A message from our headmaster to evening users of our school

SAVING ENERGY

DEAR EVENING USERS OF LÄNSIMETSÄ SCHOOL

The use of heating, electricity and water in our school during the years 2010-2012 is followed very accurately. We participate in the international EURONET 50/50 energy saving project which target is to reduce the energy consumption as much as possible. In this way we in our little share want to take part in reducing the carbon dioxide emissions and slowing down the global climate warming.

The evening users have a great effect on the energy economy of our school. Therefore we hope that all the instructors of groups devote care to actions which affect the energy consumption. Saving energy is at least made by means of following measures:

1.If not necessary, avoid keeping the front door open.
2.Turn off the lights in the changing rooms and corridors as well as the hall after the last turn.
3.Observe: It’s not always necessary to use the full lightning in the hall.
4.Use the showers quickly.

Unfortunately according to the measurements (considering the weather conditions) the energy consumption during the late autumn rose a bit. Let’s try to get it down again straight after the New Year. The hall will be opened again after the Christmas break on 10.1.2011.

Matti Autio

50/50 as part of the entrepreneurship education

In November 2010 there was an international seminar called Exellence in Entrepreneurship Education at Vaasa Polytechnical University. I (the headmaster of Länsimetsä school) was asked to speak about entrepreneurship education in practice for the participants.

Entrepreneurship is not really a school subject in Finland, but it is one of the cross-curricular themes in our national curriculum. Actually the cross- curricular theme is called Participating citizenship and entrepreneurship. In a primary school the purpose of entrepreneurship education is not to make business but to increase enterprising attitude.

I think that 50/50 is not only a good way to save energy. It is also a very good entrepreneurship education project. Our students are main actors. They have been very creative even in this kind of thinking and they have really showed enterprising attitude in finding out so many ways to decrease the consumption of water or electricity.

The 50/50 –project has made good results so far, but there is still work to do. In November we noticed higher consumption in heating compared to earlier years. That is why I wrote an appeal to those, who use the school building in the evenings and during weekends. Our gym is available for after school use about 50 hours a week,so it really can be possible to get savings if we get sport clubs and other groups involved - with positive, enterprising attitude of course!

Hope that 2011 will be successful for our project! Happy New Year!

Matti Autio

And what else have we done?

After the visit of waste advisers we got guide books. We (energy team) read those books at home and then we had a test.

The wind energy firm (The Switch) donated us kites. Every class had to decide who had been the most active agent in the class during energy saving week. And, as you see from the picture - pupils were happy about the awards!

In November we had Father's day.
We made cards and we used only recycling materials in those cards.

Sorting theme is about to begin next year (2011) and we already made collages (grey, black and red ones). There you can check if you have forgotten how to sort.

Nelli and Silja are painting the cardboards (picture above).

Helmiina is sticking carbage into the collages (picture on the right).

Teachers have claimed that they can't get cold water from the faucet. The solution was easy - we bought two water jugs and put them into the fridge!

Reducing copying expenses easily: from November each family got only one briefing (only the oldest one in family gets the note). It means that nowadays we copy every time 50 less copies than earlier.

Waste advisers from the local firm

In November (from the 9th to 11th of November) advisers from the local waste incinerator firm (Stormossen) visited our school. They visited every class. They told us how to sort waste and we did it in practice, too. Here Hanna, Julia and Tessa are sorting waste (picture below). Every class has now got three waste containers: grey one for the waste you can burn, red one for recycling paper and black one for the waste you can't burn. There is a slip of paper on every container - there you can read the list if you have forgotten how to sort.

Comments of our school cleaners

Our cleaners have been very delighted of our 50/50 project. Especially sorting of rubbish. This month every class has got their own new wastebaskets and we have had lessons where pupils have learned what you can put into these wastebaskets.
"This is cool and something that should be a standard practice today!"

The day without electricity (the 5th of November)

Sanni wrote:

It was only our energy team (two classes) who took part the day without electricity.

In the morning we came normally to school. When the bell rang we went in and there was a dark corridor in front of us. Teachers had put a small pieces of paper on electric light switches so that no-one could put lights on. There were candle lanterns on teacher's desk. Each group got their own lantern.

We had a special day called "piecework contract day". Each group had a same task; we had to make an aerial photograph out of a farm (including map, list and drawings of animals and crops etc.). We were not allowed to use papers or cartons out of new packages. Instead we got to use remains of cartons and papers which were donated to our school. We noticed that it is not necessary to have new materials to accomplish fine results! And it was fun and easy! We were very satisfied because we had saved energy.

At about eleven o'clock we cycled to Villa Gerby (youth center almost next to our school). Every pupil got one juice, one mandarine, one bread roll and one and a half piece of sausage from the school kitchen. There was a camp fire waiting for us and we started to grill right away. Our teacher also taught us how to grill dough :-) After we had our lunch some of us went in to play billiard, table soccer, table tennis or cards. We didn't need any electricity to play those games and they were still fun. Some of us stayed out and played tag and the rest of us just hanged around.

When it was time to leave we gathered together and talked about the day. Many of us had liked this day without electricity very much. After the school day everyone took his/her own ride home.

The comments of school secretary about 50/50 project

"The changes I have made so far: Nowadays I switch off the toilet lights every time. Earlier I kept them on the whole day and switched them off just before I left home. The lights of coffee room are on only when we have a break and only a part of corridor lights are turned on.
Before this 50/50 project I have
- had only one lamp on in my office
- shut window blinds on the afternoon
- turned off the computer and printer at the end of the day
In other words I have already had actions which save energy but still there are things where to improve."