HUNDREDS of Essex pupils learnt about climate change and the environment through hands-on activities and workshops.
The Let’s Talk Trash event was held at Braxted Park on September 22, bringing together 450 Year 5 and 6 pupils from 11 Essex schools.
The free environmental festival was designed to turn young people into advocates for positive change through interactive sessions focused on litter, recycling, water pollution, biodiversity, food production and climate change.
Duncan Clark, owner of Braxted Park and founder of Let’s Talk Trash, said: "Young people have an extraordinary ability to challenge the way the rest of us think, and that is really what Let’s Talk Trash is about.
"We didn't want to lecture children about climate change or tell them what they were doing wrong; we wanted to give them a brilliant day where they could get involved, ask questions, have fun and discover for themselves that their actions really do matter."
Pupils took part in hands-on workshops and activities across the Braxted Park Estate, including a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle relay race, a Junk Funk Orchestra using recyclable materials, and water pollution experiments led by Anglian Water.
Other sessions included drama workshops, biodiversity challenges and a look at food production from soil to table, led by the Country Trust.
A highlight was Plastic Mountain, an installation backed by Maldon-based Green Recycling that showed pupils the scale of society’s waste and the importance of refusing and recycling materials properly.
Mr Clark said: "Seeing more than 450 children filling Braxted Park with so much energy and enthusiasm was incredibly rewarding.
"The important part now is what happens next.
"If every child takes just one idea home, into their classroom or into their community, the impact of the day can reach far beyond the gates of Braxted Park."
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The festival was supported by Clean Up Britain, Anglian Water, The Country Trust, Wilderness Foundation, ecoACTIV, Green Recycling, Drama Geezers, One Day Creative and The Paper Birds.
The festival is part of a wider effort to help children take environmental awareness into daily life and change their attitudes and behaviour for the long term.
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