Southport Eco Visitor Centre
Visiting us
The Southport Eco Visitor-Centre offers a practical and fun
demonstration of sustainability by inspiring visiting schools and
members of the public to consider our impact on the environment
through stimulating information and interactive displays about
energy, transport and tourism.
The Centre sits on the Esplanade Park and Ride site, supporting
the ethos of reducing congestion and pollution in the town
centre.
The building
The building itself is a great example of sustainability in
action as the building is served by a 20 kW wind turbine,
groundsource heatpumps with underfloor heating, solar heating
providing hotwater and rainwater is collected for flushing
toilets.
The interactive displays are ideal reading material whilst
waiting for the next bus! But there is so much more to this
deceptive building; hidden away is a classroom and an eco-garden
large enough for school parties of 30+ children.
The classroom
The classroom has a full time teacher on hand to provide a rich,
interactive extensive education programme that tackles many complex
subjects aimed at Key Stage 2 and 3, including:
- Energy Choices
- Renewable Energy
- The Water Cycle and Water Conservation
- What's in the Environmental News?
- Climate Change
- Transport Alternatives
- School Travel Plan
- Coastal Management
- Habitats
- Eco-School
- Eco Taster
- Earth, Sun and Moon
- School Council Seminar
All the visits are linked to National Curriculum attainment
targets and QCA units across a range of subjects including Science,
Geography and Citizenship. New days are always being developed and
lesson plans are written to suit needs of particular groups.
Building relationships
The programme is so much more than a day out, and the Centre is
building lasting relationships with schools both locally and all
over the North West. For those schools that are travelling from
further afield, a visit to the Eco-Centre can be complemented with
a trip to the dunes, nature trail or as part of a Geography
fieldtrip to study the history of Southport.
Visit us at: www.southportecocentre.com