Primary 6 were out in the school grounds last week, taking part in the OPAL Science Air Survey to try and find out about how polluted the air is in Pollokshields, as part of our Eco Schools work on the Climate Action topic.

There are two parts to this survey. One involves searching for particular types of Lichens growing on trees and the other part is about finding proof of Tar Spot fungus on Sycamore leaves.  This starts to appear in late spring. Research suggests that the Tar Spot fungus does not thrive where pollution levels are high, so it could be a useful bioindicator. Biological indicators (or ‘bioindicators’) are species whose presence or performance is sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, and which can therefore be used as indicators of air quality.

The Lichen survey is concerned with  pollutants containing nitrogen. These include
ammonia and oxides of nitrogen (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide). The burning of fossil fuels associated with industrial processes and transport produces large amounts of oxides of nitrogen and microscopic particles. Large urban areas and places close to busy roads have the highest concentrations of nitrogen dioxide. Lichens have long been known to be sensitive indicators of air quality. They were used in the past to map areas affected by sulphur dioxide pollution from industrial and domestic sources. Today, lichens occur widely in our towns, cities and countryside, on a diverse range of surfaces from concrete pavements to park and woodland trees.  The highest ammonia concentrations are found in the countryside. Ammonia is particularly associated with agriculture. Levels of
ammonia may be high in areas of arable farming, where fertilisers are used to
improve the growth of crops, and in areas of livestock farming.

The pupils had to look for lichens at a height of 50-150cm above ground level. They had to grade and record the amount of lichens seen on a particular tree on a scale of 0-3 where 3 represents a large amount of lichen. They then used an identification guide , the Seek and iNaturalist apps to identify any species they found. You can see them in action in the photos below as well as the lichens that were spotted.

They examined a sample of 4 trees, and found evidence of crusty lichens only on three of them. These are not included in the survey. On one tree they found Parmelia. This is an intermediate species which can be found in both clean and polluted areas. We found no evidence of Tar Spot fungus in the survey. This was worrying as this has been seen in large amounts in our school grounds before and this could indicate an increase in air pollution around our school.

We would like to repeat the survey later in the year, using a different area of the grounds at the St. Andrew’s Drive side of our grounds to see if we can find any other bioindicator lichens to get a bigger picture of the state of air quality around our school.

Every year, as part of our Eco School’s work,  St. Albert’s Primary takes part in the world’s largest wildlife survey, the RSPB’s Schools Birdwatch in January. This year was no exception and Primary 5/6 and members of the Eco Committee spent an hour recording the different birds in our school grounds.  This serves to help scientists to monitor survival of birds across Britain in the face of the climate crisis.

Pupils put bird seed out into the upper school yard to attract birds and waited patiently for them to arrive. Using binoculars, the pupils identified and recorded the maximum number of each type of bird that landed in the grounds at the one time so there were no duplicate birds who fly away and then return being recorded. We saw 2 Blackbirds, 6 Black-headed gulls, 1 Blue tit, 4 Carrion Crows, 5 Coal tits, 2 Magpies, 3 Robins, 1 Song Thrush, 10 Starlings, 4 Woodpigeons and 2 Wrens. This information was uploaded to the RSPB website to make our results count. Here you can see the pictures from the event.

Today Primary 6 went into the upper school playground to carry out a survey of the type of insects that live in our school grounds. They worked in groups to survey soft ground surfaces, hard man-made surfaces and on plants and trees and recorded what they saw in tally charts. They used magnifiers to help them see the bugs up close and used the Seek  and iNaturalist apps to help them identify any unfamiliar bugs.  We undertake this survey every year to check which species are surviving in our grounds and also to find if there are any new invasive species appearing due to them moving into our country from warmer countries now that our climate is also becoming warmer.

The pupils found a Two Spotted Ladybird on a wall and we were delighted to see this creature again this year as the non-native Harlequin Ladybird is now causing it to decline in  numbers.  We did not see any Green Shield bugs this year for the first time. These used to be found in Southern England but are moving northwards, but we did see another type of Shield Bug that we had never seen before in our surveys. We think it may be a Forest Bug but we are waiting to see what the iNaturalist community makes of it. There is a picture of it below. We also identified different types of bees in our Eco garden where they frequent the wildflower beds looking for nectar, including a Red tailed bumble bee and an Early Bumble Bee.  We also found slugs, woodlice, spiders, aphids, thrips, a huge black beetle, a snail, ants and flies, but not one earthworm, no doubt due to the ground being so dry. Here are some pictures from the survey:

As part of our Eco School’s work the Eco Committee ran an Effects of  Climate Change poster competition for the P4-7 classes. The task was to design a poster to show the effects of climate change on either wildlife or the poorer nations of the world. The standards were high and judging was difficult, but in the end three winners were chosen. They were Hannah Ahmed of Primary 4 and  from Primary 6, Wael Salah and Abdur-Rehman Ahmed, who were awarded prizes at the morning assembly.  You can see them and their posters in the photos below.

