from Sunday Herald, 02 January 2011
“We need to be the change we wish to see in the world” was how the Indian activist and leader, Mahatma Gandhi, famously put it.
Now his advice has been taken up with gusto by an Edinburgh school which is seeking to lead the way in cutting pollution and waste to help Scotland meet its ambitious targets to combat climate change.
If the example of the Rudolf Steiner School in improving insulation, growing food and increasing cycling is followed by other Scottish schools, carbon emissions could be cut by up to a million tonnes by 2020.
The Edinburgh school is one of more than 800 worldwide inspired by the Austrian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, who died in 1925. It caters for children of all abilities between 3 and 18 years old, and aims to provide a “holistic” education, integrating arts and science.
It has launched a project - under the banner “Being the Change We Want to See” - to cut its carbon emissions by 40% over the next ten years. The idea is not just to cut the school’s pollution, but to encourage staff, parents and the local community to cut theirs too.
The first thing the school has done is to improve the insulation in its draughty old Victorian buildings. Draught-proofing is being fitted to windows and doors, chimneys are being blocked and the school hall is being properly insulated.
The installation of small-scale renewable energy systems like wind turbines or heat pumps is under investigation. Staff and parents are also being offered home energy checks to see what measures they could take.
The school’s pupils are helping to grow fruit and vegetables in the grounds, and have joined with other volunteers working on a community garden in the grounds of the nearby Royal Edinburgh Hospital. They also buy food locally, helping to reduce wasteful food miles.
Staff and pupils are being encouraged to travel sustainably to school, resulting in a doubling of the number cycling to 20% in the last three years. A comprehensive waste minimisation and recycle scheme is also being introduced.
The project’s manager, Ben Murray, who has two children at the Steiner school, is keen that schools take a leading role on climate action. “They are responsible for the education of the next generation who will be left with the legacy of our environmental actions but also the opportunity to change their own behaviours,” he said.
“Our plan is not about making cuts in the short term. It is designed to be transferable, to inspire action, ensure longevity of behaviour change and multiply effects.”
This approach fitted with the Scottish government’s new Curriculum for Excellence, he argued. “It is appropriate that a Steiner school takes the lead on this as respect for the natural world and our relationship with it are woven through both our curriculum and our culture.”
Murray pointed out that everyone had to play a part in helping Scotland meet its world-leading target to cut emissions 42% by 2020. “With more than 2,700 schools in Scotland, both modern and historic, our plan for schools has the potential to deliver a cut of close to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions over the next ten years,” he said.
The project has won £20,000 from the £27 million Climate Challenge Fund set up by the Scottish government and the Scottish Green Party in 2008. Over 260 communities across Scotland have received support to improve energy efficiency, grow food and reduce waste.
The fund’s Rebecca Vivers said: “The Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School is a great example of a school taking the initiative in tackling climate change. They are taking action to reduce their carbon emissions and demonstrating what can be done in communities.”
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