What is the ‘Footprint’?
The ‘Footprint’ is a new National Trust building at St Catherines, Windermere and is made of straw and other natural building materials. This inspirational place is primarily an education base for schools and is a wonderful example of how we can lessen our impact on the environment whilst at the same time creating an exciting educational and recreational space which compliments the existing landscape.
How have schools become involved?
© Gareth Thomas
Part of the ‘Footprint’ project involved working with four local schools from the very beginning of construction in 2006.
The National Trust’s Community Learning Officer at St Catherine’s and a local artist, Jac Scott, worked with Year 5 classes at Windermere C of E Junior School, Goodly Dale School and Elleray Preparatory School in Windermere, and Staveley C of E School near Kendal, with the aim of using a variety of creative approaches to:
- Enable children to understand the choices made regarding building materials and design, and use these as a basis for examining issues of resource use, lifestyle choices and their effect on the environment.
- Explore the concept of our ecological footprint – what it is, how it happens and how it can be reduced.
The start of the journey….
© Scott Mackie
Spring 2006 – work begins on the Footprint.
- Children are introduced to the building project and materials – and learn why these particular materials are being used.
- They tell us what they understand by the term ‘sustainable’ which enables us to establish a baseline from which to project future work.
- The above leads on to discussions on how our behaviour impacts on the environment and what we can do both as individuals and members of society to reduce it.
Lifecycles are important…
© Scott Mackie
Autumn 2006
- The children take part in four project sessions through a combination of site visits and school-based activities.
- They focus on the lifecycle of the materials used in the building, such as timber, wool, straw, lime, clay and rubber and research the internet for their source and production.
- The children also concentrate on the environmental benefits of these materials in terms of the impacts of their manufacture, the energy required to make them, and what effect the resulting CO2 has on climate change.
- They then consider how using these materials can help in reducing our environmental impact.
This part of the project culminated in a full day art workshop drawing together the various strands of research and presenting it in art forms which the children created out of the materials used in the building. Giant nests, road signs, felted sheep, a wooden ladder, shingle books and mini bales with clay plaster and lime were some of the interesting results.
Developing knowledge and skills….
© Scott Mackie
2007 - building on the success of the first phase of this project our aim this year is to:
- Continue to work with the four local schools to identify and creatively solve environmental issues within the school community.
- Develop children’s knowledge and skills so they can work with a professional artist to reduce the environmental impact of their school and their home.
- Through the medium of art, make this a joyful and inspiring process that will have a greater and long lasting impact on all the participants.
The next stage…
© Scott Mackie
The National Trust, working in partnership with the Lake District National Park Authority Education Service, has:
- facilitated a number of sessions in the schools to plan and undertake environmental audits focussing on waste, water and energy. Through a process of collaborative decision making this has helped to identify which areas need improving.
We will now
- involve each class in working with Jack Scott and the Trust’s Community Learning Officer to begin exploring creative options to the issues identified in the audit and in response to site visits.
The exact forms of these responses are unknown, but are likely to include a variety if media, permanent installations and function pieces - all of which promote the message of careful resource use.
The legacy…..
© Scott Mackie
The pieces of art resulting from the audit will be displayed in the schools as long-term reminders of the ‘Footprint’ project, and the behaviours it encourages.
The National Trust is keen for the children involved to share the project with other classes, staff and parents through evenings and assemblies.
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