David Ingram Head of Dulwich Puxi, Talks About the Environment

We sat down with Mr David Ingram, head of Dulwich Puxi and asked him to share his concerns about the environment, and some of the things his school are doing to combat environmental concerns.

1.What does your school do to be environmentally friendly?

We believe in the importance of making a difference.  Our students and staff understand that we have both a personal and collective responsibility for sustainability.  Most importantly, they have confidence to take action on campus and in the wider community.  For example, our Deputy Head Student raised awareness about the environmental impact of palm oil and led a successful campaign to remove ingredients with palm oil from our school restaurant.  Another student led a successful campaign to remove plastic straws that also led to the removal of small yogurt pots.

We are committed to recycling.  At Dulwich Puxi we partner with Green Initiatives on two projects: We focusing on recycling and up-cycling tech and e-waste, and Reform, focusing recycling and up-cycling textiles.  We enjoy welcoming experts from the Green Initiatives team to speak to our students about sustainability and the circular economy.  

We are committed to reducing and offsetting our carbon footprint.  Through our carbon footprint programme, we have funded the planting of 1000 trees in Inner-Mongolia as part of The Million Tree Project.  We are proud of Hilda Zhu from our admin team who visited our forest this summer and spent time volunteering with the project.  

We celebrate biodiversity. Our campus is one of the greenest in the city and we have planted trees and flowers that attract birds, bees and butterflies. Our students love to see birds nesting next to their classrooms.  We grow vegetables, herbs and spices.  Students enjoying spending time outdoors in nature and this ‘green time’ has a positive impact on their study.  

We track our energy usage through our collaboration with BlueSky Energy.  Our mathematicians and scientists analyse the live data as part of their programme of study.

2.What lessons do you teach the students about the environment? 

We believe that:

People protect what they love, they love what they understand, and they understand what they’re taught’. 

Jacques Cousteau.

We are committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  Sustainability is embedded throughout our curriculum, from environmental science to social enterprise and from geography to business studies. We encourage students to look for connections and think both critically and creatively in finding solutions to the challenge of climate change and pollution.  We explore our relationship with the environment in the creative arts.  Recently Senior School students enjoyed collaborating with a local artist to produce a stunning exhibition of 12 of the most commonly occurring bird species on campus.  My personal favourite is the egret. 

3.In the past, have you hosted any eco-friendly events or activities? 

We believe in the value of service. This summer over 50 staff and children volunteered with HandsOn Shanghai as part of a beach clean-up event. We are also well known for hosting the annual Dulwich Eco Explorers Camp. Hundreds of students from all over Asia participate on campus and online. In addition to giving students a first hand experience of nature, the aims of the camp are to engage, inform and inspire.  Students enjoy the opportunity to learn from visiting experts, including environmentalists, eco-entrepreneurs, film directors and solar engineers. They also enjoy a wide range of hands-on activities.  We want them to return home motivated to make a difference in their community.  

4.Have you planned any ECO events in the future? If so, what are they? 

Yes!  From hosting the Eco Explorers Camp in May to participating in the world’s largest lesson, we are very excited about the year ahead.  We are particularly looking forward to launching our Mustangs Challenge, named after our College mascot, with 5 personal pledges for living sustainably.   We will continue to make a difference through our ongoing collaboration with our partners at Green Initiatives, The Million Tree Project, BlueSky Energy and HandsOn Shanghai.  Finally, we are looking forward to the awe and wonder of the changing seasons on our beautiful campus.  It’s a special place and we want our students to enjoy it.