Art

‘Time’

This year’s House Art competition saw 12 houses respond to the theme of ‘Time’. Time is defined as the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It surpasses sentiment; it is indiscriminate, honest, and unyielding.

House Art, and this year’s theme, were introduced by four senior art scholars in the first Saturday Chapel of Lent term. Each scholar delivered a literary response to the brief of ‘Time’, aimed to provoke thought and to encourage engagement with the competition. Indeed, each house interpreted the theme in a different way, demonstrating their unique interpretation with an array of sophistication and collaboration. Boys had three weeks to submit their work, before the OBS Gallery’s administrator, Claire Hart White, had the difficult task of adjudication. The winning piece, produced by Hill Side, with enthusiastic participation from the whole House presented and executed by Archie Wareing (HS4).

Incorporating multi-media aspects of photography, painting, and screen printing, the variety of techniques on display were anchored by the strength and use of the House colours, red and black. Images of Hillside boys, past and present, emphasise that no matter how much time passes, the House thrives, and its spirit is passed down from boy to boy. A successful artistic device that both commands attention from afar, as well as satisfying scrutiny close-up, it is a worthy recipient of the ‘House Art Hog’ award.

Also shown are the runners up, School, Whitworth, and Parkside. School created a house photo from 1901-2021, playing on a strong sentiment of history, as the oldest boarding house, balanced

Manor House with visual acknowledgement of the new building. The piece included contributions from 88 old boys (some as early as 1947) who recounted memories of their house experience, presented alongside. Parkside’s sophisticated use of stroboscopic photography techniques depict the evolution of a boy captured in movement, representing time as fleeting and momentary. The resultant image is striking, particularly with bold areas of darkness, which serve to draw us in to close observation in a piece where there is much to be discovered. Lastly, Whitworth presented memories delicately dangled in a delightfully irregular display of objects, personal to each boy in the house, of varying shapes and sizes. Occasional movement adds to the visual intrigue, exploring ‘Time’ through the lens of motion, a decision referenced confidently in art history and Sarah Sze’s ‘Timekeeper’.

House Art has always been an opportunity for boys to demonstrate their collaborative spirit, and reflects the creativity inherent to all Tonbridgians. Who will win next year’s competition? Only time will tell.

Robert Adams (Sc4)

Oakeshott House Ferox Hall

Smythe House Parkside

Park House Detail >

Whitworth School House

Second Year Art in the Tunnel Gallery

Top: Arthur Scott (PS2) Middle & Bottom: Connor Impey (HS2) Ben Adams (OH2)

Top: James Foreman (PH2) Middle: Ben Adams (OH2) Bottom: Jamie Bhatnagar (WH2) Left: Jamie Bhatnager (WH2) Right: Miles Raymond (CH2)

Ben Adams (CH2)

Jamie Bhatnagar (WH2) James Forman (PH2) Miles Raymond (CH2)

Hamish Taylor (SH2)

Top: Oliver Dimond (PH2) Bottom: Hamish Taylor (SH2) Ben Adams (OH2)

An introduction to the Active Sustainability Group (ASG)

After a recent revival the ASG has taken off this term. It has been a pleasure to see so many Tonbridgians who want to help with the protection of the environment, reducing our carbon footprint, and who want to aid the School to achieve this goal. Clearly helped by the delicious cakes provided by the fabulous Mrs Matthews, I would hope that some boys attend because they care about their future. During our meetings every Friday break we have attempted to tackle several issues such as food, the lacklustre COP 26, and new policies that Tonbridge School can implement. I hope these articles help give you a flavour of what is going on. Please come and join us!

Ben Simms (Sc5), Head of ASG. TONBRIDGE SCHOOL A C TIVE SUSTAINABILITY GRO U P

In the Tonbridgian survey published in Lent 2020, 390 of you (67% of responders) ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ that the school should do more to reduce our carbon footprint. A further 395 of you (68%) ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ that you, as an individual, should do more to reduce your carbon footprint.

How are we going to do that?

Behind the scenes, Mr Moore, the Bursar, and his team have been working to make a raft of of changes to the fabric of the school that make a significant difference to the amount of energy used and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to set in place some significant projects to make a greater impact.

