A Sustainable School
Would you like to start making your school building and/or schoolyard more sustainable? Or would you like to incorporate energy and climate issues into your lessons? On this page, you’ll find information, inspiration, and funding opportunities.
A sustainable building and schoolyard
Schools play a significant role in making Voorschoten a sustainable community. School boards can take measures on their own initiative to reduce CO2 emissions. The municipality wants to support school boards wherever possible so they can implement as many measures as possible.
Small steps can lead to immediate energy savings. For a large-scale approach, it is important to identify exactly what savings are possible. The municipality is committed to moving forward quickly in collaboration with the schools so that these savings can actually be realized.
There are various sustainability initiatives that schools can participate in:
- Schools on Track for 2030
- Schools Save Energy
- School Roof Revolution
- Optimal Ventilation in Schools
- Eco-Schools
Schools can already do a lot on their own to save energy without making major investments. Here are some small steps you can take to make your school more sustainable right away:
- Adjusting the heating and ventilation to match the school's hours of operation
- Regular (annual) maintenance of ventilation systems (replacing dirty filters)
- Replacing old, energy-inefficient appliances (refrigerators, computers, coffee makers)
- Behavioral coaching for the team and students (turning off computers, projectors, digital whiteboards, and lights; closing windows and doors in the winter; setting the heat to levels 2–3)
- Use of energy-efficient lighting
- Heating System Calibration
- Use of Thermostatic Valves
- Use of Monitoring
Educational Kits
There are various educational resources available on energy conservation and sustainability. ThroughGroenGelinkt( ), you can find many providers of educational resources on energy, climate, and sustainability.
Financing Options
Schools can take advantage of various existing grants:
- ISDE grant for the use of sustainable heat generation, such as heat pumps, solar water heaters, and insulation;
- 's SDE++ subsidy for solar panels connected to a high-volume consumer connection;
- The province of South Holland has a program called “Sunny South Holland” ( ). This is a grant for installing solar panels on large roofs that lack the load-bearing capacity required for standard panels.