By Simon Brammer, Ashden UK Programme Manager

The sun streamed through the windows on Wednesday afternoon in a classroom in Okehampton College in Devon as teachers from schools across Devon and Cornwall sat down together for their third LESS CO2 workshop. At that moment the college was spending zero on its energy bills – the heating was off, lights in bright rooms were switched off and all the remaining electricity usage was covered by Okehampton’s 30Kw array of PV panels. With that inspiring backdrop, the participants got started. This session, almost a year after the start of the programme, was about reviewing results and supporting their progress to the next level of saving and generating energy sustainably as well as adding to their toolkit of curriculum resources on energy.

On a beautiful sunny September afternoon teachers from over 15 primary and secondary schools from across Devon and Cornwall gathered at St Columb Minor school near Newquay for the second of our South West LESS CO₂ workshops.

South Farnborough Infant School took part in last year’s South East LESS CO2 programme, which was designed to kick-start schools on a journey to reduce their CO2 emissions.

The school has just written to us, now that the LESS CO2 programme is over, with their to-do list for the coming year.

We thought it was well worth sharing:

• Keep embedding sustainability into the curriculum – so far we've had great feedback from Year 1’s. Next we want to make a shared year group Green Board, and Green Summit to celebrate work by each year group.

• Keep loaning energy monitors to parents. This has been a success - one winning family made a massive 32% energy saving in the second week of the loan and were rewarded with a top-of-the-range brand new monitor.
• Install sun tubes in corridors by Easter 2011. We’ve already spent £7,000 this year so far on eco improvements to the building, including eco lighting in the main corridors.
• Get together with our feeder schools to bring sustainability into the forefront of the South Farnborough schools staff, children and parents' minds, and look at sustainable procurement possibilities.
• Make the most out of our monitoring by installing an Energy Display Meter and using the data in our curriculum.

This year we are heading down to the South West to roll out the LESS CO2 programme with 15 schools in Devon and Cornwall.