Energy saving week 7-16 years

3-24 October 2006

Summary information

Preparation:

Teachers will need to plan ahead to include Energy Saving Week in the school calendar.

Consider involving your school and pupils in the Energy Certification for Schools scheme. The DfES has developed this scheme to help schools to promote sustainable energy management and efficiency in schools and reward schools that are successful in reducing their carbon dioxide emissions.
Have pupil volunteers practise reading out short texts that accompany the photographs in advance of the assembly.

Resources needed:

• A digital projector (optional)
• Access to background information at www.sustainablelearning.info
  and www.wwf.org.uk/climatechange
• Pupil volunteers to read out short texts as photographs are displayed.
• Flipchart and marker pen or interactive white board.
• Access to the following photographs Images 1-6:

1) Coal-fired Power plant North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany .
According to a WWF study, this power plant is the second worst climate polluter in Europe.
Credit: © WWF-Canon / Andrew KERR
Image No.: 113687

2) Drought in farmland, New South Wales, Australia, June 2003.
Credit: © WWF-Canon / Adam OSWELL
Image No.: 108161

3) Flooding in Hunan Province, China
Credit: © WWF-Canon / Yifei ZHANG
Image No.: 109583

4) Aerial view of the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch, Honduras
Credit: © WWF-Canon / Nigel DICKINSON
Image No.: 54522

5) Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland.
Credit: © Pro Natura Zentrum Aletsch/Laudo Albrecht
Image No.: 108351

6) Solomon Islands.
Credit: © WWF-Canon / Soh Koon CHNG
Image No.: 25396

Procedure:

• Have one of the above photographs on display as pupils gather in the school assembly hall.
• Display the above listed photographs using the digital projector one by one or make printouts of the photos to hand out to pupils. Have six volunteer pupils read out the following suggested texts that accompany each picture. These texts can be adapted and additional/different material added based on background information at the resource websites given.

Suggested text for 7-11 year olds
a) The temperature of the Earth is increasing because of waste gases produced by peoples’ activities. This is known as global warming. The most dangerous waste gas is carbon dioxide. Much larger amounts of this gas are now being produced by people burning fuels such as coal, oil and gas to produce energy. As the Earth becomes warmer, our climate is changing.
b) The Earth’s changing climate is bringing problems around the world. In some places less and less rain means people are facing such bad droughts it’s not possible to grow crops. This picture shows lifeless farmland in New South Wales, Australia where there was a severe drought in 2003.
c) Other parts of the world are getting too much rain and are suffering from floods, such as in Hunan Province in central China in 2002.
d) As the climate changes storms are becoming more violent and occurring more often. In 1998 Hurricane Mitch was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Here is a view from the air of the island of Honduras after Mitch had passed through.
e) Global warming is melting glaciers in every part of the world. This is bringing danger to millions of people from floods, drought and shortage of drinking water. This is a glacier in the Alps in Switzerland.
f) As glaciers melt and water in the seas becomes warmer and expands sea levels are rising. Small islands, like the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean could lose large areas of land or even completely disappear under the waves. Large areas of the UK are likely to be threatened by rising sea levels, such as in East Anglia and towns and cities on the coast, such as London.

Suggested text for 12-16 year olds
a) Human activities are increasing the concentration of waste gases in the atmosphere. This is causing the world to heat up and is known as global warming. The most dangerous waste gas is carbon dioxide. Much larger amounts of this gas are now being produced by people burning fuels such as coal, oil and gas to produce energy. As the Earth becomes warmer the world’s climate is changing.
b) The Earth’s changing climate is bringing problems around the world. In some millions of people could face drought and problems with water supplies. This picture shows lifeless farmland in New South Wales, Australia where there was a severe drought in 2003.
c) Other parts of the world, such as North America and parts of Asia are predicted to receive more rain than they do now and to suffer from floods. This picture shows floods in Hunan Province in central China in 2002.
d) As the climate changes storms are becoming more violent and occurring more often. In October 1998 Hurricane Mitch developed in the Caribbean and became one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded. Here is a view from the air of the devastation that Mitch caused on Honduras.
e) Glaciers are the Earth’s largest reservoir of freshwater reservoir. This is the Aletsch glacier in the Alps in Switzerland. Global warming is melting glaciers in every part of the world bringing danger to millions of people from floods, drought and shortage of drinking water.
f) Sea levels are predicted to rise as the seas become warmer and glaciers and ice sheets melt. By 2050, sea level rise is predicted to threaten coastal areas where many large cities have been built, such as London. Low-lying islands in the Pacific Ocean like the Solomon Islands could lose large areas of land or even completely disappear under the waves.

