Our staff work really hard to help you keep Wales looking beautiful. Bryony Bromley is Eco-Schools Officer for Cardiff, Neath Port Talbot and South Powys. Here, she tells us about her job...
Life's pretty chaotic – but exciting! – as an Eco-Schools officer. Every day is different so my work schedule is pretty varied. Generally I get up, throw on some clothes and dash out the door to take my dog, Bojangles, for an hour-long walk. It's then home for breakfast for us both and then either off to the first school or to the train station to travel to the office in Cardiff. I normally have one day a week in the office, which gives me a chance to answer emails and return phone calls, arrange Green Flag visits, organise training or events and catch up with colleagues over a proper cup of coffee! Then it's back to the train (where I have a chance to read my book!) and home just in time to cook dinner and catch up with my (new) husband. We don't have a TV so curling up with a good book is my way of unwinding – plus a G&T at the end of the week!
As an Eco-Schools officer my job involves supporting the 300 or so schools in my areas and implementing the Eco-Schools programme. This involves offering support when starting out, answering phone and email queries, assessing schools for the coveted Green Flag when they are ready, organising training events and celebration events and working on resources to assist schools in progressing through the programme and making a real positive impact on our planet. I love my job as it gives me a chance to see the fantastic difference that pupils across Wales are making to our environment. Gaining a green flag is a great mark of achievement for a school as it illustrates that the pupils in the school have worked together to identify areas of environmental weakness in their school, devised a way to combat them and made a positive difference. The programme puts the responsibility firmly in the hands of pupils, giving them the opportunity to stand up and make their voices heard. Every time I visit a school I learn something new or discover a different approach to a problem....our schools really are inspirational places!
I recently attended World Saving Superhero Training at Llysfaen Primary School where Miss Harris had organised an incredible Eco Week. The challenges included completing a classroom waste audit, writing an eco diary and top tips for the school newsletter, eating a healthy snack, walking to school and learning the Eco code rap, to name just a few! The eco team were also busy campaigning at playtimes, counting the money raised for charity, packing up the drop off collections, conducting the BIG TURN OFF and NO Paper Day and carrying out secret ‘Energy Watch’ surveys. It’s so satisfying to see that we have so many teachers and pupils in Wales who are dedicated to looking after the planet. May it long continue!