Primary schools across Bath and North East Somerset are being invited to get involved in a new B&NES Energy Saving Teams (BEST) competition, in a bid to help the environment.
The competition, which encourages teachers and pupils to save energy through simple, everyday changes in behavior, is being run by Bath & North East Somerset Council working with environmental consultancy Resource Futures.
BEST is part of the Council’s Schools Carbon Reduction Programme, which supports schools to cut carbon and energy costs whilst teaching pupils key skills for the future.
All schools are invited to a training workshop and will also be provided with a resource pack to help them run the competition during a two-week period in March, when staff and pupils will be encouraged to switch off lights and electrical appliances as much as possible.
Schools that sign up during January will also be eligible for additional in-school support, customised to suit the needs of the school.
This could include: a planning meeting with staff, action-planning with the pupil campaign team, energy detective work with pupils to establish areas of potential saving and an assembly to launch the BEST campaign.
Cllr Dine Romero said: “This is a great new initiative which will encourage pupils to come up with ideas to change behaviour and will also include curriculum learning.
The Schools Carbon Reduction Programme is part of our commitment to making Bath and North East Somerset a low carbon and sustainable region.”
Prizes will be awarded in three categories, designed so that all schools have a chance to win, irrespective of the type of their building or how much energy they have already saved.
Prizes will include trips to local environmental education centres and sustainable education resources for schools.
Schools are signing up now, and the competition will run in March. Schools which are interested should email [email protected].
You can also find out more on the Council’s website: www.bathnes.gov.uk/best
