On February 28, The Burgate School and Sixth Form’s Eco committee had an amazing opportunity to partake in planting trees at South Bentley, New Forest. This was in conjunction with the Fordingbridge Greener Living Group. Through the cold and wet, we managed to plant just under 200 new saplings at New Bentley that will one day grow into oak trees and fill the barren field that was once used as a practice ground in the war.

By planting these trees, we will have helped to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Trees fix particles of carbon dioxide into cellular structures of the plant, thus removing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Planting trees is often used as a carbon offset mechanism for companies, including transport companies like airports, to reduce their carbon footprint. Therefore, the school has used this principle to offset its own carbon emissions.

The eco committee meet once a week to discuss ways in which we can make the school and our surroundings more sustainable. So far, we have achieved activities such as a crisp packet collection, pen recycling and introducing plant-based packaging into the cafeteria. We are constantly striving to make more things like this happen! These accomplishments will reduce Burgate’s impact on the environment and I believe that it is really important to involve young people in these matters as they will help shape our future planet. The tree planting trip was a great experience for all of those involved because it was a way for us to physically see how we can easily help the wider community as well as our school.

By Ella Forshaw