Sacred Heart recognises the climate emergency. We are determined to respond as a school community by reducing our carbon footprint and involving our children, increasing their environmental awareness and skills on every step of our journey towards a low carbon, sustainable future.
In May 2022, with the support of the Academy Trust and in partnership with Solar for Schools, we installed a 55kWp solar panel system on our roof. The system consists of 134 solar panels and will meet around two-thirds of our electricity needs annually. Over its 25 year life, it will stop 226 tonnes of CO2 emissions, inspire our children with energy learning opportunities, and save tens of thousands of pounds by providing the school with free electricity.
Click here to find out how our solar panels performed in the last week.
Our other measures towards a carbon neutral include:
- a bike shed and scooter park with storage for 6 bikes and 6 scooters to encourage more cycling to school
- an electric vehicle charging point
- LED lighting throughout the school
- 100% recyclable and FSC certified paper
Responding to climate change
Sacred Heart is joining the fight against climate change. Here are some of the ways we are cutting our carbon emissions and promoting climate justice:
- Encouraging active travel to school and providing ample bicycle and scooter provision
- Recycling and energy saving initiatives
- Installing led lights throughout school in 2019 and 146 solar panels on the school roof in 2022
- Using only FSC paper and being aware of sustainability in our procurement
- Teaching stewardship of the environment in the curriculum
- Raising awareness and money for charities such as CAFOD, which support those in the poorest countries around the world where climate change is doing the greatest harm.