From The Daily Telegraph, 17 August 2009
By Richard Savill
A state school in Waterlooville, Hampshire, has been accused of potentially creating a “back-door selection” system by introducing a compulsory ‘eco-friendly’ uniform costing about £100 ($165 USD)
Oaklands Roman Catholic School in Waterlooville has introduced the uniform made from recycled bottles which can only be bought from the school or from the Schoolwear Shop in nearby Havant.
Other schools also have some degree of exclusivity, where logoed polo shirts or jumpers can only be bought from the school or one shop.
MPs have raised concerns that such expensive uniforms could deter poorer families from sending children to their chosen school…
Parents have pointed out that supermarkets like Tesco can supply entire uniforms for only £3.50 (about $5.75 USD).
Full Story here
Another point of course is that Oaklands is not a Primary school.
It is a Sixth form college. The teenagers at the school wouldn’t be seen dead in the uniform pictured above.
This is one of those things that just makes me AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Does anyone besides me just get sick of the crap being vomited up by the econuts?
a jones (13:11:16),
Put in some greenhouses to use the otherwise wasted heat, you might be able to use the CO2 from the flue as well.
AGW true believers consider all combustion to be evil; worse if the only byproducts are CO2 and water vapor, both notoriously deadly pollutants.
The Ville (13:57:32),
The kids may support the new uniforms, but they aren’t the ones who have to pay for them. As a parent, I would hate to have to decide not to send my child to the preferred school solely because the uniform was too costly.
After having recently purchased a few new clothes for the kids, $5.75 for a school uniform looks pretty good. Is that price subsidized? A cheap pair of denim pants on clearance at Wallmart costs $5.00.
re: bill (13:46:26) :
Admittedly, it is nearly 4 decades ago, but when I went to school the uniform was specified in terms of the colour of the blazer, trousers and shirt. The only custom items were the tie and a badge (logo) for the blazer. Everything else could be bought from pretty much any clothing shop. Clothing shops would even sew the badge on the blazer for you for a small charge.
As The UK newspaper The Sun’s Littlejohn might say – “you couldn’t make it up!” (I’d wager that he falls into the sceptical camp.)
The picture appears to be date from the 60’s? I was at primary school then but didn’t have to wear a uniform: something for which I am eternally grateful…
Personally I wouldn’t fancy wearing plastic clothes. The point has been made already that these ‘green clothes’ are basically made out of crude oil…
@Bruce Cobb: Yeah, and you can see a lot just by looking. Yogi was wiser than all of us in those days.
You really can’t make it can you?
When this incinerator was built the glass house grower just over the road who grew roses, orchids and such like fancy things claimed its emissions would destroy his business.
Naturally he got considerable compensation to move his business elsewhere.
Yet the plant engineer tells me that it actually has a CO2 clean take off so that the flue gas can be used in greenhouses. But it has never been used.
And the glass houses over the road which could easily be connected up for heat and CO2 stand idle. The government did not purchase them in exchange for the compensation paid and the grower will not put them back in service because he would forfeit his compensation payment if he did.
And the poor taxpayer foots the bill. It is a mad mad world my masters.
Kindest Regards
The Ville (13:57:32) : You say that ‘The kids support the uniform…’ Perhaps they would not if they had to pay for it themselves out of their pocket money! When I attended primaryschool in the UK, several of the kids were dropped off by parents in big posh cars. The rest of us who had to walk in the rain or snow ‘All supported our parents dropping us off in big posh cars’ (unfortunately, the majority of parents could hardly find the money to feed us!).
The only true green clothing is no clothing.
Run Naked For The Planet! ™
Go To School Naked For The Planet! ™
Go To Work Naked For The Planet! ™
Take Your Clothes Off For The Planet!(tm)
Have Sex For The Planet (OK I’ll stop here … getting carried away)
Al Gore: put your clothes back on for the Planet!
