The Zero Carbon taskforce for schools is due to report its findings tomorrow. We know that the recommendations from March 2009′s interim report will be broadly accepted but surely there’s no room for ‘greenwash’ or unfunded recommendations.

In the context of the Copenhagen Summit which profoundly missed its opportunity to make a difference – we have 4 tests to apply to tomorrow’s report from the BCSE’s Head of Research Jenny Thomas:

• Spending – whilst it is understandable that spending may be limited, this should not prevent zero carbon from remaining a target. The money available needs to be invested sustainably to ensure continued benefit and long term change. Eco-bling and ineffective, expensive bolt-on technology which will not offer savings long-term in operation are not sustainable solutions. Spending should be focused on training and education so that designers and builders get the fundamentals of the design right and users know how their building works and is operated in a way that minimises energy use.

• Behaviour – the relationship between the design and how people use the building is key. Good intentions and understanding of carbon reduction strategies by schools is ineffective if the building does not support these positive behaviours. Likewise, a building with design features that allow for the minimisation of carbon emissions is ineffective if users don’t know how to use it correctly or have no inclination to do so. We welcome the suggestions from the Zero Carbon Task Force that recognises the importance of linking behaviour and design, and getting the basics right, and believe this will have a very positive and sustainable impact if achieved.

• Education and Training – we applaud the Zero Carbon Task Force’s recommendations that there should be investment in training and awareness raising as this is a sustainable approach to achieving the zero carbon target. However, the provision of energy monitors and increased understanding of the use of energy within the school will only be useful with significant training about how the school can use this information and change their practices to reduce their carbon emissions. Simple awareness is not enough. Greater input into the recommendations from school senior management teams, teachers and students would help in the clearer development of effective training. Currently the membership of the Zero Carbon Task Force is very design focused and light on educators
  

• ICT and technology – as one of the major barriers to the achievement of zero carbon targets, particularly in secondary schools, the inclusion of recommendations relating to ICT is positive. However, the emphasis is largely on the behaviour of users. Whilst this is essential, we would support the need for greater work with ICT providers to develop their technology further to minimise carbon emissions. They need to work with users to achieve this to ensure that ICT systems are easy to use and effective in terms of both education and reducing carbon emissions.

We’ll report back later this week with our assessment

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