O Level: How can we be more environmentally-friendly in schools?

Schools are institutions of learning. It is a place to impart important skills and values and it is of paramount importance that students learn to protect the environment.  Our Mother Earth needs our help as it is deteriorating at an accelerating rate. Yet, we often procrastinate rather than take action.  So, what are the ideas schools can implement to make themselves more environmentally-friendly? The key is to reduce wastage of precious resources.

Firstly, schools should put in effort to cut down the electricity used. Since electricity normally comes from fossil fuels, saving electricity means that this helps conserve the environment as energy production normally releases carbon emissions would be reduced. Schools use a great amount of electricity daily. To cut down electricity, schools could use energy-efficient bulbs instead of florescent tubes.   Students and teachers should also turn off equipment when it is not in use. Computers should also be turned off at the end of the day. It is calculated that school can reduce energy by 20 to 30 percent by adopting such prudent practices. In addition, an air-conditioning unit is often the main culprit of a high electricity bill. Schools should use the fans more and the air-conditioning unit less. If AC has to be turned on, studies have shown that most people feel comfortable at 18 to 26 degree Celsius. Thus, schools should set the thermostat to about 25 degree Celsius to save electricity.

Another environmentally-friendly idea is to save water. Water is an essential resource and it should be used sparingly and not wasted. There are many ways for schools and students to conserve water. Firstly, teachers can create posters to educate students on the importance of saving water. Students should be taught not to let water run while soaping their hands. Water running from unused faucets should also be turned off. Also, students should learn to drink from water bottles instead of drinking directly from the drinking fountain as the latter wastes more water as compared to drinking from their water bottles. Finally, schools can consider installing low-flow devices on faucets and toilets. Every flush could then save 12 to 15 litres of water per flush . Imagine, the amount of water that is saved as a result of such changes. The saving is definitely tremendous.

Thirdly, we should reduce the usage of paper. Every day, schools, as educational institutions, could never avoid the use of paper. Worksheets and notes have to be printed out for students. Since teachers need to print out forty sets for every class, the paper used accumulates to thousands of sheets per year. This figure drastically increases when one takes into account a school of at least twenty classes each. It is said that one tonne of paper is equivalent to 17 trees. Thus, many trees have to be cut down just for a single school. It is therefore important to save paper. Schools should encourage communication by emails. When students, parents and teachers read email messages onscreen, a lot of paper would be saved. Also, schools should produce double-sided documents whenever possible to avoid wastage. Students should also be encouraged to save paper by re-using the blank side of the paper for rough work.

Come to think of it, there is no end to the possibilities once students embark on the journey to preserve the environment by making our schools more environmentally-friendly. Environmentally-friendly actions in school do not need to be large to have an impact on the environment. Consistently reducing the amount of energy, water and paper can make a huge difference on the environment. If we put our minds to it, we can help converse the resources of our planet for future generations. Instead of procrastinating, why not start today?