What we will do

We will audit our school on its energy efficiency, and find areas to install energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy – we are planning to implement these in our school. A composting bin will be set up in our school to deal with food waste, and we will publicize climate change in our school by giving talks, putting up posters and holding an exhibition in the school library. A donation drive, accepting donations only in coins, will be held, and a talk on coins will be given in our school.

Objectives

• Reduce waste output (especially food waste) by our school by 20% in 6 months.
• Reduce our school’s net carbon emissions through reducing our school’s electrical consumption by 5% in a month and increasing response in our school to climate change by 10% in a year.

Rationale

Electrical consumption makes up the largest proportion of carbon emissions. We need to know the school's current energy efficiency through the audit. Energy-efficient appliances consume less electricity. Some switch themselves off after a period of inactivity. Renewable energy will be able to sustain the school’s energy needs, thus reducing its net electrical consumption.

Research conducted by us on May 16, 10.30-11.40am has shown that our school outputs 8.5-11 tonnes of food waste a year. Singapore produced 558,900 tonnes of edible food waste in 20072. Currently, a new incineration plant will have to be built every 7-10 years. Through composting, less waste will be produced to be incinerated, while obtaining compost which can be used for plants.

Many people are not putting in effort to reduce their negative environmental impact. Only 600 out of 3000 residents in the North West region participated in Earth Hour 2008 even after persuasion by volunteers4. We want to encourage students to switch to environmentally-friendly practices.

People often default to paying using notes as they are lighter and more convenient to carry around. Shopkeepers are also unwilling to accept payment in coins as it is time-consuming to count them. Coins are poorly circulated and more resources will have to be mined to produce new ones. This issue has not been publicized widely, so we want to raise awareness on this issue to prevent the situation from worsening.

Implementation

The audit will be conducted by us in school on 18 June 2008, 9am-12pm. Volunteers will assist us in this. The criteria used are based on the BCA Green Mark Criteria for New and Existing Buildings⁵. Energy efficient features such as daylighting and Energy Labelled appliances will be evaluated¹. We will need to obtain specifications of appliances from the school on that day to calculate their electrical consumption. This will give a gauge on the appliances’ impact on the environment. A report on the school’s energy efficiency will be sent to the school by 23 June.

High frequency ballasts in fluorescent lamps, air-conditioners with Energy Labels and energy-efficient desktop computers are examples of energy-efficient appliances we will install. The audit will show the exact places where these can be implemented. Studies have shown that upgrading 10 desktop computers to Windows Vista make up for carbon emissions of a car⁶. The Daikin R410A Inverter consumes between 164-394 kWh a month, while a typical multi-split air-conditioner consumes 547.2 kWh each month⁷. Places where we intend to replace appliances will be evaluated in the audit. Permission from the school is needed to replace these appliances. Installation will be performed from December 2008 to June 2009, and will cost around $10,000. Maintaining the appliances required $1000 – repairs are necessary only once in 6 months. The school’s Estate Department will take care of maintaining the appliances.

Generators will be implemented in areas with frequent human activity and renewable resources. Photovoltaics will be installed in December 2008 at the 6^th floor of our school. These will cost around $20,000. We need the school’s consent and funding for this by 31 July 2008. Manufacturers of the generators will be contacted by 10 August 2008. Installation of the new appliances will commence in September 2008 and will end in June 2009. A competition in September 2008 will also be organized by us: students are to come up with a prototype that can generate “clean” energy in the school. We will judge entries on sustainability, feasibility and cost. The top 3 ideas will be considered for implementation. The school’s approval is needed by 20 June to organize this.

A 120-litre plastic drum, 6.1m of PVC pipes (diameter 6cm) and bolts are needed for building a compost bin. PVC pipes are already available at our school – bolts, nails and PVC elbows cost $34 and the drum will cost $30. Permission has already been obtained from the school on May 2008 to implement composting. Materials will be obtained by 17 June. We will construct the first bin by 20 June, with the help of technicians in our school. More compost bins will be built by us if necessary. The bin will be used for the rest of the year. The canteen cleaners will collect food waste from the canteen and empty it into the compost bins. Compost will be produced at the end of each month.

Posters will show Man's increasing impact on climate change through carbon emissions, and how we can resolve this global crisis. Required materials such as A3 paper cost $10, and will be obtained by 17 June. They will be completed by 23 June, and will be pasted around the school by 30 June. The exhibition will be held in Earth Awareness Week (7-11 July). It will cover the causes of climate change, its consequences, and how we can mitigate it. Materials for the exhibitions will be prepared by 30 June, and cost $50. The exhibition will be set up on 5 July 2008. We need the school’s consent to hold this exhibition by 21 June 2008. Earth Awareness Week is organized by the Green Committee – we will inform them about our plans by 21 June 2008.

The talk on coins will be given by us in school in Earth Awareness Week. It will cover the consequences of poor circulation of coins, what are the actions taken currently, and how we can help. Consent has to be obtained from the school by 30 June 2008 to give this talk during assembly. Presentation slides for the talks will be prepared by 3 July 2008.

The donation drive will be announced on 23 June 2008, and will span from July to August 2008. A booth will be set up in the school canteen to accept donations, and will be open from 10a.m. to 3p.m. Existing materials for the booth will be obtained from our school. We will get volunteers to man the booth by 20 June. Coins collected will be sent to the Singapore Mint for recycling. We need to speak with the organization for this by 25 June.

Benefits to the environment

By reducing our school’s net electrical consumption, its carbon emissions are reduced significantly, thus helping to mitigate global warming. More people will try to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles to mitigate climate change, and carbon emissions will be reduced at the individual level. Less food waste will also be sent for incineration, hence helping to prolong the lifespan of Singapore’s landfill. Fewer resources will be wasted for coins as current coins will be recycled.

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