‘We Are Energy Warriors’ is a project devised by Community Energy Wales members Egni Coop to engage and enthuse school pupils to take action on climate change. Egni have been working with schools to install solar panels on school building roofs, which reduces energy bills for the school as well as providing an income for Egni to run the ‘We Are Energy Warriors’ project. Awareness raising is a key part of the work of the members of Ynni Cymunedol Cymru.
As part of that project, and to coincide with the COP27 meeting of world leaders in Egypt, where for the first time there has been a meeting of the world’s children, Egni have been holding a series of online events to discuss climate related matters with the schools they work with. Four schools joined the call - Lamphey, Llanmartin, Penyrheol and Saundersfoot, where they listened to a talk and answered questions about community energy and the local actions they as individuals can take. Two other schools had participated but couldn’t make the feedback session - Alway Primary and Ysgol Bro Ingli.
Pupils already had a high level of understanding about the damage caused by fossil fuels and why we need to stop using oil, coal and gas as fuel. They also knew about how they can conserve energy through turning off lights, lowering the heating and wearing warm clothes, draught exclusion and by walking and cycling more.
Inspiring presentations were also given by Eloise Laity from Newport Council’s Carbon Reduction Team and Elouise Crtichley from Egni Coop.
As part of the scheme, pupils have also been encouraged to think about their own message for the world’s decision makers at COP27 through the creation of postcards and letters.
Here are some examples of those messages:
“Take away the power from the big energy giants who influence politics”
“Make it illegal to burn fossil fuels”
“It’s not too late - BYD NI”
“Every person on the planet should plant a tree”
“Walk to school - it’s super cool”
“Treat nature like it’s a friend”
“The world is big but we are small, if we work together we can save it all”
“Cer ymlaen”Egni Coop also work with a charity called “Energy Sparks” which provides data in graph form to participating schools on the energy use of their school building and alerts them as to action that can be taken to reduce energy use. This resource is current being translated into Welsh and so will be available to all schools soon. https://energysparks.uk/
We are keen for groups with shared interests to be in contact with one another and sharing experiences and information, so if you are a community group interested in matters related to climate or renewable energy education, and you would like to take part in a webinar on this or be a member of a new working group looking at education and engagement, please get in touch.