The Green Community Award, Matt Knight – Freely Fruity, sponsor Tomato Energy
A teacher who “eats and breathes sustainability and ecology” has been nominated for The Green Community Award.
Matt Knight, who is the ecology and sustainability lead at Shinfield St Mary’s Junior School, is one of the organisers at Freely Fruity, an ecological charity.
His nominator said: “I met my wonderful neighbour Matt during the Thursday clap for the NHS in lockdown.
“A teacher at St Mary’s school he lives, eats and breathes sustainability and ecology.
“Matt was proud to share he was working on an initiative to plant more trees for local people to enjoy in the local community and reduce the carbon footprint,” they added.
“Thanks to Freely Fruity we now have seven community orchards in Reading.
“He has helped by educating children in local schools and groups about healthy eating, saving money, reducing carbon emissions, reducing food wastage and, overall, building a community spirit,” they added.
“Matt’s work within the school has been terrific; they are a beacon school for the tree council (only eight per cent of schools hold this).”
They added Shinfield St Mary’s were the first school in the world to be carbon neutral accredited and partner with the UN climate initiative. It has featured at the COP25, 26 & 27 climate conferences with their videos.
“Matt ensures the children of the future understand the sustainability framework and helps give them a lifelong love of nature as well as a sense of responsibility for our planet and local community. Overall Matt is a great bloke and makes this important issue really good fun.”
The Green Community Award is sponsored by Tomato Energy.
