Events
Shenstone's heat network project is not just about infrastructure
- it's about people - and engaging the whole community in shaping a greener, more sustainable village for future generations.
Inspiring Young Green Thinkers
at Greysbrooke Primary School
To bring younger residents along on the village's decarbonisation journey, HI Group and Climate Ambassadors created a hands-on learning experience for Year 6 pupils.
The goal was to help the children understand why we needed to cut carbon emissions and show them how their school could lead the way.
'School of the Future' Activity Day
Morning: 'Inspiration Workshop'
The morning began with an interactive session to understand what a heat network was and explore why we need to move away from fossil fuels, what climate change means and how everyone can make a difference. Then the pupils brainstormed ideas to make the school more climate-friendly in the future - from solar panels to outdoor learning spaces - and presented their visions to the class.
Afternoon: 'School of the Future' Competition
Working in teams, Year 6 applied their ideas and knowledge from the morning to redesign their school for the future. Each team received:
-
An A3 plan of their school site
-
A budget of £1000 in 'play money'
-
A menu of climate-positive upgrades, from bug hotels and bird boxes, to solar panels and heat pumps.
They discussed, negotiated and agreed items they would like to buy from the shopping list. After calculating costs, teams used money from their budget to purchase the items from the shopkeeper, and then chose where to place each item on their plans.
Final plans were then presented to the judges, explaining what had been purchased and, importantly, why.
​​​
​
There were so many great ideas, it was hard to select the winners! Prizes were awarded for:
​
-
The best overall plan - winning a bird box
-
The best use of budget - winning a bug hotel.
A clear theme emerged: every plan included outdoor learning areas, trees, wildlife habitats and re-use initiatives, showing how much the children valued their connection with nature.
"This was a very special day - educational, fun and full of practical skills. Learning about the HNDU project at first hand really helped the children apply their newly-aquired knowledge. We'd definitely like to run this day again."
Dan Rowlands, Deputy Headteacher, Greysbrooke Primary.
