Search eceee proceedings
Secondary school student participation in Carbon Footprint Assessment for Schools
Panel: 5. Towards sustainable and resilient communities
This is a peer-reviewed paper.
Authors:
Sebastian Albert-Seifried, Büro Ö-quadrat GmbH, Germany
Oliver Wagner, Wuppertal Institut, Germany
Dieter Seifried, Büro Ö-quadrat, Germany
Lotte Nawothnig, Wuppertal Institut, Germany
Lena Tholen, Wuppertal Institut, Germany
Amelie Straßen, Wuppertal Institut, Germany
Amelie Vogler, University of Graz, Austria
Maike Venjakob, Wuppertal Institute, Germany
Abstract
More and more cities are setting themselves ambitious climate protection targets, including CO2 neutrality. Schools are important institutions of cities and therefore they have to play a central role in achieving this goal.
With the investment backlog building up and pressure from the Friday for Future movement increasing, the Wuppertal Institute and Büro Ö-quadrat have initiated the project Schools4Future, aiming to support secondary schools to become climate-neutral. In cooperation with secondary school students and teachers, the project team evaluated the existing situation of the participating schools and developed GHG-balances and feasible climate protection concepts. For this purpose, an Excel-based carbon footprint (CF) assessment tool for schools has been developed which is freely available. The tool covers all important emission areas, including heating energy, electricity use, travel to and from schools, school trips, the school canteen and paper consumption. The students were found capable to conduct the CF assessment with the guidance of the teacher, information materials and support of the researchers. So far, six pilot schools have completed their CF assessment with emissions ranging between 335 and 944 kg CO2 per person.
In this paper we present the tool and compare the CF assessment of some schools. We further elaborate on how the tool and project has increased the climate awareness and self-efficacy of students and even stimulated measures by the school board.
Downloads
Download this paper as pdf: 5-320-22_Albert-Seifried.pdf
Download this display (photo) as pdf: 5-320-22-displayphoto.pdf
Panels of
1. Dynamics of consumption: less is more?
2. Efficiency and beyond: innovative energy demand policies
3. Policy, finance and governance
4. Monitoring and evaluation for a wise, just and inclusive transition
5. Towards sustainable and resilient communities
6. Energy-efficient and low-carbon mobility for all
7. Policies and programmes for better buildings
8. Innovations in products, systems and building technologies