Teachers discuss energy efficiency in a staff meeting
20Whole-school activitiesKS1, KS2, KS3
Brainstorming A brainstorming session can also be a great way to identify opportunities for energy saving that you might not have thought of. It is also a way to engage staff in saving energy, reducing costs, and sharing the effort in making projects happen. How to do it Prior to the meeting, ask staff to take a look around the school to see if they can spot opportunities for saving energy. Tell them this could include:
Things that aren’t switched off when they all leave work
Things that could have a timer installed to automatically switch off
Things that need a reminder for staff to switch off
Areas of the school where you are running more appliances or lights than you need
Whether your school is over-heated
Areas where hot water is wasted
Old, inefficient lighting or appliances
Any other ideas for saving energy
At the meeting At your staff meeting, ask people to share their ideas via post-it notes or flipcharts. Arrange matching ideas together into groups by project type. Read through all the ideas and ask the staff team what resources would be needed to make each project happen, and how barriers could be addressed. Ask them which ones they think could be implemented and decide as a group which projects you can commit to. Ask people to volunteer to progress individual projects, and ask someone to write up a list of the project ideas and who is managing them. Agree how you will start to communicate your energy saving projects to the school community.