Sustainable Schools: Inspiration (and Pancakes)

I was lucky enough to spend yesterday afternoon with the Kariboe School in Heemskirk, just outside of Amsterdam. The school's Director, Henk Schweitzer, is one of the most inspirational people I've met recently so a blog seemed the least I could do...

The Kariboe School is a primary school which has recently been rebuilt and which provides an amazing environment for learning. Spaces are bright, airy and colourful; the school's old concrete playground has been turned into a place for exploration and play, with a green maze, a garden for students to grow strawberries and tulips and an adventure playground made largely of tree trunks. The school gates stay open out of hours, so the space belongs to the public.

Within the building, there's something for every energy geek. The Philips SchoolVision lighting system responds to levels of natural light and creates quite a flat, constant glow which is improving students' concentration in classes (and gets rid of the post-lunch dip in energy). The ventilation system responds to levels of CO2 in the air, pumping in fresh air, again helping increase concentration and reduce fatigue. Big windows with efficient AGC glass bring in plenty of natural light. Underfloor heating provides warmth, although there have been the occasional days of overheating when the thermostat has been turned up in an effort to heat the school quicker (which it turns out is an international problem, not just a British one!). PV panels on a green roof contribute to the school's electricity use.

And everywhere you turn there are remnants of the old school: its old murals were photographed, then printed onto canvas and now hang on corridor walls. Wood was reclaimed for reuse as furniture. In the grounds, a small amphitheatre has been built from the remnants of the old school building.

Heemskirk is an area which has its problems in terms of deprivation, and to find a new educational oasis at its heart says a lot about Henk Schweitzer's strength of will. He has a background in special needs teaching, a passion for sustainability and a belief that where you come from should not be a brake on where you can go. He is an unstoppable fund-raiser and champion for his students, and could probably write the book on networking!

I was there to demonstrate a prototype schools carbon footprinting toolkit that we've been helping to develop with the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. The response was fantastic and we're hoping that the school will be one of our pilot schools in testing the toolkit, which measures carbon across energy use, pupil and staff travel and products and services used by the school. It feels a small contribution to a school which is already transforming its community.

You can find out more about the Kariboe School at http://www.kariboe.nl/ (in Dutch, but there are pictures and short films to give you an insight).

And I'll be speaking about schools, energy and carbon at the Building Future Education conference on 10 May and at NEMEX on 22 May. Come and say hello!

Oh. And the pancakes from Pannenkoeken Boerderij were delicious!