Pupils grow school dinner

PUPILS are waging war against carbon emissions - by growing their own school dinners.

The youngsters at the Edinburgh Steiner School are taking part in an innovative project to reduce its carbon footprint by more than 378 tonnes over the next ten years.

As well as growing their own fruit and vegetables, which will be used in school meals, the pupils have committed to a number of environmentally-friendly approaches, including cycling to school and recycling.

It is part of a wider school project called Being the Change We Want to See, which has received backing from the Scottish Government's Climate Change Fund.

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The school's commitment to reducing emissions came after it measured its carbon footprint. The result - 160 tonnes - gave it a baseline figure so it could set a target to reduce emissions by five per cent in each of the next ten years.

The school has carried out a number of energy-efficiency improvements to the building, from wall insulation and draft-proofing to low-energy lighting and blocking chimneys.

Steiner's project manager Ben Murray believes the school's plan has the potential to become a blueprint for all Scottish schools. Mr Murray said: "One of the key challenges facing institutions, particularly in Edinburgh, is the age and nature of the traditional buildings. Running a school efficiently in a historic building requires creativity, investment and commitment.

"With more than 2,700 schools in Scotland, both modern and historic, our plan for schools has the potential to deliver a cut of more than one million tonnes of carbon emissions over the next ten years."

Mr Murray added that simple measures, such as growing fruit and vegetables on site, can have a huge impact.

He said: "The fruit and vegetable garden is about trying to encourage more sustainable eating habits.

"We will be using the produce in school meals and we will be able to see how much carbon is saved by each piece of fruit and each vegetable we produce ourselves.

"We have got an innovative school meals programme that has won awards.

"If we can do it, there's no reason why other schools can't do it."

The Edinburgh Steiner School topped a city-wide poll on cycling habits, with 15 per cent of its pupils regularly cycling to school.

Rebecca Vivers, from the Climate Challenge Fund, added: "The Edinburgh Steiner School is a great example of a school taking the initiative in tackling climate change."