Students back Friends of the Earth campaign to reduce traffic pollution in Haringey

Students from The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) have put pen to paper to pledge their support to a petition to reduce traffic pollution in Haringey.

Clean Air for Haringey is part of a national campaign by Friends of the Earth and calls for an end to diesel use on UK roads by 2025, support for drivers to use cleaner alternatives and better public transport.

Quentin Given and Yvonne Spyrou from the Tottenham and Wood Green branch of the environmental group visited the College as part of Green Week, one of a number of enrichment activities that take place throughout the year at CONEL.

As well as encouraging students to sign the petition, they also gave a presentation and held a workshop on traffic pollution and other green issues, including carbon emissions and global warming, deforestation to provide land to grow soya for cattle feed and the importance of recycling.

Student Chanel Camp, 17, who signed the petition, said: “I used to live in Hertford. You can definitely tell the air is fresher there than in London. The pollution here has made my nose burn and given me a migraine.

“My mum and two brothers both have asthma and I have also seen how much the pollution affects them, so it is important that something is done.”

Student and mother of four Sarah Barnikel, 30, added: “We all need to do our bit to help the environment. I do recycle at home and try to teach the kinds about it so they have a much nicer world to grow up in.”

This year’s Green Week also included a stand by Living Under One Sun, an award-winning organisation based in Tottenham running a healthy living projects in the community.

Anthony Robinson, Quality and Learner Experience Manager, said: “Green Week is an opportunity for our students to understand more about environmental issues that affect their lives and those of future generations, and how we all have a shared responsibility to ensure we protect our planet.”