PUPILS from Crickhowell High School have been working on a project called Our Future’s People led by Severn Wye Energy Agency in Llandrindod Wells. The project is also being delivered in Brecon, Builth Wells and Gwernyfed High Schools as well as in Ysgol Maesydderwen.

Free to schools, and funded through the Welsh Government Rural Development Programme with additional funding from the Brecon Beacons National Park Sustainable Development Fund, Our Future’s People is a sustainable energy project that seeks to reduce schools’ carbon emissions whilst educating future citizens of the need to protect our planet.

With UK schools releasing enough carbon dioxide to fill 24 million double decker buses a year and Welsh Government aiming to cut emissions by 80% by 2050, this work is more important than ever.

Schools that have previously taken part in the project have reduced their carbon emissions by 23% and three quarters of teachers and 98% of students indicated that their behaviour had become more energy conscious as a result of taking part in the project. Powys schools aim to do even better!

In Brecon, as part of the project, pupils are all set make a presentation to BAM Construction in the role of professional energy consultants, outlining the sustainable energy technologies they would like to see in their new school which is due to open in September 2019.

Mark Stead from Severn Wye said, ‘This is a great project that puts students at the heart of decision-making in their schools. They often think they don’t have the power to make a difference at their age but this project turns that thinking on its head, empowering pupils to make a difference not only to their school communities but also the planet as a whole.’

The presentation will form the culmination of the first phase of the project during which the pupils have carried out surveys of their existing school building and used their learning to decide the features they would like to see in their new school.

Mark Frohwein, Design Manager at BAM Construction exclaimed, ‘The pupils at Brecon High School have a unique opportunity to not only get involved with the design process of their new school buildings, but to actually influence decisions taken in regard to its environmental performance and sustainability credentials. BAM Construction and our specialist design team look forward to hearing directly from the pupils about what’s important to them and what energy saving features they would like to see incorporated in the new buildings. I’d like to think that we are also inspiring the next generation of architects and building services consultants, who can help create a sustainable future.’