Energy minister Charles Hendry has joined children at a Swindon primary school in a hands-on lesson to help them understand where energy comes from and why saving it is vital for the Earth’s future.
The minister attended the session at Tregoze primary school in Grange Park where 60 year five and six pupils were taking part in a Climate Cops Academy environmental educational programme staged by electricity and gas supplier RWE npower, whose UK headquarters are on the nearby Windmill Hill business park.
Mr Hendry, who was joined in the lesson by RWE npower chief executive Volker Beckers and Peter Terium, executive board member of RWE, was shown some simple ways to save energy in an exciting and engaging way.
The interactive day included generating electricity with body movements, working with miniature examples of renewable energy sources and using thermal imaging cameras to see the effects of insulation.
Mr Hendry said: “This is a fantastic initiative. I have been impressed by the enthusiasm of the children and I am sure that they will take what they have learned away with them and make a big difference to their school and homes.”
Mr Beckers added: “We are proud of our Climate Cops programme and believe it’s essential to get young people involved and inspired about energy efficiency. Energy is the lifeblood of our society, and a greater understanding of this brings with it respect for generations to come.”
More than 5,000 children have already taken part in Climate Cops Academies this year. The programme has reached 43,000 students since it began in November 2007.
Npower also provides schools with free energy audits and recommendations to help them to reduce their carbon footprint as part of the project.
