One of the Eco Society’s main priorities has been to install solar panels at the school. As we came out of the first lockdown in June 2020, we started to work with a local solar company to find out which roofs would work best. A whole two years and having raised £74,000, the panels were finally installed on the roofs of the Sports Hall and G block.

Members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (who run the Open) with the Eco Society and the famous Claret Jug.

In 2021, the Open Golf was held in Sandwich and as part of the golf, there were grants of up to £15,000 available for local environmental projects. The Eco-Society sent off a grant application and patiently waited to hear the outcome. That patience was rewarded when they were awarded the full £15,000. The judges were particularly impressed that the application had been put together by students.

This proved to be the catalyst for further fundraising. We presented to the governors who decided to make this project the school’s main fundraising priority. The fundraising campaign ran between COP26 (November 2021) and Earth Day (April 2022), with the Eco Society also holding assembles to raise awareness of the global attempts to tackle climate change and to show what we can all do locally.

 

A fundraising week in school, with cake sales, a non-school uniform day and quiz night (the first since lockdown), allowed every single student, parent and member of staff to contribute to the project. We also approached local businesses and charities as well as the school’s old boys and girls and were bowled over by their generosity.

In August 2022, 345 panels were installed. They will generate 25% of the school’s electricity, whilst simultaneously avoiding 30 tonnes of CO2 being emitted each year. The solar panels will also save the school a projected £20,000 in energy bills per year – a real win-win!

Eco-Society with their Kent Green School Award