Farlington School has relaunched their textiles recycling scheme through Bags of Support, a local company which collects re-useable clothes, bedding and soft toys from the School’s recycling collection container. High quality items are sent directly to the Glodeni orphanage in Romania; other items are sold and distributed in Romania to people who cannot afford to buy new clothing. As well as raising money – now in excess of £1000 – the scheme also helps reduce landfill waste.
The school has involved itself with many environmental projects. To raise awareness of energy usage, Farlington took part in Switch-Off Fortnight 2013 last November. Deliberately timed for the start of the darker, colder months, when more heating and lighting are naturally used, it was a school-wide project.
In terms of conservation, girls in Year 7 have constructed a bug mansion from hay, bamboo, flowerpots, and bricks, which stands by the school lake. Bee and butterfly-friendly flowers have been planted to encourage wildlife.
Farlington’s governing council has set an ambitious target of reducing fossil fuel consumption by 20% over the next five years. A survey of potential renewable energy projects has been commissioned and, as a result, the school will have a new biomass boiler system from September 2014.
