Craig Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has put forward a motion to the Scottish Parliament to recognise the efforts of Stow Primary School pupils, who are helping to address climate change by developing pro-active solutions to recycle and improve sustainability in the area.
Submitting the motion, Craig said: “I am very impressed by the ingenuity of pupils from Stow Primary School in raising awareness and leading the way in the fight against climate change.
“The success of the school at national awards such as the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Awards highlights the commitment of pupils and staff from the school in helping to improve the world for future generations.
“Most of all, I want to pass on my thanks to the pupils for their creative solutions in promoting recycling and sustainability, which has gone viral and inspired positive change on a national level.”
The Motion text, which will be presented to Parliament shortly, reads: “That the Parliament congratulates the pupils and staff of Stow Primary on their continued commitment to tackling climate change by recycling and improving sustainability both within their own school, the wider Borders community and further afield nationally;
“Is impressed to hear that they have been named Schools Champion at this year’s Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Awards and that they were also crowned Scottish Champions for the third year in a row in the Better Energy School Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education alongside being an accredited Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free School and that they are working with fellow Stow residents to become a Plastic Free Community;
“Understands that it is three years now since the school made national news when they became one of The Hunter Foundation’s original #100_Disrupters and that in 2019 they went on to achieve social media success when they launched their Millions of Reasons to Recycle video, focussing on the key statistic that 70 percent of the waste in our general kerbside bins could have been recycled;
“Further understands that their other achievements include running a pupil-led enterprises that sell bamboo toothbrushes, sustainable Disrupter Christmas crackers and Disrupter reusable face masks, arranging litter picks and creating a recycling centre that is well utilised as a community facility where items that might otherwise go landfill are recycled;
“Notes that as part of the school’s Learning for Sustainability approach, they have developed a food growing project with funding received from the Community Climate Asset Fund (Keep Scotland Beautiful) while a grant from Learning Through Landscapes is supporting their delivery of outdoor learning and that they have also worked with the Borders Forest Trust and a local farmer to create a school and community woodland with every pupil planting a tree during National Tree Planting week;
“Thanks for what they have done so far and wishes the pupils and staff of Stow Primary School well in continued commitment to fighting climate change.”
