Carbon Reduction in Schools
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Workstream:
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Climate Change
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Title:
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Carbon Reduction in Schools
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Scope:
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Sub Regional
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Funds awarded:
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£10,000
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Lead contact:
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David Kidston
Tel: 01924 305353
Email: david.kidston@awya.gov.uk
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Background:
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The five West Yorkshire local authorities have agreed that tackling emissions from the existing school estate is a key priority for collaborative sub-regional activity on climate change for a number of reasons: |
• School buildings and facilities represent a high proportion of total council emissions in West Yorkshire (between 30-60% of carbon emissions in each authority as monitored under NI 185).
• Schools will be included within the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), which will provide financial and reputational incentives for organisations to reduce their carbon emissions. Consequently, ensuring data accuracy and reducing energy consumption in schools will be paramount
There are a number of key challenges that need to be overcome in order to reduce the carbon emissions from schools in West Yorkshire, including:
• Many schools lack the necessary expertise and time to identify cost-effective carbon reduction opportunities and to then carry out improvements to their buildings and facilities.
• There is a low level of awareness amongst staff in many schools of the practical measures that can be taken to reduce carbon emissions, including turning off electric lighting and heating when it is not required and switching off computers and monitors when they are not in use.
• Schools are autonomous business units, so local authorities will need to reach a large number of individual decision makers in order to reduce carbon emissions from the school estate.
• None of the five West Yorkshire local authorities currently have sufficient staff resources to support schools en masse to reduce their carbon emissions.
• A full published report of the Conference which will be made available to participants and shared with interested local authorities and schools across the Yorkshire and Humber region. The report would provide information on the content and outcomes of the conference, together with examples of learning and best practice identified through the event.
• Increased awareness in schools of the support available within each local authority and from external/commercial partners.
• Increased awareness in schools of the potential financial savings available and some of the most effective non-technical interventions
• Increased awareness in schools of the support available for technical interventions
• Learning and best practice on carbon reduction shared across schools in West Yorkshire.
• Secondary schools prepared to support primary schools in their clusters to reduce their carbon emissions.
• Schools supportive of an increased programme of support and prepared to support top-slicing of budgets to pay for it, in return for lower bills.
• Improved relationships between schools and local authorities.