Canberra’s first public school designed to produce zero greenhouse gas emissions has been opened.
Margaret Hendry School in the northern suburb of Taylor is the first ACT school to be sourcing all its energy from electricity alone.
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury said the new school showed that buildings that used only electricity were perfectly feasible, as well as comfortable and economical, even in a large and complex environment such as a school.
“As a response to climate change, we’re aiming to make the ACT completely carbon neutral by 2045,” Mr Rattenbury said, “and a critical part of this is transitioning away from fossil fuels.”
“This means we need to stop using natural gas, and instead use electricity from renewable sources,” he said.
“Margret Hendry School is an example of the type of public facility we will see much more of in Canberra.”
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Yvette Berry said the Margaret Hendry School was an example of what all new schools could achieve.
“The ACT’s public education sector provides a great example of the pursuit of sustainable development in new and existing schools,” Ms Berry said.
“These approaches explore the roles that technology, infrastructure and behaviour play in reducing carbon emissions,” she said.
The initiatives adopted by the school to ensure it was carbon neutral include solar panels, automated LED lighting, double glazed windows; electric boosted solar hot water and external shading to keep learning environments naturally cooler.
