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Currie and Balerno News 351

1 November 2009

Recently I wrote about the enthusiasm and commitment shown by local schools to improving the environment. One of these is Nether Currie Primary and I had the pleasure of visiting the school this month.

The school already have their bronze and silver awards and are working their way towards their green flag under the eco schools programme. I also saw the trophies and photos showing their success in gardening competitions. And it has clearly become automatic for their pupils to switch of lights! This may seem like a small thing but a quarter of the UK's annual carbon emissions come from energy used to heat and light our homes.

But the main reason for my visit was to meet the P7 class who have been doing a project about politics in Scotland although I found myself being quizzed by all the classes we dropped into! They asked everything from how I spent my day to why Britain doesn't use the Euro. I was impressed by suggestions on how the Chancellor should spend our money – to help people stop smoking, to tidy up parks and provide water for children in Africa. I later thought it would have been useful to get their views on how to raise money as well!

I've been visiting schools in the city for over 20 years. And every time I'm impressed by the growing confidence of the pupils I meet. And confidence is a great thing to have!