A group of students and teachers travelled from North Yorkshire to 10 Downing Street on 17 October, to hand in a report written by over 200 school children on what the government, schools and individuals should do to tackle climate change.
The journey to Number 10 started earlier this year, at a one-day conference for North Yorkshire schools. At the conference, 207 young people from primary, secondary and special schools discussed climate change and shared their views on how individuals, schools and the government should tackle it.
The young people decided that their ideas were good enough to be sent to the Prime Minister.
Some of their top ideas include improving energy efficiency in homes and schools and increasing the amount of clean electricity generation. The report even asks the Prime Minister to lead by example and install solar panels on the roof of Number 10.
A group of students and teachers from Mowbray School, along with Harrogate Borough Council’s Environment Projects Officer, John Ward-Campbell and North Yorkshire County Council’s Schools’ Carbon Reduction Officer Peter Bell met Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and Julian Sturdy MP for York Outer at Downing Street, to hand in the report at the Prime Minister’s famous front door.
After the report handover, Mr Jones took the group on a behind the scenes tour of the Houses of Parliament.
Mowbray School, a special school in Bedale, won the schools’ climate change competition with the prize being to represent everyone who wrote the report.
The students hope that the Prime Minister will take their suggestions on board and take more action on climate change.
Downing Street schools’ climate change.jpg: Caption North Yorkshire group present the report on the steps of 10 Downing Street. Front row, l-r Julian Sturdy MP, Isabelle Duffus, James Murray (holding report), Dean Snowdon-Manga, Andrew Jones MP Back row, l-r: John Ward-Campbell, Peter Berry, Lucy Wallace
Councillor Michael Harrison, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment said:
I’m delighted that we were able to lead this project with the help of our colleagues in the other councils in North Yorkshire. The report that pupils have put together, shows that they really care about of climate change. I am encouraged to see their constructive suggestions about what we should all do, and hope the Prime Minister reads what they have to say.
County councillor Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Schools said:
This has been an excellent initiative. Young people care a great deal about the environment and the need to be more energy efficient and through this project they have learnt the most effective ways of putting their suggestions across to the public and policy makers – all the way to the top!
