As part of our Eco journey over the last two years we have been trying to cut our energy use at St. Albert’s Primary. Use of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas is contributing to climate change, which as everyone knows is highly damaging to the future of many species on earth including humans. The future of our planet depends on us getting climate change under control.
Fossil fuels need to be burned to release the energy in them. Burning anything releases Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide builds up in the atmosphere like a blanket round our planet trapping heat that should normally escape back into space. This is resulting in a warmer climate and more rain. More rain brings more floods which threaten coastlines and the human, animal and plant life that exists there. Scientists now think that the effects of climate change have been underestimated and sea levels could rise by 2m instead of the predicted one metre rise.
Flooding though, is only one consequence of climate change. The hotter regions of our world will face more droughts as the climate warms leading to more starvation and extinction. Weather patterns are being disrupted worldwide.
It has been estimated that by 2100 half of the world’s species could be extinct and that is due to human activity. The bumblebee is in danger due to climate change, as rising world temperatures force them to migrate northwards to survive, but at the same time, spring flowers are in bloom earlier which leaves them less time to feed and pollinate them.
Polar bears are another case and many are already suffering as the ice at the North Pole melts. Polar bears hunt from sea ice and global warming is melting their icy habitat, making it increasingly difficult to travel, hunt and raise their young. The sea ice they depend on melts earlier each spring and forms later each autumn. These are just two examples of the threats to species worldwide.

At St. Albert’s we have been trying to do our bit to cut our carbon footprint. We have appointed light monitors in each class to ensure lights and other electrical goods are turned off around the building unless they are absolutely necessary. We have been monitoring our energy and water use readings these past two years with the help of the janitor. You can see some pictures here of our Eco Committee recording energy and water readings with the janitor.