What Schools Can Do to Help Reduce Their Carbon Footprint
29 August 2018
Carbon Dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650,000 years. This has a huge impact on global warming and how the planet is responding. With 32,113 schools in the UK, if small changes to the way they approach global warming are made in each, the overall impact to C02 emissions within the UK would be massive. Marshall Leasing have created a few tips to help schools reduce their carbon emissions.
Transport:
CO2 emissions largely come from vehicles. When it comes to the school run, try car sharing on the way to and from or even leave a little earlier and allow time to walk. For school trips or sports events lease minibuses rather than rely on individuals driving separate cars. Why not switch from petrol vehicles to diesel as typically diesel emits 15%-20% lower CO2 emitting than petrol cars (https://bit.ly/2LIX2MX)? Distance matters, so reducing the mileage of the average new car from 15,000 to 10,000 miles a year will save more than a tonne of CO2, about 15% of the average person’s footprint.
Recycling:
In schools there can be the tendency for a lot of waste. Recycling is a way to combat this as it uses less energy and produces less pollution than making things from scratch. Recycling ensures that less energy is used in the production, transportation, and disposal of products. As a result, there are less greenhouse gas emissions leading to a cleaner and safer atmosphere. By using products as many times as possible before having to recycle them and avoiding products with excessive packaging, this in turn will help reduce CO2 emissions helping schools become greener and eco-friendlier.
Energy Efficient:
Schools use an enormous amount of energy during the school day. Ways to help reduce this can be done through replacing all the light bulbs with energy saving lightbulbs, installing loft insulation and considering introducing double glazing. Continually, if there is not a budget to fulfil all these things, simply turning off all the lights when a room is left or turning the heating down by a degree or two can influence how much energy is being used.
Use Local Produce:
If there is a school canteen try where possible to buy local produce to prepare the meals. By doing this, schools will become more environmentally friendly as well as supporting the local community. The most common form of transporting food once it’s reached the country of destination is by lorry. Surprisingly, 25% of all journeys made in the UK will be taking food from destination to destination until it’s stacked on a supermarket shelf near you. These journeys account for a quarter of CO2 emissions.
Need a minibus for your next school trip or excursion? Contact us today and work with a company that specialises in minibuses for schools.
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