A local housebuilder has encouraged schoolchildren in Surrey to celebrate Christmas in a more sustainable way this year.
Barratt David Wilson Homes donated 240 replantable Christmas tree saplings to two schools in Chertsey.
Walsh CofE Junior School in Ash and Meadowcroft Community Infant School received 120 trees each, as the pupils were able to take home their very own ‘kidmas tree’ to plant where it will grow and can be enjoyed for years to come.
According to the Carbon Trust, a 2m tall real tree that ends up in a woodchipper or bonfire has a carbon footprint of 3.5kg of CO2 - increasing to 16kg for the trees that end up as landfill.
But neither of those figures compare to the 40kg of CO2 that is used to dispose of an artificial tree. The donation of sapling trees encourages families to make more sustainable options at Christmas and have a go at growing their own.
Lisa Wright, Year 5 and 6 Phase Leader at Walsh C of E Junior School said:
“As a school we always like to engage in activity which encourages pupils to think more sustainably and this is an especially important message at Christmas. We welcomed this donation from Barratt David Wilson Homes as we approach the festive season when there is typically so much waste.”
Laura Curling, Business Manager at Meadowcroft Community Infant School added:
“We teach our children from a very young age about the importance of protecting our natural environment, so it’s fantastic to be able to offer the children the opportunity to put their learning into practice with a replantable Christmas tree. We have sent their trees home with them and look forward to hearing how they grow!”
Lynnette St-Quintin, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties, said: “This year we have pledged to reduce our carbon emissions by 29% by 2025 and to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2040. To support this message, we felt it important that our school activity reflected our ambitions to meet these targets and in total we have donated thousands of sapling trees. We hope the pupils at both Walsh CofE Junior School and Meadowcroft Community Infant School enjoy growing their saplings and I hope these young trees can be enjoyed for years to come.”
To find out more about Barratt Homes, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or call 0333 355 8498. For further details about David Wilson Homes, visit www.dwh.co.uk or call 0333 355 8499.
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