Video: Cork pupils are seeking your vote to win solar panels
PUPILS at Scoil Bhríde in Crosshaven County Cork are seeking the public’s support as they try to win solar panels for their school.
Students at the green flag school have made a Climate Action video which they have submitted to The Friends of the Earth Solar Schools competition.
Winning schools will receive solar panels designed and installed on the roof of their school with a 90% grant, allowing them to generate clean, free, renewable electricity to power their whiteboards, photocopiers and computers right from their roof.
Schools all over the country were invited to take part in the competition by coming up with an idea for a local project on Climate Action.
People have until today (Friday February 28, at 5pm) to vote for the school, by giving their video the thumbs up on YouTube here:
Principal of the 221 pupils school, Séamus O’Connor said: “Green efforts, we are currently being reviewed for our second Green Flag in relation to Energy consumption. All of the admin of our school is paperless and we are one of the first schools in the country to achieve this.
“ If we secure the solar panels to help power our IT and lighting needs, our next project will be rain water harvesting and making our school a plastic free environment.” The Friends of the Earth ‘For the Love of Solar’ Schools Competition is in its second year. In 2019, a pilot competition was run across 5 communities Tipperary, Limerick, Mayo, Dublin and the Aran Islands.
Kate Ruddock, Deputy Director of Friends of the Earth said: 'We think every school in Ireland should be a solar school! Young people are sitting in classrooms all over Ireland, and for the most part, they are learning in old buildings powered by fossil fuels. There are so many benefits to running on solar power generated right from the roof of a school. As well as the carbon that is saved, cash strapped schools are often fundraising just to pay energy bills, so every € saved is an extra € for school services Students who are taking to the streets are telling us clearly that we should be doing more to tackle climate change.”
