Inter-House Climate Action & Tree Planting Marathon

The Challenge 

 

Flooding and heat are getting worse in the country. Students learn climate change in class but rarely act. The Inter-House Climate Action Marathon makes environmentalism competitive and fun. 4 school houses compete to plant the most trees, collect plastic waste, and design climate posters. NGO “Eco-Warriors Nigeria” provides seedlings and waste bins. This isn’t a 1 hour cleanup — it’s a month-long campaign.

 

How Competition Works

 

Week 1

Audit & Training – Eco officers train house prefects on waste segregation and tree species. Each house audits their classroom waste.

 

Week 2-3

 

Action Phase – Points awarded for: 10 points per tree planted, 1 point per kg of plastic collected, 20 points for best climate mural. Saturday “Planting Marathon” brings parents + students to plant 500 trees on school land.

 

Week 4

 

Exhibition – Houses present climate solutions. Example: Red House built a model “rainwater harvester” from plastic bottles.

 

Education Component

 

Daily 5 minute “Climate Fact” during assembly. Science classes calculate the school’s carbon footprint from generator use. English class writes essays on “My Climate Pledge”.

 

The goal: students understand climate action isn’t just “plant trees”, it’s reducing waste, saving energy, and speaking up.

 

Results & Recognition

 

Winning house gets the “Green Cup” for the term + their name on a plaque near the new tree garden. Last year we planted 420 trees and diverted 300kg of plastic from drains. More importantly, students now report teachers who leave lights on — behavior change is the real win.

 

Long-Term Plan

 

Every JSS1 student must plant and adopt 1 tree before graduating. The tree garden becomes an outdoor classroom for Biology. NGO trains 2 teachers as “Climate Ambassadors” to run the program yearly without external help.