Education initiative on track

Oct 24 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

RAIL passengers arriving at Newcastle Central Station yesterday pledged to play their part in a greener future.

They were encouraged by National Express East Coast staff and local school pupils to consider their daily habits and to commit to leading a more sustainable life. The event was part of the launch of National Express East Coast’s education initiative, known as Connectors.

At the station, pupils from Gosforth Junior High School in Newcastle unveiled a sustainability wall for travellers to sign to demonstrate their sustainability commitments.

Out of the 72 passengers who spoke, 79% said they cared about sustainability issues, 89% said they already recycled, 82% said they used energy saving light bulbs and 61% said they avoided plastic bags.

The Connectors programme is set to benefit more than 1,000 secondary school pupils across Newcastle and around 10,000 along the East Coast Main Line over the next year. It will consist of teaching resources and practical activities for pupils to raise awareness of environmental and sustainability issues.

Nick Coad, environment manager at National Express East Coast, said: “Connectors is about bringing young people together to take positive action on sustainability issues.”