Pupils push for environmental change

Zakiya McKenzie

zakiyam@caxton.co.za

Pupils from across Gauteng converged at Delta Park for the Energy Conversations Expo held on 30 October.

The expo was the culmination of an integrated programme at the individual schools whereby pupils were taught the importance of ecological sustainability and environmental action.

The young thinkers were challenged to produce a useable energy saving project to bring down their individual school’s electricity bill.

Lesedi Secondary School in Pretoria displayed their use of solar panels to generate electricity and New Millennium College in Kempton Park planted succulents to absorb more carbon dioxide, but the standout project came from the grade nines at Irene Middle Farm School also from Pretoria. The youngest bunch to be included in the programme, the pupils at Irene Middle Form School used cow dung for fuel as an energy saving solution in their community.

“This project epitomises the approach of environmental education in action that we have at Delta Environmental Centre” said Executive Officer, Di Betton.

“We teach the theory but we also encourage pupils to put that theory into practice and begin to make a real difference in their community.

“It felt good to show our project because we put a lot of work into it and it was interesting to learn from the other groups and their methods of conserving energy”, said Rebaone Sekgothe from Hillview High School in Pretoria.

All of the pupils involved were presented with certificates for participating and also goodies from keynote speaker Ntobeko Mogadime of SHELL SA Marketing.

Details: www.deltaenviro.org.za or 011 888 4831