Redcliffe Carbon Challenge

Secondary school students at St Mary Redcliffe & Temple Church of England School are at the heart of a Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) project that aims to reduce carbon emissions by up to a quarter in the Redcliffe area of Bristol.

"St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School draws students from across the city and it wants to build better links with the community around it," explains Bridget Newbery, Community Projects Manager at CSE. "We saw an opportunity to build links between the school, local residents, community groups and businesses in the area, to get everyone working together to reduce their carbon emissions. Our aim is to increase awareness of climate change and work with local residents, workers, students and parents to reduce carbon emissions."

Engaging the community

CSE is working with the school's student 'green team' to develop their knowledge of climate change and carbon issues. "We're educating the students about carbon reduction strategies and helping them with practical tasks such as creating a display for the school foyer and making a presentation about the project that can be used in school assemblies," says Bridget.  

The students will help to raise awareness of carbon reduction throughout the community, at events such as parents' evenings and coffee mornings. "We're organising a range of activities that will bring people from the community into the school, where they can find out more about reducing their carbon emissions," explains Bridget. "For example, local residents will be able to visit students in the school ICT suite to get help with calculating their current carbon emissions."

Monitoring energy use

More than 20 households have already signed up to the challenge of reducing their carbon emissions by 25 per cent and the school itself is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 10-15 per cent. The project team also wants to get at least two local businesses to commit to lowering their emissions by 15 per cent. Everyone who signs up to the challenge will be able to access practical support from CSE to help them reduce their emissions.

"The support we're providing includes free energy advice surgeries and help with applying for sustainable energy or home insulation grants," says Bridget. "We'll also be working with some of the challenge participants to collect monitoring data on their energy consumption, so that we can measure the impact of the project. Our long-term goal is to develop a model for engagement in carbon reduction that can be replicated in other communities."