Top Tips To Turn Your School Building Green

Global warming is a hot topic at the moment and governments round the world are all trying to lower CO2 emissions. The UK government is legally obliged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Schemes like the Low Carbon Buildings Programme that offer grants to aid cover some of the costs of installing microgeneration technology in school buildings means that schools can hear aid when investing in environmentally friendly technologies. There are bounty of solutions available to suit any budget when it comes to giving your school building an environmentally friendly overhaul.

Installing solar potential panels on your school building can be a very practical way of reducing your schools CO2 emissions. PV solar potential takes the energy produced by the sun and converts it into electricity through solar cells. This means that through one small panel on your school building you can really generate your own electricity. Solar potential does not need bright sun light in order to generate potential; daylight is all that’s required, but the more intense the light is, the more potential will be generated. Although you would need a lot of solar panels to make a really significant dent in your schools energy bills, solar panels mean no greenhouse gases are produced and your schools carbon footprint is cut-rate.

If your school is having any maintenance or building work done, try to make sure as much material as doable is locally sourced rather than transported across the country or round the world. If you’re having a new classroom built or a play area for the pupils, try to ensure all the wood is taken from sustainable forests which means any trees cut down are replaced.

Another fantastic way of improving your schools carbon footprint is with adding sedum green roofs to your school building. Sedum roofs are living roofs that offer many benefits for any schools eco design. They are low maintenance and very versatile and as well as being aesthetically pleasing their undisturbed background encourages local wildlife. They also provide an extra layer of installation to the classroom which means they keep the warm air in during the winter and the cold air in during the summer reducing the amount of energy needed for heating and air conditioning in your school building. They’re also very absorbent too; if your school is particularly susceptible to flooding they can aid absorb excess rain water. Sedum roofs also absorb pollution, dust and noise too making them very environmentally friendly and helping you to reduce your carbon footprint.

Wind turbines require slightly more financial plotting and time management but when installed they can have a significant impact on your schools energy bills as well as making a positive statement to your community about your commitment to reducing your carbon footprint. Wind turbines work by collecting the energy generated by the rotating blades and turning that into a viable source of energy. Like the light and the solar panels, the more wind the turbine is exposed to the more energy it will generate.

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