Dawning of a renewable era at city secondary

Published on Tuesday 29 December 2009 21:28

CURRIE Community High was the first school in Edinburgh to install a wind turbine.

The eco-friendly secondary also has a thermal system as part of a ten-year campaign to reduce energy consumption.

The school uses the renewable energy to heat its swimming pool and cut its carbon emissions.

Around 2,000 lights at the school have also been replaced by low energy saving designs.

Windows have been sealed and doors replaced to prevent heat loss, and the boiler is also turned off for many months of the year.

Sustainable energy issues have become core to the day-to-day running of the school with staff and pupils making energy-saving pledges.

Currie even has its own environmental co-ordinator who works at the school part-time.

The Scottish Government pledged more funding towards an environmentally friendly school scheme earlier this month.

According to Keith Brown, SNP schools minister, the Eco Schools initiative will benefit from the allocation of 425,000 between 2010 and 2011.

The scheme gives schools the chance to focus more on sustainable issues, by encouraging them to look at areas such as waste reduction and recycling.

Schools considering the introduction of green commercial waste management services may be interested to hear that the minister believes that the scheme is continuing to grow in stature, offering new skills to those taking part.