Highgate’s Environment Committee is one of the school’s many action groups, meeting weekly to spearhead eco-projects and offer a supportive network for like-minded pupils.
Their high-profile campaigns complement Highgate’s school strategy for sustainability, helping to raise awareness and drive change. We caught up with Kiran and Mia, who co-chair the group, to find out what it means to them.
How did you get involved in the committee and what are your roles now?
Kiran: I joined the Environment Committee in Y7. I saw it advertised during my first couple of weeks, and I really loved what it was about. For a couple of years, I was the only person in my year, then lots of people from my year group joined. Mia and I became the co-chairs at the beginning of this academic year.
Mia: I’ve been doing it since Year 9. I took part in a Mock Cop event during COVID, and I met Sarah Mynott (the Teacher Lead, currently on maternity leave), and said I’d love to be involved. From about Y11 onwards, we’ve had a nice group of people from our year, so we’ve built a strong Y13 team now.
What is it that motivates you personally to get involved?
M: It feels like such a big issue. As young people, it’s very hard for us to be able to do things, and it’s nice to think that even if it is a small difference you’re making, it is something.
K: I completely agree. We can reach so many people in the school through the committee, both changing the way that the school works, but also changing lots of individual habits, by doing things like assemblies. It feels like you can have a much bigger impact doing this work, rather than just me changing my own lifestyle.
Fast Fashion-Free February is Highgate’s flagship eco-campaign; what’s it all about?
M: Fast Fashion-Free Feb has been running for about seven years and it’s my place of interest. I would argue it’s our most successful and best initiative, getting people engaged with fast fashion and being aware that, as a consumer, our shopping decisions have a real impact on the environment. You can choose to spend your money somewhere else in a more sustainable way. As kids, that’s the thing we can spend our money on, rather than looking at sustainable dishwashers or that sort of thing. So, we’re trying to shift habits, from going to somewhere like Zara to going to the Marie Curie down the road. I find it much more fun if you find cool pieces that no one else has.
K: We’ve got all sorts of events coming up. We’ve got a fashion journalist coming in to speak and we’re running the swap shop at the moment. We’re working with all the eco reps in every form to educate people about fast fashion, why it’s an issue, how they can improve their behaviour.
M: We had a craft-ernoon yesterday lunchtime, where I was teaching the Y7s how to weave, it was very fun.
What other campaigns do you run throughout the year?
K: My favourite is the Clean Air week where we leaflet drivers who park right outside the school. We try to generate positive reinforcement as well by giving out pastries to everyone who cycles to school.
M: We have plant power day in the lunch hall. As a vegetarian, I enjoy that one because it’s good vegetarian food. We involve the students in picking what meal they get, which was a nice way to get everyone involved.
People are much more aware of climate-anxiety these days. Does it impact you, and if so, how do you deal with it?
M: I think it’s scary, because it’s such a big problem. It’s hard to feel like you can make a difference. I combat it by making little changes, so at least I’m doing XYZ to do my part.
K: I find the Environment Committee really helps. It’s so comforting to know that I’m not the only person who feels this way, and there’s so many other people who are anxious about this. There’s a feeling that we are making a difference and having an impact. We run climate cafes once or twice a year where we invite anyone to come and talk about the environment over a vegan snack. People do come – you can see it’s an issue that’s on everyone’s minds.
What impact do your campaigns have on the school community?
M: As an educational institution, I think raising awareness is part of our role as a school. There’s a lot of knowledge that we get to share. Hopefully people think twice before they buy something, and consider eating less meat in their diet, because that’s what they do at school.
K: I completely agree. Making people aware of the issues around fast fashion or air quality, which might not be everyday talking points around climate change, is great. We did a pupil survey in September, and it was nice to see how many people had said, ‘I now try to walk to school when I can’ or ‘I park 5 minutes away from school’. It was heartening to hear that what we’re doing has made a difference.
M: Somebody came up to me the other day to say, ‘I don’t carpool anymore, I take the bus every day’. That was great to hear!
