60 colleagues working on Connecting Classrooms, Dreams and Teams and InterAction projects, planted 500 indigenous tree seedlings on 23 July 2008 at Shimo La Tewa Secondary School in Mombasa. The trees were planted as part of a commitment to offset carbon emissions generated by staff attending a three day regional strategy meeting in Mombasa. Shimo La Tewa Secondary is an active participant of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms project and the planting exercise was done in partnership with 60 students who are all members of the schools Connecting Classrooms club.
 
Chirima, a form 2 member of the club commented “it is very important to plant trees because it gives us clean air and it makes the school grounds look beautiful”. Kibisu Agufana, the Organizing Secretary of the Connecting Classrooms club at the school, said “People have always asked for opportunities to change the world. Through Connecting Classrooms, we at Shimo La Tewa have found an easy way of making a difference to our planet – planting trees. These trees have enhanced our partnership experience.”
 
Over the last 12 months, Connecting Classrooms and Dreams and Teams have been partnering with the Billion Tree Campaign. They have asked African and UK schools involved in the projects to plant 5 trees for every international flight they undertake as part of the project. Schools inform the British Council of how many trees they have planted and they in turn inform the “Billion Tree Campaign”. One Connecting Classrooms cluster in Kenya has so far planted 3500 trees, far more than required to offset their own carbon emissions!
 
By planting trees, Connecting Classrooms and Dreams and Teams schools are supporting the British Council’s commitment to reducing it’s environmental impact by implementing an Environmental Management System as well as developing an Environmental framework for the overseas office network.
 
For more information
elizabeth.githinji@britishcouncil.or.ke
 

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