Good Practice Case Study: Energy saving activities in school - Spain

Case Study (45 Kb PDF)

Summary

Our dependence on energy for all our daily tasks makes it a very interesting topic for developing environmental education projects to promote energy saving strategies at school and at homes. This activity was addressed to secondary school students and their families at the IES Xelmírez I. Santiago de Compostela (Galicia). Spain. The more important financial source comes from a Comenius I project of the European Union, shared with three other European schools: Holbein Gymnasium (Germany), Karttula Gymnasium (Finland) and B.G. Ingeborg Bachmann (Austria).

The aims were to make students, teachers and some other members of the school community aware of the importance of its energy consumption patterns; to propose measures for energy saving in the school and homes; and to organise an international conference on renewable energies and sustainable development, including teachers and students from different subjects: biology, environment, geology, physics, chemistry, geography, technology, etc.

The approach followed is based upon a scientific methodology to collect energy consumption data and exchanging this information with the partner schools in order to elaborate the final conclusions and recommendations:

• Gradually substitution of incandescent lamps
• Elimination of electric heaters
• Planning of a future project of solar roof
• Designing campaigns to promote energy saving attitudes
• Writing education resources to work on energy issues at different matters and levels

One of the principal results is an initial saving value of 10% that the participants are trying to elevate to a 25% final objective.

Results

From the beginning savings of 10% of the energy usually consumed were made, but the aim is to increase this to maximum values of 20%-25%.

Other types of results are more difficult to quantify. The augmentation of environmental awareness among the students and parents seems to be a clear fact, but there is a lack of empirical data about this point.

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Education : Energy Efficiency : ManagEnergy : Schools & Colleges

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Instituto Pedagógico Enrique José Varona Universidad de La Habana

Taller de Educación Ambiental ICE-USC Universidade de Santiago de Compostela