Importantly, for the first time, we have an estimation of a figure of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the school, which equates to c. 2.99 tonnes of CO2 per pupil (period 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020, see Fig. 1). Whilst an internet search will produce a wealth of comparisons and statistics for visualising what this means – such as the average total carbon output per capita in the UK is around 12 tonnes, or that this is three times the annual emission for the average Sri Lankan - given the generally accepted figure is to limit global warming to 2°C, the average level of CO2 emission per capita on our planet must not exceed 2.1 tonnes by 2050... we have some way to go. Crucially, now that

Fig.1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and energy use data for period 1st July 2019 to 30th June 2020

Energy consumption used to calculate emissions (kWh) – all mandatory energy sources are included 11,967,740

Scope 1 Emissions From the combustion of natural gas tCO2e

From the combustion of fuel for transport and/or heating tCO2e

From biomass pellets tCO2e

Scope 2 Emissions From purchased electricity tCO2e

Scope 3 Emissions From business travel in employee-owned vehicles, where the company repaid mileage claims tCO2e

(average vehicle/fuel source unknown) Total gross CO2e based on above (tCO2e)

Intensity Ratio: kg CO2e gross based on mandatory fields above per average number of pupils during the academic year – tCO2e per pupil: 1,688.4 46.6 N/A

614.5

4.2

2,353.7

2.99

we have a measurable figure, we have something to compare year on year, and to set targets to reduce as we go forward.

So, what is the school currently doing to help reduce our carbon emissions?

1. Energy sources, self-generation and renewable supplies.

i. Switching electrical supply to renewable sources (see Fig. 2 from EDF).

ii. Investigation of a major new solar panel array on the roof of TSC (right).

iii. Assessing the potential for ground source or air source heat pumps for school buildings and houses.

iv. Upgrading to more efficient boilers across the school (35 main school buildings and Houses and 30+ private accommodation houses to date) and investing a BMS (Building Management System) for up to 30% more operational efficiency.

v. LED lighting – roll out programme over the last 10 years including the Chapel, TSC and across the site. External LEDs for e.g. Astros are being investigated

2. Shifting the school’s £5m investment portfolio from ‘ethical’ to ‘sustainable’ – this is under review. 3. Providing electric vehicle chargers at TSC for staff, members and visitors

4. Upgrading the wall and roof insulation and double glazing on school buildings (20 main school buildings and Houses and 25 private accommodation houses to date) as a rolling programme across the site

5. Reviewing our food provisioning and sourcing – we are delighted to welcome a new Head of Catering to the school who was kind enough to speak to us and explain what steps she is taking to help reduce the impact of our food provision.

EDF Fuel Mix Fig.2

Every year we must publish details of the fuel sources we use to generate the electricity we supply to our customers. The information in the table below covers our supply licence for EDF Energy Customers Limited for the period from April 2017 to March 2018. Our customers; electricity is sourced from our own UK power stations, the wholesale energy market and other independent power generators. We are a major supporter of independent renewable generators.

EDF Energy’s fuel mix Coal Gas Nuclear Renewable Other CO2 g/kWh Radioactive waste g/kWh

7.55% 9.39% 71.21% 11.66% 0.19% 104 0.0050

Contribution to our carbon emissions 66.60% 32.20% 0.0% 0.0% 1.20%

UK average fuel mix 7.54% 41.24% 20.01% 29.04% 2.07% 225 0.0014

The figures for UK average fuel mix are provided by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Depending on the fariss you are on, the fuel source and carbon emissions associated with the generation of your electricity may vary. For more information on our fuel mix, visit edfenergy.com/fuelmix.

Blue

Renewable

All other Coal Gas Nuclear Renewable Other CO2 g/kWh Radioactive waste g/kWh

0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0 0.0070

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0 0.0000

12.6% 15.77% 69.89% 1.35% 0.32% 175 0.0049

The low-carbon electricity that we buy for Blue and Renewable tariffs and products is supplied into the National Grid. Customers receive that electricity through the National Grid, not directly from low-carbon generators. Blue tariffs and products – all residential Blue+ tariffs and Blue for Business. All Renewable tariffs and products. All other tariffs and products – tariffs not referred to as Blue or Renewable Table provided by EDF

But what can we do, as individuals?

There are many ways in which you can be involved, and one way is to join the student body, aka the Green Committee, recently relaunched as the Active Sustainability Group. The ASG have been working with the Bursar and his team on many of the above developments and thinking of ways to involve boys in more initiatives. We meet at morning break every Friday in the Smythe Library Classroom, and there is food and drink if you choose to come along.

At the moment, we are discussing the waste management here at Tonbridge, and we’re expecting a review and breakdown of our waste from Countrystyle, who manage and recycle all the waste at school. We are going to visit their recycling site, and report back to the school on what actually happens to all our rubbish, set up a new drive for recycling and set more ambitious goals for the future.

We’re also committed to responsible energy use and have been discussing future energy plans. Last summer, electric car charging points were installed in the TSC car park, and we’re looking to add solar panels onto the TSC, adding to the solar panels which have been on the Vere Hodge Centre.

So come along to ASG, every voice is heard!

Charles Osborne (CH2)

Sustainability and Catering at Tonbridge

Representatives of the ASG, Finn McDowell (HS5) and Arthur Rogers (HS4) meet with Mrs Rebecca Ripley Parfett, our new Head of Catering.

