Badger hotel, rooftop solar and pre-worn Christmas jumper sale among Solihull schools’ climate action projects presented at mini-COP in council chamber

Eight schools split into teams to represent 16 nations large and small which attended COP29 in Azerbaijan, negotiating with other ‘delegations’ on steps to limit global warming before agreeing resolutions.

Challenges arose in the Forests & Food working group, where the team in the role of the USA didn’t agree to Western nations footing the bill for forestry protections and support for farmers in the Global South.

A student from Arden Academy, representing Indonesia, told the conference chamber: “Because we all share the planet, it's not unreasonable for other countries to support us. You can't run cities or get energy without any food”.

The programme went on to local climate action, with pupils presenting their schools’ action plans, before students quizzed council leader Cllr Ian Courts at a Climate Question Time.

Students from Solihull School have started a school litterpick, are making an allotment on school grounds, and holding a “pre-owned and pre-loved” Christmas jumper sale. Solihull VIth Form College has installed rooftop solar panels and built a ‘badger hotel’ as part of rewilding the college grounds, while Lyndon School is holding Quit Carbon November and awareness-raising via assemblies and students going onto a radio station.

Omar, a student at Solihull School, said he was “reluctant and wasn’t going to come” to the event, “but I signed up and I’ve enjoyed it”. He is trying to reduce the amount he throws away and thinks climate issues are “important particularly for our generation – we’re the ones going to be affected by it”.

Cllr Courts told students “you make my day” with their enthusiasm for addressing climate change, which he called his “probably number one issue”.

“I'm just overawed by what you're doing,” he said. “I go away and I talk about all the wonderful young people we have that really care”.

Solihull Mayor, Green councillor Shahin Ashraf MBE, a third sector leader in the fields of climate action, refugee policy and women’s rights in her professional life, told the event that for next year’s COP in Brazil, “we are pushing for a UN Envoy for Future Generations to contribute to future decisions”.

Chair of the mock COP event Michila Critchley of charity InterClimate Network said “the level of action is hugely reassuring to us and also commendable to you and your groups”.

The climate conference followed the annual Greener Solihull School Awards on Monday 11th November, also in the council chamber, with nine of the top winning primary and infant schools given hand-carved wooden trophies designed by non-profit Newlands Bishop Farm.