Creating a Carbon-Neutral School
Conference & Exhibition
A national event to inform and guide key stake-holders in developing a carbon-neutral school
At the Athena in Leicester - 11 March 2008
Aimed at head teachers, local authority officers, governors, architects, developers, etc in the public, private and voluntary sectors, this one-day conference showcased how new and existing schools under the Government’s Building Schools for the Future initiative (and with further funding from DfES eco-schools) can develop a carbon-neutral school.
Schools currently account for 15% of the carbon footprint for the public sector* and, by using energy efficiency and renewables, a school can save thousands of pounds whilst creating an attractive learning environment.
In addition to the plenary session there was an option to attend either two workshops highlighting best practice examples or one of the workshops and a study tour of De Montfort University's Queen's Building - a sustainable building within the university campus.
There was also an exhibition to put stakeholders in touch with the right contacts.
The Conference was organised by UK HECA
(Home Energy Conservation Association) Secretariat.
for more information, contact:
helen.atkins@ukheca.org.uk
0116 299 5133
Background
The Home Energy Conservation Association (UK HECA) is a not-for-profit organisation that represents energy conservation authorities across the UK. The Association is a network of support groups made up of local government climate change (or HECA) officers with a domestic energy remit, who also have a responsibility for reporting progress on the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995.
UK HECA has over 10 years experience in organising national events for both the public and private sectors within the energy industry and, at a time when climate change is high on the national agenda and funds have been made available for eco-schools, we are aiming to share knowledge and experience with stakeholders of how to create the greenest possible school environment.
Aims of the conference
Imagine a project where the right people are working together from the beginning, talking the same language. Our aim is for all parties to be integrating energy efficiency and renewable measures from the very first discussions all the way to construction.
We aim to do this by providing a platform to educate key stakeholders to the same level, so that everyone is knowledgeable about what energy efficiency and renewables are about and how they can be incorporated into a design or development to create a carbon-neutral school. In addition to the moral imperative to reduce carbon emissions to help alleviate climate change, there are the substantial financial savings to consider, as well as the benefits of increased social awareness and education of both pupils and teachers.
The exhibition aimed to provide networking opportunities and the workshops will give an insight into best practice examples of projects.
Speaker Topics
The conference has been split into key topic areas to cover all aspects of integrating energy efficiency and renewables. Individual speaker slots will cover one of each of the areas listed below. See the programme, overleaf, for details of each section:
(see programme for full list of speakers and timings)
- Construction: Don Lack, Faber Maunsell
- An overview of how to work with organisations to construct a sustainable building from a design. Highlighting areas in building standards, legislation requirements and regulation that govern new builds. How to create a 'green' sustainable building. Examples of previous builds.
- Energy and intelligent metering: Prakash Patel, Leicester City Council
- How energy is monitored in buildings and otherwise unnoticeable leaks or wastage are recorded and action taken. How schools would benefit from intelligent metering, including potential for awareness raising.
- Renewables: David Garlovsky, Solar Active
- The many forms of renewable technologies available, costs, available funding and specific case examples, providing an insight into the pros and cons, the possible pitfalls and how to overcome them.
- Linking environment and learning: Sean McDougall, Stakeholder Design
- How clean, bright environments contribute to learning. It's not all just about ICT, there are different examples that will heighten learning by building a better environment.
- Sustainable Development Commission: Lizzi Chatterjee, Sustainable Development Commission
- Advice on sustainable building and the Sustainable Development Commission project on carbon reduction strategies for schools.
- Case study of sustainable school: Ken Dunn, City School Sheffield
- A case study of a sustainable school which has incorporated energy efficiency and renewable measures. An opportunity to learn what's good or bad and how sustainable building should be tailored to an individual project.
Workshops
The workshop titles were:
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'Building Better Schools for the Future: Engaging the School Community' – Margaret Fleming
-
'Present Planning Policy for Renewables and Future Direction' – Alan Gledhill, Leicester City Council and Jim Bowditch, Taylor Primary School
*Statistic that schools currently account for “15% of the carbon footprint of the public sector” is quoted from a speech made by Alan Johnson to the NASUWT trade union conference on 10 April 2007.