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Support Your Local School In Climate Change Competition By Finding Your Carbon Number – And You Could Save Money Too

11/09/09


A new competition aimed at raising awareness of climate change begins today (11 Sept 2009).  Parents, families and neighbours of primary school children in Ireland are being called on to help their local school compete in a competition to be in with a chance to win €500 for school equipment.  All schools are encouraged to compete in the Climate Change Carbon Calculator Schools Challenge, being organised by Change.ie in partnership with An Taisce Green Schools. Each school that enters must encourage as many people as possible to log onto their School’s Group for Change on the Change.ie website where they should then calculate their individual carbon number.  The winner will be the school with the highest number of Members in its Group.

Schools Climate Change

“I am so proud of the thousands of primary school children throughout the country who are doing great work to protect the environment through their participation in An Taisce’s Green Schools Programme” said the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Mr John Gormley, T.D.  “I am now calling on our primary school children to bring the very important message of Climate Change home to their families, neighbours and friends.  Climate Change is the greatest environmental challenge of our time and we each have a role to play in tackling it, in our homes, our schools, workplaces and communities.”

Each one of us has a Carbon Number because much of what we do in our homes, at school, at work, in our social lives and in travelling, uses carbon producing fossil fuels such as peat, oil, coal and gas.

“By finding your carbon number on Change.ie and following the advice and tips provided on the website you will not only help to tackle climate change but your lifestyle changes will also save you money in your home and on transport,” said Minister Gormley. 

“The work being done by the schools in the Green Schools programme is so impressive, that when I talk about it, it is hard not to sound as if I am exaggerating” said Patricia Oliver, Director of Education at An Taisce “but it is no exaggeration to say that our teachers have led a revolution in the environmental behaviour of our students and they have responded magnificently.   I know they will show the same enthusiasm in taking up the challenge of the Minister in finding out their carbon number through www.change.ie and persuading their family, neighbours and friends to help them with their competition entry.”   

Support your Local School
Your local participating School Group will be registered on the Change.ie website.  To support your chosen Group, simply register under their Group for Change and enter your details on home energy usage, transport usage and travel patterns on the carbon calculator.  The calculator will calculate your individual Carbon Number and provide you with advice on how to reduce it.
 

ENDS.

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