Frightened Rabbit eco venture to be rolled out in Scottish primary school

A primary school in North Lanarkshire has become the first to take part in a new environmental education programme set up by Frightened Rabbit bassist Billy Kennedy's new eco-friendly social enterprise company.

Scottish rock star, bassist with the band Frightened Rabbit, has co-founded a new social enterprise venture aimed at cutting plastic waste

The initiative is set to be trialled at Tollbrae Primary School in Airdrie, which is helping to develop the scheme with the founders of Last - a Scottish venture set up to help end reliance on single-use plastics.

The firm helps the public take practical action through its online shop and uses profits to inspire the next generation to take a more eco-friendly approach to life.

The idea is the brainchild of musician Billy Kennedy and business partner Suzie Bowman, who have been working with a teacher at Tollbrae to create a pilot project that will be delivered as part of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence.

Last co-founders Suzie Bowman and Billy Kennedy are working with Tollbrae Primary in Airdrie to develop a new environmental education programme that will be rolled out across other Scottish schools

The scheme will comprise lesson plans and teaching resources to help pupils understand the environment and the earth’s limited resources as well as recognise the impact this has on their own lives and wider society.

The project is due to kick off early next year and will be evaluated with the intention of building good practice, documenting lessons learned and informing a longer-term rollout programme.

It’s expected the programme can be delivered over six to eight weeks and in conjunction with pre-existing educational commitments.

“The speed we were getting through plastic in this country is unsustainable and it must stop,” said Last co-founder Suzie Bowman.

“We hope to be able to change the way people shop, but to really solve the issue we also need the next generation to understand the environment and their role in protecting it.”

Tollbrae Primary School teacher Joanna Lander said: “We’re delighted to be working with Billy and Suzie to pilot this new programme, which will help our children learn about their place within the environment.

“Having input from an external company like Last allows us to do something a bit different that will have a big impact.”

More than 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced globally every year, half of which is for single-use purposes.

Estimates suggest as much as 12 million tonnes of this ends up in oceans around the world, where it can harm wildlife and enter the human food chain.

The UK alone generates 1.26 million tonnes annually, of which just 46 per cent is recycled or reused.

Evidence shows this has a significant negative impact on health as well as on the environment.

“Single-use plastics are simply unsustainable,” Mr Kennedy added.

“We looked around at what was stopping people from making changes for the better and the two issues were a lack of choice and a lack of education.

“Through our online shop we provide people with that choice, and through our profits we will work with schools to bring about lasting change through education.

“From the kitchen to the bathroom and when we’re out and about, there are many ways that simple swaps can reduce our own plastic use.”

Last was set up with support from the Firstport StartIt fund.

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