I think the eco-fleece range from Kathmandu are made from recycles bottles too, but don’w quote me on this. They are quite comfortable in fact../had to buy one a few months back on a recent trip from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia. It was so cold in Melbourne, had to buy a fleece from a secondhand clothes shop, cost me all of AU$10…with a 200 Koruna note in one of the pockets.
Crickey Anthony, this is close to home for me. I used to live in Clanfield, just a few miles up the old A3 towards Petersfield. I also worked for IBM at Havant Plant.
The Ville (14:12:07) : Oaklands harbours children from eleven to eighteen. It is titled ‘Oaklands Catholic School AND Sixth Form College. The children of eleven and twelve years of age are not teenagers. Not being seen dead in school uniform is also not an option whether it be old or modern.
Everyone seems to be ignoring the fact that this blog post has nothing to do with science. It just confirms Mr Watts political motives.
REPLY: So, recycling plastic bottles into threads has nothing to do with science? Political motives? Hardly, I just think it is stupid to have something so overpriced. Recycling (which I support – see my about page) is useful and embraceable when it is practical. This isn’t practical. – A
Re: Allan M R MacRae
“Seems ridiculously expensive for recycled polyester…”
The Ville: The cost of the uniforms has nothing to do with recycling.
A lot of the ultra cheap supermarket clothing is made from recycled plastics.
Re: Allan M R MacRae
“The idea of recycling is to save materials, energy and money. If these outfits cost much more than average, this suggests that no such savings are being realized.”
The Ville: No it doesn’t, it means that the manufacturer is charging a lot of money, possibly because of the relatively small production numbers involved or the labour costs are higher, eg. they are made in the UK. Speculating about why the uniforms are expensive does not explain the real reason for the cost of the uniform.
Re: Allan M R MacRae
“Much is written about the benefits of recycling, but little about the costs. HIgh energy and labour costs may make recycling net negative in both cases, and may lead to the conclusion that some recycling is fundamentaly anti-environmental.”
The Ville: Plastic bottles do not require a lot of energy to recycle.
I wore a suit like that in the 1940s – there is even a picture of me in it illustrating a shot of swans in the winter of 46/47. A significant winter that was.
However, the uniform was the cap and the tie, not the whole suit – that cost my parents an arm and a leg during the war.
Where on earth does that picture come from?
I wore a suit like that in the 1940s – there is even a picture of me in it illustrating a shot of swans in the winter of 46/47. A significant winter that was.
However, the uniform was the cap and the tie, not the whole suit – that cost my parents an arm and a leg during the war.
Where on earth does that picture come from?
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
The Ville:
The kids support the uniform, maybe they are less cynical and understand the issues better than Mr Watts.
By that you mean of course that they have been properly brainwashed with AGW and “green” propaganda.
“Bruce Cobb (05:00:24) :
The Ville:
The kids support the uniform, maybe they are less cynical and understand the issues better than Mr Watts.
By that you mean of course that they have been properly brainwashed with AGW and “green” propaganda.”
Ditto to that, and I add that UK kids are so depressed because of the constant AGW propaganda spewed out during class, none of them are learning anything, and when they’ve had enough, they top themselves.
I do not support the use of uniforms in schools.
I do not support faith schools
I do not like misinformation either.
Check this out and see if you disagree with their ethos.
These children are young adults and their clothing cost reflects this.
From the school website:
From the press release:
help for those unable to pay:
The Governing Body, most of whom are parents, decided as part of the process and in order to alleviate any financial pressure while our Oaklands Parents Association builds up a stock of second-hand items, to set aside funds to help parents where there are cases of hardship and all parents have been made aware of this.
availability:
Most of the school uniform is now available from ANY schoolwear shop or high street retailer.
Locally produced:
The school was also keen to ensure a number of items were manufactured in the UK and EU. The school does not take an income from the supplier.
Why others are cheap:
Supermarkets appear to be selling ‘budget’ or ‘value’ uniform as a loss leader during the ‘back to school season’
No sweat shops:
Of greater concern to the school is that the cheap manufacturing of school uniform in the developing world comes at the price of long hours and appalling conditions for those involved.