As part of our current Eco School’s journey (2021-2023)and our work on the Eco School’s  Transport topic, our Eco Committee has been working with Miss Brooks, Mrs Kelly, our Parent Council and Lorna Young (NRS) to start a walking bus at our school. We wanted to start a walking bus to cut the numbers of cars parking outside our school every day, which adds to local air pollution. We really want our pupils to walk or cycle to school or take public transport as these methods of transport are much better for the environment, the safety of our pupils on the roads and the children’s health.

Earlier in the year, we applied for a grant to get some all weather clothing for the children and adults to use in poor weather on the walking bus and we achieved this. Our parents agreed to start the walking bus on one day per week and last Friday the 19th May, it began. We also ordered a banner to hang on the railings outside our school to inform parents and attract new members for the walking bus.  Our wonderful parents helped to get this initiative off the ground and we are very grateful to them. Here are some photos from  the first day of our walking bus. We hope that many more pupils will join over time and that it can be extended to other days in the week, with more volunteers coming forward.

Primary 4 from St. Albert’s Primary took part in a litter pick and survey this afternoon on our adopted streets, St. Andrew’s Drive and Maxwell Drive in the local area, as their contribution to the National Spring Clean 2023. The Great British Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign. Our school pledged to fill at least 7 bags with litter but we filled 9 with 511 pieces of litter which weighed in at exactly 17Kg in total. There was a lot of litter in the streets around our school, but even more on the grassy area next to the local flats. It was caught up in the bushes as it had probably been discarded by passers by and then blown there by the wind.

The largest quantity that we collected of a single type of item was cigarette butts and we picked up 101 of these. Soft plastic items were the second  most collected type of litter in our survey and we picked up 74 pieces of this. In third place was hard plastic items with 59 being collected.

The pupils can be proud of themselves as these items could have been washed down into street drains in the rain and could have ended up at sea where they would likely have been consumed by fish or other sea creatures, so they have probably saved a few creatures lives with their efforts as well as improving the look of the local area.

Here you can see our photos of the class carrying out their litter pick and survey.

Looking back to 2022, we had some great Eco events at our school, not least the visit from our First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and representatives from Eco Schools Scotland, during the Scottish government’s Climate Week and Climate Action Week.  During that week, St. Albert’s Primary took part in live lessons about Climate Change from Eco Schools Scotland. Primary 4  met the First Minister and they presented her with a letter that they had written, containing some of their ideas about how to save wildlife from climate change. They suggested planting native wildflower corridors on motorway verges and roadsides across the country to allow pollinators to find nectar and move between areas, pollinating crops as they go, and they also got  to chat to Andrea Gabriel from Eco Schools Scotland. Here are the photos from that day.

Another highlight from 2022 was our COP 26 march through the streets of Pollokshields to the local bowling green to  demonstrate our feelings about climate change at the time of the COP 26 conference in Glasgow.  We were joined by some children from other schools and members of the public, who also cheered us on as we progressed through the streets You can see photos of our march here.

After the warm summer of 2022, we got the best crop of apples in the school Eco garden that we have ever had. Class 3 made good use of them in their cooking sessions making apple muffins. They also made courgette muffins that had been grown in the Class 3 raised bed. Here is Kasim from our Eco Committee with some of our crop.

Back in May 2022 the Eco Committee wrote a letter to  the catering  and facilities management department for the Fuel Zone school meals asking some questions about sustainability in our school lunches, especially regarding all the plastic wrappings being used  on the food. We have found that sometimes single use plastic pots used for fruit portions in the dinner hall have  been turning up in our school grounds litter surveys, as have plastic water bottles in the past before they were removed from school dinners.  We then had a follow up visit from the company that supplies our school with fruit. They came to meet the Eco Committee  and hold a workshop all about fruit which included a sorting activity.  Here are the photos of the letter we sent, the meeting between our Eco Committee and Angela Ryan from Cordia and the fruit workshop.

The pupils asked if the fruit could be served from large bowls straight onto trays rather than every portion being served in  an individual plastic pot. They made some other suggestions about ways to replace milk cartons, for example serving milk from a jug or a chilled milk dispenser. As a result of their letter, Angela Ryan from Cordia came to our school to listen to and consider the children’s  proposals and discuss the single use plastics in the dinner hall. Since then we have found out that the small fruit pots are going to be phased out as soon as present stocks are used up and replaced with large  bowls from which the fruit will be served.  The polystyrene soup cups have also been replaced with reusable ones. We hope that there will be an alternative to individual milk cartons soon.

