Is possible to have a carbon neutral existence at Rhenish Girls’ High?
Jessica Allderman revealed at the Science Expo…

Global warming is the increase in the earth’s average temperature which in time causes changes in the climate. It is caused by the greenhouse effect resulting from increases in greenhouse gasses. A carbon footprint measures the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gasses produced. It is measured in units of carb dioxide.

My study entitled “Is Rhenish Green?” aims at estimating the carbon footprint of Rhenish High School by studying the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere by school activities and calculating how many trees need to be planted annually to offset these emissions.

To determine the carbon footprint of the school, transportation of pupils and staff, electricity usage and paper consumption needed to be sourced. I estimated the total km travelled by pupils and staff for an entire year from a survey I conducted on 25% of pupils and 39% of the staff. Electricity accounts and paper consumption for a year were obtained from school records. There are numerous websites which calculate carbon footprints. Using the www.trees.co.za site, Rhenish High School produces on average 668351kg of CO2 per annum and would have to plant 798 trees each year to have a carbon neutral existence.

Carbon neutrality is not only trying to offset your carbon footprint but also trying to decrease it. There are many ways to decrease carbon footprints and this is what Rhenish High School is trying to achieve. More than half the pupils travel to school by car. We are trying to encourage pupils to walk or cycle to school as only 6% do so while 37.5% are within walking or biking distance. The use of busses and lift clubs is also being encouraged as they are, together with trains, the most effective way of reducing the use of fossil fuels for transport.

There are many other ways of reducing the carbon footprint at Rhenish High School. The use of solar panels should be considered as an alternative to electric geysers. Time switches on geysers and long life bulbs are also effective. A culture of using electricity wisely and sparingly is being encouraged. Switching off unnecessary lights, air conditioners and heaters and using hot water carefully are easy ways to save electricity.

Rhenish High School is making a real effort to decrease its carbon footprint and so make a contribution towards reducing the greenhouse effect and global warming.