Cost:
Unisex Short Sleeved Jumper
•Sizes 24-30″ – £11.50
•Sizes 32-38″ – £16.50
•Sizes 40-48″ – £20.50
Unisex Long Sleeved Jumper
•Sizes 24-30″ – £12.50
•Sizes 32-38″ – £16.50
•Sizes 40-48″ – £20.25
Boys Blazer
•Sizes 28-38″ – £30.50
•Sizes 40-50″ – £35.50
Boys Shirt
Available from local retailers
Boys Trousers
•Sizes 24-26″ – £13.50
•Sizes 28-40″ -£15.50
Tie
£3.50
the uniforms:
http://oaklands.hants.sch.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=437&Itemid=446
the uniform:
Girls:
•Navy Ecosmart blazer with crest
•Navy v-neck jumper or tank top with logo
•Navy and white striped v-neck revere blouse
•Navy stitched down pleated skirt (no shorter than 18″)
•Navy straight leg trousers (or specified “Banner” brand from Havant National Schoolwear Shop)
•Navy, black or natural tights (no patterns or lace)
•Flat black shoes (no higher than 2″, not trainers or casual style); platform or stilettos are not permitted
Boys:
•Navy Ecosmart blazer with crest
•Navy v-neck jumper or tank top with logo
•White shirt
•Navy and royal double stripe tie
•Navy trousers
•Black socks
•Black shoes (not trainers or casual style)
I hope that the comments made here about the ideal cost of supermarket uniforms does not reflect the writers condoning the use of sweatshop produced goods.
UK children/youn adults do not top themselves because of AGW propaganda. Most just want to preserve their futures by minimising environmental impact – is that wrong?
Is it wrong that the EU is setting recycling guides, or is it better that even more of the UK gets covered by vast reserves of once recyclable material?
Re Bruce Cobb.
Well. UK students are taught what is sensible and responsible when it comes to waste. It is after all their future and it is they that would have to deal with waste mountains and emissions.
As it happens, there is a huge waste mountain quite close to Waterlooville, at Port Solent. It dominates the landscape. Thankfully it isn’t growing any more and is being landscaped. However it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Mr Watts said:
“So, recycling plastic bottles into threads has nothing to do with science? Political motives? Hardly, I just think it is stupid to have something so overpriced. Recycling (which I support – see my about page) is useful and embraceable when it is practical. This isn’t practical. – A”
The Ville: If you want to complain about over pricing Mr Watts, I suggest that you look at your own nation and the prices of ‘plastic’ uniforms that parents have to pay for private schooling in your own country. I think you will find they are similar prices. I’m assuming that the issue isn’t who is buying them, but just the price.
You also have not written the article in the context of science. You have not expained any processes used in recycling or the science behind it.
Therefore, yes, this blog post/thread is political.
REPLY: Sir/madam, look at the masthead, I have all the context I need. And, I didn’t write the article, it is an excerpt from an article in the UK Telegraph. Your opinion that I wrote it, wrong as it is, is noted. Your inability to distinguish fact is not helping you. -A.
According to
http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Plastics.htm
5.5% (five and one half percent) of plastic bottles sold were recycled in the UK in 2003.
According to
http://earth911.com/plastic/plastic-bottle-recycling-facts/
24% (twenty-four percent) of PBS were recycled in the USA.
So who should be learning from whom ?
Let us not forget the central European country where 78% of PBS were recycled in 2007. It is easier when you do not have to follow EU guides.
” The Ville (07:41:09) :
Well. UK students are taught what is sensible and responsible when it comes to waste. It is after all their future and it is they that would have to deal with waste mountains and emissions.
As it happens, there is a huge waste mountain quite close to Waterlooville, at Port Solent. It dominates the landscape. Thankfully it isn’t growing any more and is being landscaped. However it sticks out like a sore thumb.”
Let us not forget the central European country where waste is burned (it can be done safely) and not dumped into the ground water and then hidden (=landscaped).