e-book - European Schoolnet

Belgian pupils help their school achieve a staggering40 percent drop in electricity consumption“Pupils got so motivated about saving energy that they started scolding their parents for leavingon lights,” reported Nathalie Jadot, headmistress at Primary School Saint Jean-Baptiste,when U4energy contacted her about her school’s winning entry to the Zéro-Watt competitioninstigated by the regional government of Wallonia. The school embarked on the competitionbecause Nathalie and her colleagues believe that teaching children good energy-savingbehaviour at a young age is key to their future well-being. “The competition was a source ofmuch exchange and refl ection for us because of its pedagogical relevance but also because ithad personal importance for the whole school team,’ relates Nathalie.By auditing their building’s energy consumption using wattmeters, thermometers and luxmeterssupplied by Zéro Watt, and by applying the sound advice their competition energy advisoroffered, pupils were able to achieve a massive 40 percent reduction in electricity consumptionover just 3 months. Key to such success was the continuous encouragement given to peer-topeercommunication within the school. A core group of 25 very motivated pupils ensured thatall 250 school goers understood that controlling the school’s rate of electricity consumptionwas a collective cause. “It became a game for them,” says Nathalie. A game with earnest goalsand spectacular results.“Each pupil in our class had a jobto do and mine was to switch offthe computer and photocopier.”While the team was serious about itsobjectives, it was light-hearted in theirimplementation. “One teacher wassceptical about the value of reducingLuca, age 11.the intensity of our neon lighting,” saysNathalie, “so we changed her classroom lights on the sly and she never spotted the difference!”60