, Dog rose, Blackthorn, Crab apple, Dog wood and Hawthorn. These are good also for biodiversity and create a range of niches for invertebrates and birds on the school site.

These trees were kindly donated by the Woodland trust, who aim to help our country meet the government's 2050 target to be net-zero carbon. 

Thanks to the schools Eco group and the Year 12 Environmental Scientists who helped to plant the trees on a cold and windy day.