• Tell pupils every time we switch on a light, use a computer, watch TV or travel by motorised transport we are creating carbon dioxide and contributing to climate change.
• We can all help to cut down on these pollutants by using less energy. As well as reducing pollution, by cutting our energy use we will save coal, oil or gas. These are valuable resources that are expensive, so we will also save money.
• These fuel resources are in short supply in the world today and so by cutting our energy use we are also helping people in the future.
• We can all contribute to reducing climate change by cutting the amount of energy that we use every day. Introduce pupils to Energy Saving Week. There are many small ways we can all save energy and so really make a difference to the amount of energy we use in school and at home.

Reflection

You could tell older pupils that:

• electricity accounts for 40-45% of the total energy cost of a typical school. Half of this is spent on lighting
• reducing the temperature by 1 degree can save up to 10% on fuel bills
• by opening doors and windows during the heating season can account for up to 60% of total heat loss in schools
  Write the above basic facts on an interactive white board or flipchart so pupils can refer to them.

Ask all pupils to think for a minute or so about how they could save energy at school and also at home. Now brainstorm with pupils a list of steps they could take and write them on a flipchart or interactive white board. Give pupils some tips if necessary to achieve a good list.
Here are some suggestions:

• Switch off lights when leaving the room or when they are not needed.
• Use energy efficient light bulbs and tubes in school and try to persuade your parents to change to using them at home. They last eight times longer and use 70 per cent less energy than ordinary light bulbs.
• Switch the TV or computer off when you are not using them. Don’t leave them on standby with the red light glowing as this still uses half the energy as when they are switched on fully.
• If you are wearing a shirt and the heating is on, ask your parents or teacher to turn down the heat a little and put on a jersey.
• Close the door after you enter or leave a room – this keeps the heat inside.
• Don’t open windows when the heating is on. Ask your parents or teacher to turn down the heating instead.
• Appoint pupil energy monitors who are responsible for checking lights are switched off in different parts of the school.
• Put up stickers and posters to remind pupils and teachers to switch off lights when not needed. Have the posters and stickers changed regularly to ensure they catch peoples’ attention.
• Get on your bike, walk or use the train or bus instead of travelling by car. Have a shower instead of a bath. This saves water and electricity.
• Eat local food and foods that are in season as much as you can. Many of our foods are imported from far off countries and a lot of energy is used to bring them here.
• Only turn on the tap when you really need to. It takes lots of resources and energy to purify water that is supplied to our homes.
• Recycle and re-use glass, paper, aluminium, plastic and clothes and so save valuable energy that is needed to manufacture them..

Why not use Energy saving week to develop an Energy Saving Action Plan for the school with the help of other staff and pupils.

If your school is registering for the Energy Certification for Schools scheme, you can introduce the scheme during the assembly and make a start on the scheme during Energy Saving Week. After registering the schools will need to:

• form an energy team to drive your school’s progress through the scheme. The team should contain representatives from the whole school community
• carry out a school energy audit by walking around the school to find out current energy usage and where energy is being wasted
• enter energy audit results
• an energy action plan for your school is produced based on your school’s energy audit details and shows where savings can be made.

Alternatively encourage pupils to start on the energy saving measures that were listed together during the assembly in Energy Saving Week.

Ask them not to stop at the end of Energy Saving Week. These measures will benefit everyone in the school as well as the school itself. Encourage the pupils to keep their energy saving measures ongoing when the week is over.

Additional resources

Pupils:

WWF Kids site www.wwf.org.uk/gowild
Look under Green Tips. 7-16 years.

Sustainable School
Interesting information and ideas on saving energy. 7-14 years.
www.suschool.org.uk/efficiency.html

Look under Middle School, Conservation issues, Energy Use and Sustainability. 11-16 years. www.panda.org/news_facts/education/

Energy Chest
Information and activities to support energy studies in UK schools. 8-14 years.
www.energychest.net

Switch ‘em off online game. For 11-16 years. http://wwf.moccu.com/game.php?lang=en

DEFRA Comprehensive and attractive Government website on global warming. Has routes for 7-11 years and for 12-16 years. www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/schools

Cool Kids for a Cool Climate
Site designed by young people for young people about how to help stop global warming. 7-14 years.
www.coolkidsforacoolclimate.com

Teachers:

WWF International
Background information on climate change www.panda.org/climate

WWF-US
Background information on climate change www.worldwildlife.org/climate

Energy Certification for Schools
How to register your school and get involved. Background information on climate change and renewable energy. Includes a comprehensive school energy check and a useful workbook for schools on making the most of your energy – both can be downloaded. www.sustainablelearning.info

Teachernet
An especially useful site that shows teachers how to make energy savings in school. Includes resources, top tips for energy saving, case studies and links. www.sustainablelearning.info

Climate Chaos resources pack
Background information and activities for pupils 7-16 years.
Look under Resources at www.wwflearning.org.uk

CREATE Centre for Research, Education and Training in Energy
Comprehensive website on energy. Has a newsletter for teachers Energy Watch, a guide to energy-related topics in the UK’s national curricula, and some interesting activities for 7-11 year olds www.create.org.uk

DEFRA Government website on global warming. Has routes teachers and parents as well as for pupils. www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/schools

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