Green schools

The Independent. London: Ministers aim to turn every secondary school 'green' By Richard Garner, Education Editor , Published: 16 April 2007
Every new secondary school will be "green" under a radical initiative being planned by the Government. The Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, has won £100m from Chancellor Gordon Brown's comprehensive spending review to ensure all new secondary schools are designed to be carbon neutral or at the very least substantially reduce carbon emissions.
Ministers are planning to refurbish or rebuild every secondary in the country by the end of the next decade. The programme will start with £110m to ensure that 200 new schools that are to be built over the next three years are designed to reduce carbon emissions. School designs that include such features as wind turbines, solar panels, insulated windows and low-emission light bulbs will account for £72m. In addition, £10m will be spent on twinning the schools with schools abroad to learn how to tackle issues such as rainforest preservation and planting new forests.
In the initial stage, it is estimated that the new measures will reduce carbon emissions by 140,000 tonnes. However, if it is successful, it will be extended to the rest of the Government's Building Schools for the Future scheme - under which every secondary will be refurbished or rebuilt over the next decade. Mr Johnson has estimated at least 2,000 of the 2,950 schools will become "environmentally friendly" within the next decade. Officials say, though, it is far easier to reduce carbon emissions in new or rebuilt schools than those that are refurbished.
The initiative will build on the achievements of St Francis of Assisi Academy in Liverpool which became the first specialist "green" school when it opened last year. The school gets electricity from solar panels. All seven Year 7 classes for pupils aged 11 and 12, also have a garden attached, which are cultivated with £1,000 a year each from the school budget. Mr Johnson said the initial extra cash would set "even higher standards for new and refurbished schools to reduce their carbon emissions - in some cases up to carbon neutrality".
"If we succeed, this could result in 2,000 carbon neutral secondary schools enabling us to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by eight million tonnes over the next decade," he added. "Our schools can be built to last into the next century but they should be constructed to enable the planet to survive for the centuries beyond."
The measures will be coupled with support for encouraging pupils to walk or cycle to school. Mr Johnson's initiative follows a decision earlier in the year to order a review of the geography curriculum to ensure issues like climate change and global warming are give more prominence in lessons. He said: "Climate change threatens the very future of our planet. With rising temperatures, melting ice caps and frequent reminders about our carbon footprints, we should all be thinking about what we can do individually to preserve the planet for future generations. In many ways, children inspire environmental debate."