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Together for our Planet

The Cop-26 summit brought world leaders to Scotland to discuss measures to tackle climate change. 

To symbolize the importance of stimulating debate, understanding and solutions around climate change, the High School Pillars have been lit green.

Pillars lit Green

It’s our hope that our young people will be the game-changers of tomorrow, using their skills, talents and innovations to make a positive impact on our planet in the future. We are committed to ensuring that they have the opportunity to engage with this critical issue and are informed and ready to act to protect our world. So what’s going on at HSD?

Installation and plastics collection

To raise awareness and generate discussion within the HSD community, we created an installation on the Pillars. Utilising some of the 3,500 pieces of soft plastics which pupils in the Junior and Senior Years have actively collected for recycling, the theme of our upcycled installation is climate change on our doorstep, with a focus on our seas.

Some of the plastic was used to create a hanging globe, with materials also placed inside to represent plastics polluting our seas. One of the key messages we highlighted was that if we do nothing to combat waste, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.

Installation

Fish shaped plastic panels from the collection were attached to some repurposed old fishing net from St Monans, was wrapped around one of the Pillars. Having discussed climate change with their teachers, children from the Junior Years and the Nursery added their own key environmental protection messages on to the fish.

 

Climate Change and Sustainability Forum

The HSD Climate Change and Sustainability Forum comprising pupils, parents and staff come together to support the school in raising awareness and taking action to combat climate change and increase sustainability.

Other initiatives

Right across the school from our Nursery through to F6 (S6), we learn about the effect that changes in our climate have on our environment and look at ways in which we can help to tackle climate change. Environmental messages are discrete components in many subjects which our pupils study. 

Although we have been collecting our recycling waste for many years, we are always actively looking for ways that we can do more to play our part, such as our reduction in the number of printers across the school to cut the volume of photocopying. Many of our publications are also only available online. 

View from the Rector

But these are only small steps and we know we can, and must strive to, do more.

Rector Lise Hudson says, “At HSD we want to be part of the solution. We want our young people to be fully aware of this critical issue, and switched on and engaged with finding the answers.

“We can all help to play a part within our own communities and it is hoped that our collective efforts, together with major changes in global practices, will go a long way to creating a more sustainable planet for future generations.”