The Eco Council at Westfield Sports College has made huge strides since its launch last year.

It is now a major school project which links with parents, community groups, other schools and local businesses.

It is run by a group of pupils who have boundless energy and enthusiasm and have managed to get a very large number of other students involved.

Westfield was awarded the Silver Eco School award in February this year and is already well on its way to the Green Flag.

The list of activities included in the nomination is too long to be included in full here but included extensive litter awareness projects, bulb planting at the college and further afield, taking part in the Sheffield Wicked Waste conference, planting trees, extending recycling facilities at the college and organising a green day.

Eco Schools co-ordinator Jennie Wood said: "These students have shown incredible perseverance and courage to take on eco issues and their peers, which as a teenager can be very daunting. They have bounced back from every setback with more ideas.

"Their influence and activities are snowballing and I hope they have the motivation and determination to keep up the momentum they have started.

"In fact, they are only limited by the staff running to keep up with them and their ideas!"

Over the last year, students at Sheffield High School have become increasingly dedicated to making the school a more environmentally-friendly place.

Led by a team called the Sheffield High School Eco-Group, the school has achieved both the Bronze and Silver eco awards and is now working towards the Green Flag award.

At the start of every school year, each class elects an eco-rep, whose job it is to empty the paper bins, turn off lights when not in use and encourage classmates to practice environmentally-friendly behaviour.

Each classroom has a paper recycling bin, energy-efficient light bulbs are used where possible and adjustments to the cisterns of all toilets in the school means a saving of three litres of water on every flush.

Last year the school also held its first Eco Day, which will become an annual event. Students were encouraged to write down their pledges of what they would do to reduce their impact of the environment. Green ribbon badges were sold, raising more than £100 for the Sheffield Wildlife Trust, and students also took part in a community litter pick to tidy of the area surrounding the school.

Electricity at the school is supplied by Ecotricity, a green energy supplier, and over the 2008 academic year energy usage was measured regularly, with the aim to reduce it wherever possible this school year.

The school set up a Wildlife Club for Y2 students last year to educate young people about the benefits of caring for the environment and this year it plans to launch a Gardening Club, where younger students can gain hands-on experience in an area of the school being turned into a wildlife garden, and last year the Sixth Form Enterprise Group, Blooming Elle, chose an environmental theme for their company, producing reusable canvas bags and children's books featuring Eco-Man.

Sheffield High is in the process of a major building programme to extend its Sixth Form facilities and the Eco Group has been involved with the design which includes a sedum roof, rainwater collection system for flushing toilets and movement-sensitive energy-saving lights.

Click on the links below for category details, more information, photos and video clips with our winners at the Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards 2009.

ENVIRONMENT AWARDS 2009: Meet our green heroes - VIDEO
AMEY: Awards sponsor dedicated to making us go green
SPONSORS: Why we backed the Environment Awards
PRIMARY 2009: Brunswick School win Environment Award - VIDEO
SENIOR SCHOOL 2009: Westfield Sports College and Sheffield High share Environment Award - VIDEO
INDIVIDUAL 2009: Danny Piermattei wins Environment Award - VIDEO
RECYCLING 2009: St Vincent's Furniture Store wins Environment Award - VIDEO
BUILDING AND DESIGN 2009: AC Liani win Environment Award - VIDEO
BUSINESS 2009: Bag It Don't Bin It wins Environment Award - VIDEO
INNOVATION 2009: ITM Power wins Environment Award 2009 - VIDEO
COMMUNITY 2009: Rivelin Valley Group wins Environment Award 2009 - VIDEO
LIFETIME AND OVERALL 2009: Sheffield Environment Weeks win Environment Award 2009 - VIDEO

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