Wirral Waste Education Centre Boasts World’s First Climate Change Teacher, Accredited by the United Nations

B&M Waste Services’ Education Programme Lead Maria Williams, an experienced teacher employed by the business to deliver recycling education sessions to schools from the company’s education centre on the Wirral, has become the first teacher in the waste management sector to complete the eduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher Course, accredited by the United Nations (UN CC:Learn).

The eduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher Course was launched in April 2019 and encourages teachers in schools and education outlets to become the next line of defence when it comes to educating children about the dangers of climate change. The course covers areas such as climate change science, adaptation planning, how climate change impacts health, forests, gender and the environment, climate change finance and international negotiations. Thousands of teachers have already signed up to the eduCCate Global Programme, with over 300,000 schools now involved worldwide.

Maria Williams, a fully qualified teacher with over twenty years’ experience teaching Geography and Science in high schools, delivers free environmental education sessions from B&M Waste Services Innovation Centre in Bromborough, Wirral. Maria tailors the ‘Little Litter Pickers’ programme to the age and requirements of the children visiting, supporting the KS1-4 syllabus. The visit encourages the students to develop an understanding of the ways that they can reduce, reuse and recycle their waste, and the wider environmental impact that our actions today will have for decades to come.

Melanie Harwood, chief executive of the non-profit eduCCate Global, explains the context of the project further:

“Young children are far more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and associated health risks than any other social group. We need to give them the tools to understand the effects of a changing climate so that they can take well-informed and effective action in the future. Now, more than ever, teachers need to take the lead in helping our youngsters make sense of the issues and options.”

Speaking of her achievement, Maria said;

“As a geography teacher, climate change has always been something that I am passionate about. When I heard about the eduCCate Global Course, which is accredited by the UN, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved and increase my own knowledge so that I can help to further increase awareness in all of the schools that visit our environmental education centre.

The course has given me the confidence to teach children of all ages about the causes, effects, mitigation steps and possible adaptation strategies for climate change in addition to our regular reduce, reuse and recycling messages. I am delighted that we could be the very first waste company to support the programme and look forward to combining these topics to help to spread these important messages in all future visits.”

Ken Curtis, Chairman of B&M Waste Services added;

“I’m absolutely delighted that Maria has brought this qualification to B&M Waste Services and that she is able to share this information with all of the schools we see each week. Well done Maria!”

The Little Litter Pickers programme offers free education visits to schools, including customers and non-customers of leading carbon neutral waste management company, B&M Waste Services. Further details of the sessions are available here.