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Discussing Carbon Neutrality in School
Explaining the carbon school report to the entire students
Students explained our school's carbon emissions status comparing with other schools. Among scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, scope 2, which includes electricity usage, constitutes the largest portion. They drew the attention of teachers and students to electricity usage and suggested methods to enhance electrical efficiency.
Holding a Carbon Neutrality Expo
Future electricity experts
Students explained how to measure the power consumption of electronic devices using a power meter and the meaning of watts(W).
They also provided students with the experience of generating electricity by pedaling a bicycle or manually turning a generator.
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Revealing the reality of discarded milk
Students collected the leftover milk at our school. They quantified the leftover data and calculated the amount of water needed to purify milk.
They shared cereal to drink leftover milk.
IMG_8063.MOVIMG_8052.MOV Speech at the Council debate <Carbon neutrality for sustainable future innovation>
Min jun, KIM(11)
"Hello, my name is Min jun, Kim, an 11-year-old from Gangwon-do. My dream is to become a soccer player and play in stadiums around the world. The reason I've come all the way from Gangwon to the National Assembly in Seoul is because I want to protect my future.
I walk to school every day, and the weather keeps changing. Sometimes it rains a lot, and the next day it's too hot. I learned at school that this strange weather is because of the climate crisis. If people keep emitting carbon, the Earth will become too hot to go out and play. When I grow up, maybe no one will be able to go outside and play anymore.
Our country declared carbon neutrality on December 10, 2020. Adults promised to reduce carbon and protect the Earth and our future. But why aren't they doing it? We can start now. Please reduce carbon so the Earth doesn't become more strange. Protect our dreams."
Ji a, CHOI(11)
"Hello, I am Ji-a Choi, a fourth-grade student at Gwanseol Elementary School in Wonju, Gangwon Special Autonomous Province. I really love animals. On my way to school, when I see frogs, dragonflies, and snails, I sometimes bring them home to take care of. Being with animals makes me feel less lonely and happy. When I grow up, I want to become an ecologist and study the animals I love.
I am learning ways to reduce carbon at school. I use electronic products with good energy efficiency ratings and choose items that have lower carbon emissions. However, it's difficult to protect the Earth alone. Please stop making unnecessary plastic, and let's all conserve our precious energy. Together, let's take care of our planet."
Ji-min, Lee(12)
Hello, my name is ji-min Lee, an elementary school student from South Korea. My dream is to become a lawyer, aiming to resolve and rectify societal issues based on the social contract of law for a better society. However, recently, as the damages from climate change have become more severe, I've been anxious about whether a future where I can realize my goals and dreams can still come true.
In response to concerns like mine, our class teacher and classmates are studying climate change and carbon neutrality. We learned about different types of carbon emissions such as Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3, and explored ways to reduce the most significant contributor, electricity usage. We measured and analyzed the power consumption of appliances in our class and homes to find ways to reduce it. When I shared what I learned with my parents, they agreed to join efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and during the summer vacation, we practiced carbon neutrality.
Changing familiar habits was more uncomfortable and challenging than I thought. However, upon returning to school, as classmates shared the activities they had undertaken at their homes, I realized that our collective efforts could indeed bring about change. Still, can this problem be solved solely through our class's efforts? To find the answer to this question, I stand before you today.
South Korea ranks 40th out of 44 countries in the proportion of renewable energy generation. We mainly produce electricity from petroleum and coal, with renewable energy accounting for only 7.5%. We have set an almost impossible goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, through this experience, I discovered that we can turn the impossible into possible. It requires understanding the problems we all face, finding the direction we need to move in, and each person identifying their role and taking practical steps.
My dream is to become a lawyer, but if we continue without taking any action, my dream may vanish. We must no longer turn away from the choices we must make or postpone them. Please help us preserve our future so that children like us can dream new dreams and study hard toward their goals.
Education using Personal hydroelectric generator in local river
Generating Eco-Friendly Energy from Local rivers
Gwanseol Elementary School is a small school in one of the least populated areas in Korea, abundant with mountains and rivers. With a total student population of 40, our school is situated right next to mountains and rivers. Many students commute to school either by walking or using the school bus. We believe in educating our students about the principles of electricity generation, and to provide a hands-on experience with eco-friendly energy production, we have employed personal hydroelectric generators.
Fishing elecrity
Personal hydroelectric generators utilize the flow of water to generate rotational energy, which is then stored in batteries as electrical energy. Students actively search for suitable locations to set up the generators and directly engage in 'fishing' electricity by turning the generators themselves (Device: UNO from ENOMAD)
Checking the Harvested Electricity
Students verify the electricity they 'caught' by directly going to the local river. They confirm the presence of electricity by lighting a bulb and charging a mobile phone using the stored energy in the battery. Through this process, they grasp the potential of environmentally friendly electricity generation that doesn't produce carbon emissions. (Device: UNO from ENOMAD)
