Teacher’s Diary on the Verge of Climate Breakdown Week 18: Energy

I’m at a height, unfortunately this has nothing to do with gravitational potential energy as I won’t physically fall to the ground, I’m just a bit irritated by politics and the upcoming general election.

Maybe it’s because as preparations for the end of the school year gather pace, I feel a little exhausted (my mother would say that only horses could be called “tired”). I have to save all my energy to get to the finish line for the holidays when I can recharge my batteries.

Chocolate reinforcement

I could turn to chemical energy to support me through the last few weeks of teaching. The table in the staff room is already groaning under the weight of cakes, biscuits and sweets that kind parents have given to tired teachers and TAs. However, if I calculate how many joules of energy are in the digestive chocolate before immersing it in the tea (347 kJ), then I calculate how much exercise I would have to do to burn it off (30 minutes of intense house cleaning or, worse yet, 8 minutes of jogging), then it’s easier to “just say no.”

Unlike Zammo in Grange Hill, amphetamines aren’t an option either, so as Dory said in Finding Nemo, “I’ll just swim”… even if it feels like I’m going in circles.

Fossilized fools are dinosaurs

Fossil fuels are also simply a store of chemical energy. Since the industrial revolution, we have burned coal, oil and gas to release heat energy, which we used to convert into other types of energy; in cars or aircraft engines it is converted into kinetic energy or engine motion, and in gas power plants it is converted into kinetic energy in a turbine and then into electrical energy in a generator. With each transfer, some energy is lost to the environment in the form of heat or sound. There is no room for waste on a sustainable planet. We need to ensure that every watt of power is used efficiently (KS4 version: Power = Energy ÷ Time).

Any corporation that continues to focus on economic growth but fails to consider how to move to net zero and decarbonize its operations is obviously underestimating the massive change we need. The same with schools – we talk about preparing young people for the future, but we do not provide them with the skills they need for a sustainable life. The education sector is a significant emitter of carbon dioxide, and reducing carbon emissions would support the global transition to net zero emissions. It is estimated that schools in England alone emit around 9.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.

Decarbonization

We must therefore start this decarbonization in schools to gain momentum and fuel the necessary changes. Many school estates are still cut off from gas supplies with old infrastructure or have ineffective insulation. The good news is that there are an increasing number of charities and organizations trying to raise awareness and improve energy efficiency in schools.

Now we just need the government (whichever government it is – I try to remember to be impartial) to finance this just transition. It is worth remembering that the tax-paying staff is made up of people who themselves once attended school.

RENEWABLE

The idea is simple so I don’t have to spell it out. The UK already produces ~50% of energy from renewable sources. We use thermal energy from solar radiation, thermal energy stored in the ground beneath our feet, or kinetic energy from moving water and wind.

Our small farm is now fossil fuel free. We have a ground source heat pump that is powered primarily by solar panels on the roof. We use solar energy to charge an electric car battery and our trees to generate heat in a wood stove (we live in a very low density area – air pollution is real and can kill, but that’s another story).

I feel joy when I see a row of wind turbines stretching across the ridge of the landscape. I’ve heard the argument that they are unsightly or that the moving blades kill birds, but science suggests that cats and buildings are responsible for the deaths of many more birds, and that climate change and habitat loss are the most serious problems facing wildlife.

Onshore wind is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to achieve energy security. Of course, although the UK is one of the windiest countries in the world, we still need other options because the wind doesn’t blow all the time (a fact Hubster would deny as his beans struggle to gain shares and keep getting thrown to the ground). In addition to the growing number of crowdfunded projects on resilient energy, there have been enormous advances in battery technology, with simple solutions such as gravity or thermal batteries becoming more accepted.

Struggle for power in the classroom

Every day at precisely 09:00, the energy level of my 9th grade students is already like a lead balloon. Meanwhile, my own energy is somewhere between a wind turbine during a hurricane and a caffeine-fueled Tasmanian devil. It’s like herding snails during a laser light show. How am I doing, you ask? Simple: positive reinforcement and promises of vegetarian jelly beans (in line with our healthy school policy, of course).

Younger children, like my enthusiastic Year 7s, have excess energy. This is inversely proportional to my levels when I start giving up coffee, but my students are also future energy innovators. They are like little batteries, full of potential, even if it is sometimes misdirected, a bit like elastic energy. Their ideas for renewable energy sources are as crazy as their imagination.

Last week, student D proposed a hamster-powered generator. While it’s a bit of a logistical nightmare, I admire the creativity. Maybe one day we’ll look back on his idea and thank him for our hamster wheeled cars. However, Student J suggested treadmills for teachers so they could generate electricity and exercise while teaching – I explained that this might not be such a SMART goal. At least hamsters can’t argue.

Positive climate change

Every now and then I come across an article or educational resource suggesting that teachers should discuss the pros and cons of climate change with students. Recently someone asked if teachers had addressed issues such as: new crops and increased yields; melting of ice making Siberian oil available; additional tourist destinations; and more. I wish they would stop doing this.

The UK is already struggling with lower crop yields due to increased rainfall and higher energy prices because the government has failed to invest in renewable energy infrastructure. Compared to Mexico and India, which experience heat waves of ~50°C, we may still not feel the most serious effects of climate change, but they are insidious and will increasingly harm our way of life. Tell your candidate for parliament that you want to say “no” to new fossil fuels, if only for the sake of small children!

Note to self: It’s really important to maintain both your personal energy level and sense of humor. Energy is everywhere; in the sun, wind, earth, and even in a room full of sugar-fed children. It’s my sense of humor that I have to try very hard to maintain.