The food at Tonbridge is set to change for the better, both from a health and enjoyment perspective and from a sustainability point of view. One of the immediate conclusions Mrs Ripley Parfett drew from the catering system at the school was the miscommunication between the boys and the catering staff. Bodies like House Food Committees only represented a minority of pupil views, as every boy’s catering views and tastes are different. That is why she opened the batting with a whole-school pupil survey from which she personally could understand the wishes of every boy’s opinion.

Furthermore, it came to Mrs Ripley Parfett’s attention that the separation of veg from meals has decreased their consumption – which of course has a number of negative effects, ranging from an unhealthy diet to food wastage. This is why you will have seen more ricebased dishes with the vegetables “built in”. Importantly, this is especially attractive from a sustainability perspective as it decreases the washing-up required.

Another implementation off the back of the survey is more ‘fan favourites’ (katsu curry being the highest rated) appearing more regularly on the menu. There will also be more of a distinction between lunch and dinner, meaning that they may contrast each other in terms of meats or fish, or in size, in order to maintain a balanced diet. Following on from the latest survey conducted by Mrs Ripley Parfett in the Lent Term, collectively we quested the inclusion of more Asian and street food dishes to the menus, and this summer term we have seen Donburri bowls, Ramen, Vietnamese Bahn Mi and Indonesian Nasi Goreng to name but a few. Our diet has also been heavy in potatoes, so we are likely to swap to rice, noodles, cous cous and bulgur wheat instead. The school is also looking into yoghurt making machines which could produce yoghurts with a two week “shelf life”, and would reduce the huge amount of plastic packaging used in yoghurt pots. Mrs Ripley Parfett is also dedicated to listening first-hand to the boys themselves, and has already sat in most houses with boys for lunch.

Mrs Ripley Parfett is making further strides to reduce our food miles and to source locally. All of our general food is sourced from Bidfoods (which is based in Paddock Wood). Our sausages are from a butcher in Speldhurst and our dairy produce from Kent Dairy in Horsmonden. We are also reducing food deliveries to three days a week for general deliveries (you will still get just as much food!) in order to reduce the school’s carbon output. We also use Kent based fruit and vegetable providers. Mrs Ripley Parfett is looking to implement more seasonal fruit, and reduce high mileage, low quality, out of season fruit such as strawberries, which we know taste better in the summer when they are grown locally. Tonbridge is going to start looking to adopt “wonky veg” (category C), which tastes exactly the same, only looks a bit… wonky! This will reduce costs and reduce national food waste generally.

Many of you will have watched the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy and so has Mrs Ripley Parfett. Whilst the controversy surrounding sustainable fishing continues, we are actively researching the sources of fish that are least damaging to the

environment. Mrs Ripley Parfett believes that fish is a nutritious staple to our diets and is actively looking to introduce new varieties of fish into our menus.

Her survey showed that fish wasn’t best received at Tonbridge, so it could be replaced with alternative types of fish, or by other dishes altogether. Mrs Ripley Parfett is looking closely at sustainability ‘guidelines’ when choosing the fish for school dishesl. When it comes to baked goods, nearly all items are baked by the school’s own baker and made with British sugar. The school is also making strides to reduce fruit wastage with initiatives such as using over-ripe bananas in banana bread.

We also took the opportunity to ask Mrs Ripley Parfett a few questions about herself:

If you were sent to a desert island with an iPod containing just three albums, what would they be?

Back in Black – AC/DC Diamonds – Elton John The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac

If you were to have a dinner party with three guests, who would you choose? Tell us a little about your background and how you came to Tonbridge?

My background derives from fresh food and is the ethos under which I intend to operate at Tonbridge School.

I came here from Atalian Servest, managing a large 24/7 operation. Historically I have held multi-site management positions as an Operations Manager, Operations Support Manager and Group Manager for some well-respected contract catering companies.

Growing up, I actually wanted to be a Commercial Litigator and studied at university in a similar subject field and discovered that I had a flair for arbitration, but sadly I couldn’t get my foot into the right door.

It was then that I discovered a new passion, postgraduation, in the hospitality sector.

If you have new ideas, comments or concerns, Mrs Ripley Parfett will be running a survey for us every term to keep up to date with what we would like to see from our food offer here at Tonbridge School. This gives each and every one of us the chance to voice our feedback directly so be sure to remember to complete the survey when it next comes around..

SustainabiliTies

All of our new school ties are now made from recycled plastic bottles, each tie being made from approximately two bottles. All ties made in the last year have been woven with this recycled material and all new polyester ties and bow ties will also use the new fabric.

The ASG have redesigned their tie, as seen here, and those members who have come to at least six meetings will be eligible for the tie – so do come along to support!

Philip Dorn (JH4)