The laboratory is intended to serve all students from schools in Bolesławiec County.
– By decision of the Wrocław Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, we received funding for an eco lab dedicated to renewable energy sources in order to strengthen children’s and young people’s education in the field of green energy – said the school’s headteacher Maria Subik at the laboratory’s opening. – This laboratory is meant to serve everyone. When writing the application, we expected the governing body, represented by the mayor, to trust us, and that is exactly what happened. Thank you, Mr Mayor, for your support and trust – Maria Subik concluded her welcome.
The Mayor of Bolesławiec congratulated the school on having the first laboratory of this kind in the county and stressed that ecology and activities supporting it are part of everyday life in the city of ceramics.
– Our biggest environmental project was the replacement of more than 3,000 lighting fixtures in Bolesławiec – said Piotr Roman. – We calculated that if we had continued as before, replacing an average of 15–20 fixtures a year, we would have needed 200 years to complete the task. We did it in one year. Why am I mentioning this? Because it is an investment in ecology. By replacing the lighting fixtures and creating an intelligent lighting-control system in the city, we will save at least 60% of the electricity we used annually. What does that mean in financial terms? At least PLN 2,500,000 will remain in the city budget – the mayor added.
After a short lecture by Wojciech Tarczyński, a teacher at Primary School No. 4, the students and invited adult guests were able to build a set themselves demonstrating the use of green energy.
The “Eco Lab – the Green Heart of the School” project is being implemented as part of the Regional Environmental Education Support Programme and involves funding at least two school laboratories – a natural science laboratory and a laboratory dedicated to renewable energy sources – in every county.
The aim of the Programme is to raise children’s and young people’s environmental awareness, disseminate knowledge, encourage social involvement, and shape attitudes and behaviours concerning environmental and nature protection and renewable energy sources. The first set presented by the teacher was a wind turbine with a battery which, once charged, could be used to power other sets.
Renewable Energy Sources – what are they?
Photovoltaic panels, wind energy and wind turbines, water energy and hydroelectric power plants. Geothermal energy – one of the cleanest forms of energy. Energy from biomass and waste. Clean green energy is a lifeline for the planet, as well as energy security and independence. It is the future, something we can talk about and should teach.
Why an eco lab at school?
In accordance with the core curriculum for the natural science subject, the school’s primary objective is to interest students in the natural world, enable them to ask questions about phenomena occurring in nature, and find answers to them. An environmental education programme using the eco lab will make it possible to expand the environmental aspects of the core curriculum, with particular emphasis on issues concerning natural resources and the changes taking place in them.
The eco lab provides an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge:
- how to use solar energy
- how to use wind
We all absorb knowledge better through experience and experiments, and the eco lab gives students this opportunity.
Classes conducted in the eco lab will show students that energy production from renewable sources contributes to the development of various economic sectors, such as the automotive industry – an “emission-free” water-powered car, engines powered by wind and water; they will learn about the process of converting solar energy into electrical energy and then into mechanical energy.
The “Eco Lab – the Green Heart of the School” at Primary School No. 4 named after Jan Matejko is a renewable energy laboratory. The project is worth PLN 84,211.60 – the funding provided by the Wrocław Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management amounts to PLN 74,811.60, while the Municipality of Bolesławiec’s own contribution is PLN 8,400.00.
“Eco Lab – the Green Heart of the School” is a project to build modern eco labs in schools. Implemented by the Regional Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management (WFOŚiGW) as part of the Regional Environmental Education Support Programme, it aims to shape pro-environmental attitudes and increase the environmental awareness of the younger generation, including in the area of renewable energy sources.
