Livingston schoolboy teaches green lessons

Feb 4 2010 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

SCHOOLBOY Lewis MacDonald, hopes to make his teachers learn some lessons from his plans for his West Lothian school.

Eleven-year-old Lewis, who is a pupil at Williamston Primary School in Livingston, worked with a professional designer to develop plans for his ‘sustainable school of the future’, which he hopes will persuade his school to introduce more environmentally-friendly measures.

The work was part of his project with the Scottish Gas Generation Green Think Tank, the UK’s first environmental think tank exclusive to schoolchildren.

Lewis consulted 20 people including his local MSP, head of education and head of operational services at West Lothian Council on ideas for the design before taking to his drawing board.

The final plans include wind turbines, a vegetable garden, rainwater collection facilities, solar panels, compost and recycling bins.

Commenting on his design, Lewis said that he was delighted to take part in the initiative which has made him much more aware of environmental issues.

He continued: “The Generation Green Think Tank has taught me all about simple changes that we can make at school and at home to save energy in the future.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with a professional designer to draw up plans for a sustainable school.”

Throughout 2009, Lewis and his fellow think tank members have worked with environmental experts at Closed Loop Recycling Centre, the UK’s first food-grade plastics recycler; Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), the UK’s largest mixed use sustainable community and the Met Office, as well as think tank chair and author of The New Green Consumer Guide, Juila Hailes MBE.

In a series of workshops, they have developed a six-point plan for tackling climate change and encouraging greener behaviour.

They will present these to the Secretary of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband and an audience of influential MPs from all three political parties at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday (February 9).

And Lewis says he is hopeful that his suggestions may be adopted by his, and other, schools.

He said: “I hope schools really do look like this in the future.

“I’m going to talk to my teachers and classmates to see what changes we can make for climate change in the future at the school.

“These could include such ideas as introducing wind turbines into the school grounds and a vegetable patch to the school.”