The Switch

Anna Lydia and Jasmin wrote:
On Friday, the 15th of October, we made a trip to a wind energy firm called The Switch. We were told about wind energy and wind turbines and what it is all about using renewable energy. We also visited the place were they make parts of wind turbines.
The world's biggest wind turbine is in Germany. It is over 100 m high. Mostly the turbines are 100 m or less. In Finland there are not many wind turbines so far, only about 2% of Finland's energy comes from wind power. We were also told how the wind energy develop.
The parts of wind turbine are very heavy. We thought that parts are small but they were huge! The Switch doesn't make the whole turbines, only certain parts. The Switch sells parts to the factories which build wind turbines.
After a while buss came and took us back to school.

(picture on the left: a slide show, picture on the right: Miika Reinikka explains us the function of a wind turbine)

Thursday, the 14th of October

Hanna wrote:
Today we have tested how much more we spend water if we wash our hands "lazy" or "quickly but properly". Test group (10 pupils) spent 22 litres (2,2 l/pupil) compared with 4,5 litres (0,5 l/pupil). The conclusion we made: You have to wash your hands properly and with soap but not using too much water (the faucet not at maximum).
Have a nice energy saving week!

Wednesday, the 13th of October

Heidi wrote:
Today everything has gone fluently. We have measured the temperatures normally. Reporter from the local newspaper came to our school and interviewed us when we were measuring the temperatures. On thursday there was an article about us and about the 50/50 project on local newspaper!!
On the afternoon when we had gymnastics I noticed that boys had left lights on in toilet and in shower room. But girls had forgotten to switch off the lights, too....
Now we have many posters on the walls which remind us about the 50/50 project and about energy saving week.

The national energy saving week, Tuesday the 12th of October

Hanna wrote:
In classroom we talked about the 50/50 project and what we could do to save the energy. When we come to school on the morning, we have to open the window blinds so that the sun can warm the class. And at the end of the day window blinds must shut off to keep the cold out. We have to put lights off every time not needed (in toilet and in shower). We can save water by taking shower quickly. We named persons in charge who take care of these actions.
Every time we wash our hands we have to remember that faucet is not at maximum and we take only one paper when drying hands. Persons in charge also double-check that there are no unnecessary lights on in classroom and they switch off every electric machine after the school day.

The effects of the project at home

My son Petteri Järvinen, age 11, participates this autumn a project in Länsimetsä school. The project is about how to save energy. Petteri has liked the project very much and he has told many things about it at home. We are a family of six persons, parents, son Petteri, daughter Juulia age thirteen and twins Ilona and samu, aged 5 so the energy consumption is quite high at our house. During this autum Petteri has taught us how to save electricity, for example he reminds us all the time to shut the lights of when we leave the house or even one room. Last week he taught the twins how to brush their teeth in the more energy saving way: the water shouldn't run the whole time while you are brushing! He has also reminded us about that we dont have to watch three tv´s at the same time or keep many computers running at our house.

Last week the class took a trip to a factory involving energy producting and it was very interesting, according to Petteri!

I think the whole project is very important and already it has changed the way of thinking and living in our family!

Sanna Järvinen, Petteris mom

The national energy saving week (from the 11th of October to the 17th of October)

Heidi, one of the energy team members, wrote (on the 11th of October):

At school we (the energy team) gathered together so we could decide which are the actions on energy saving week. We called it "We manage with less energy". Today we had little lower temperatures compared with those results we got on May. We have tasks like toilet polices, shower polices, recorders, classroom polices, room inspectors and those who measure the temperatures. Toilet polices check every toilet (water, lights) and it happens every day at the end of the school day. The shower polices have same tasks as toilet polices. The recorders have divided in two groups; the others write about the energy saving week and the others write about our visit to the wind energy firm, "The Switch", on Friday. The classroom polices double-check that the lights are off during long breaks. They also make sure that window blinds are open during the school day and shut them off after the school day. Room inspectors make sure that there are not too many lights on in library, lunch room etc. Measuring the temperatures takes place every day at 10.00 a.m.

Please, remember to save the energy!!

Classroom police (Emilia) at her work, opening the window blinds.

The kick off days (the 13th and 14th of September)

On the 13th of September our 50/50 team gathered together. At first the members of students' union got to know what Euronet 50/50 project really is. Then our two energy team classes told what we had done on May (measuring the temperatures of every classes, toilet/bathroom "police" activities, drawing the slogans, marking light switches,.) Together we considered the ways to save energy (warmth, water and lightning). The ideas were put on paper and the members of students' union got the task to bring the information to their teachers and class-mates.

Next day the whole school gathered together and they were told about the project. The motivation was raised up by clarifying the climate change with slide show. Also the youngest ones managed to listen :-) Then the pupils of energy team classes told what they had measured and showed the measuring equipments. At the end the chairman and the secretary of students' union read our proposals on how to save the energy. We had taken copies of the paper so every class got their own list so they could check the list and not forgetting actions.

(picture above) Emmi, Roni and Petteri are showing how they measured the temperature.

(picture below) Heidi has put the list on the wall so that the whole class could remember the energy saving actions.