Description of Activity

Following the success of the previous day “Energy today and tomorrow”, we kept a similar programme. As mentioned previously It was not possible to use the actual educational resources produced as part of the Greenet Project as the one that we felt most appropriate to deliver had not yet been translated into English. However, it was very similar to work that we were currently developing at CAT so we were able to use our own materials. In addition we worked on producing material on the potential and use of renewable energy in Europe and the opportunities in the curriculum in Britain.

Programme

• Introduction to the Course
• Introduction to energy and the need for change
• Energy conservation and renewables - using our “Energy trumps” cards and carbon choices calculator to explore what we can do
• Renewable energy workshop, making and testing models
• Visioning a zero carbon future

Energy today and tomorrow
Introduction to energy and the need for change
This workshop had a mix of presentation and activities that could also be used with pupils to explore Climate Change, impacts of fossil fuel use, the limits to resources and the energy sector in Britain and the rest of Europe.

Energy Conservation and renewables
How do we decide what can make the biggest difference to our impact on Greenhouse Gases? What uses most energy in our lives?
This workshop explored these questions in a lively and engaging way, using an interactive activity developed by CAT’s experts. The group made decisions together about their choices and could see the impact on a screen. The group readily engaged with trying to get their carbon choices as low as they can. The activity enabled them to try out different choices, seeing the difference between them.

This calculator incorporates all aspects of our lives, including food and the stuff we buy. This activity works well with all ages from KS2 to 6^th formers. It can work with a group of 30 but the smaller the group, the more individuals get a chance to be heard.

The Energy Trumps game format presents information on a wide variety of energy sources, comparing like for like with thoroughly researched information. There are 30 cards in our Energy Trumps including a range of energy sources, energy conservation and energy storage technologies. Participants played CAT’s Energy Trumps and were then introduced to some activities for KS3 and 4. 

Renewable energy workshop
This session allowed time for participants to make and test wind, water and solar power models.

Visioning a zero carbon future
In this activity the participants worked in small groups to develop their own ideas of how Britain would run without using fossil fuels. They then presented their ideas using a variety of modelling materials displayed on a map of Britain. They had access to background information researched for CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain project. At the end groups found it interesting to see the scenario developed in Zero Carbon Britain and compare it with their own ideas. Pupils find this activity very engaging and we’ve found that the use of modelling and the map seem to liberate creative thinking and humour. A difference between this course and the one in June is that discussion about possible career opportunities were dispersed through the Course.