Further back in 2022, Primary 6 had a visit from some members of  environmental pressure group Extinction Rebellion, who came to give a talk on climate change and other environmental problems. They answered all the pupil’s questions and left us an amazing  gift in the form of a woven sea creature filled with plastic litter items which shows how our litter can end up in the sea and is consumed by the creatures that live there and kills them.  This is now hanging half way up our school staircase on the wall to serve as a reminder to all of the consequences of dropping litter in the playground, in the  street or on the beach. Here are the photos from that day:

Looking even further back in our current Eco journey, there was the upcycling workshop visit made by P5 to the Deep End venue of award winning upcycling social enterprise Rags to Riches, located in Nithsdale Street, Govanhill. Rags to Riches uses waste to promote environmental sustainability. community engagement and education in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. Using the circular economy model, they will upcycle a variety of waste materials such as textiles, wood and recycled plastics into new items that can be sold, including jewellery, t- light holders, bowls, bags and purses, chopping boards and planters.  Primary 5 helped to sort lids of plastic bottles by colour and saw how these can be processed in the machinery and remodelled into new items. We were very impressed with this amazing company’s work to stop unwanted items going to landfill and lower Glasgow’s carbon footprint. Here you can see Primary 5 learning about the whole plastic upcycling process.

This afternoon the Eco Committee of St. Albert’s Primary held an assembly about our forthcoming walking bus. The purpose of the assembly was to explain what a walking bus is to pupils and the benefits of travelling to school this way, for the environment and for the pupil’s own health and well being. At the end of the assembly lots of pupils raised their hands to show that they would be interested in taking part in our walking bus when it begins.

The assembly was also an opportunity to earn house points by answering questions about walking to school and how doing so can cut the school carbon footprint. From our three houses, Earth, Wind and Fire, Earth won 100 points for their house by answering questions correctly. Here are some photos from our assembly.

Last week, Class 3 took part in some litter picking activities in the upper school playground. They did a really good job of finding litter and enjoyed removing it. It is important to keep our school grounds litter free as litter, especially of the plastic variety, which can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose in the environment. It can also be washed down drains and enter rivers where it can kill wildlife and enter the food chain. Here are some pictures of Class 3 in action.

This week, some of the older members of our Eco Committee will be carrying out surveys to find out how sustainable our pupil’s packed lunches are in terms of packaging of foodstuffs. We hope to reveal the results in a future blog and produce a leaflet for parents on this, in the hope that we can reduce packaging that is contributing to the litter in the playground. When we have tried out our new ideas to tackle waste at its source and evaluated their success, we can formulate a waste policy for our school, to help tackle these problems in the future.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Eco Committee will be giving a presentation for pupils at our weekly assembly about our school’s forthcoming walking bus. We are working with members of the parent council and Lorna Young from D.R.S to get our walking bus up and running as soon as possible. This assembly presentation will demonstrate to pupils what a walking bus is and why it is a good way to travel to and from school, for the health and well being of our pupils and for the good of the environment. We hope that lots of pupils will want to sign up and join our walking bus when it starts.

In other news, the blue bin recycling services to our school have resumed and we are delighted. The Eco Committee can now continue collecting classroom waste paper and card and they will ensure that it goes into our new blue recycling bin that has been delivered to replace our last one that was broken. We still hope to receive an extra blue bin that has been requested, as two are needed for a school that recycles as much as we do. We hope to raise enough money through our Rag Bag recycling to replace our blue bags with pop-up bins for classrooms that are easy to carry and keep their shape.

The Great British Spring Clean (Keep Britain Tidy’s annual national clean-up campaign) runs from 17 March – 2 April this year and as ever St. Albert’s Primary will be involved. We will be taking part in the week beginning the 17th April and will be cleaning up the streets of Pollokshields. The litter problem has worsened lately in the local area and we hope to make a difference. At least two classes have agreed to take part and survey the litter and graffiti (which is a form of litter) in our area. The pupils will examine the results of this survey to see which are the most common forms of litter in Pollokshields and discuss what we can do about it. We hope that this will be a week when parents and other members of the local community will join in to help clean up our streets.

Two years ago, St. Albert’s Primary signed up to take part in a rewilding programme in the Scottish Highlands with Trees for Life. The vision of this organisation is of a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. For a small fee, Trees for life will plant native species of trees on your behalf. Over time, this will transform bare hillsides, helping to restore the Caledonian forest, thus providing a rich habitat for Scottish wildlife such as red squirrel, black grouse, pine martens and golden eagles. We continue to add trees to this grove as part of our Climate Action Eco topic as planting native species supports local biodiversity and trees help to remove carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere, thus fighting global warming.

The ‘St. Albert’s Primary’ grove now has 19 trees planted in it and we hope that this will increase year on year with kind donations from parents and staff. If you wish to plant a tree in our school’s grove, go to:

https://treesforlife.org.uk/find-a-grove/

and type St. Albert’s Primary into the search box. There you can choose to add to our grove and even dedicate your trees to someone special.

This year we had a visit from local  author Lindsay Littleson, who had written a children’s book around the theme of rewilding. Our Eco Committee members met her at a special assembly, where she spoke about her journey to becoming an author and the importance of being resilient through all the challenges of life. She was very interested to find out  about our involvement with the Trees for Life rewilding scheme from our two senior Eco Committee members, Kasim Ahmed and Shadi Salha.