Schoolgen Newsletter December 2007


	Volume 2 Decmber 2007 Welcome to the second Schoolgen newsletter!		Index: Schoolgen Expansion, A new addition to the team, www.schoolgen.co.nz, Schoolgen educational resources, Corporate social responsibility, Feedback

	Schoolgen has had an extremely successful first year of operation - six schools in Auckland have had photovoltaic panels installed on their roofs and over 6000 kWh electricity has been generated by these panels, which equates to a saving of over 1.4 tonnes of CO₂ that would have otherwise been emitted into the atmosphere! In this newsletter, we will let you in on some really exciting news about Schoolgen; describe the new teacher and student-led inquiry activities that have been developed for the programme, tell you a little bit about our website upgrade and share what Genesis Energy is doing to make the world a better place. Schoolgen is going from strength to strength and we're thrilled to have you along on this journey with us.


		SCHOOLGEN EXPANSION Genesis Energy has approved funding for Schoolgen to the tune of $2.5 million over the next three years. Genesis Energy's goal is to have solar panels installed in 56 schools by 2010, and to have every school in New Zealand involved in the Schoolgen programme in some way in the next five years.
	The solar panels allow the schools to generate a portion of their own electricity, but more importantly, Schoolgen focuses on teaching children about renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity generation and climate change. Currently we are recruiting 10 schools in the Greater Auckland and Hamilton City regions to have a 2 kilowatt (kW) PV system installed. We look forward to announcing those schools in our next Schoolgen newsletter. If your local school could be a candidate for Schoolgen, whether it’s primary or secondary, public or private, register your interest on the Schoolgen website www.schoolgen.co.nz. The sooner we receive expressions of interest from other schools, the earlier we will be able to start the selection process for the next phase of the programme! Back to top

		Panels on the roof of Northcote College

	A NEW ADDITION TO THE TEAM To help with the rollout of Schoolgen, we are in the process of appointing a full-time ‘Environmental Educator’ to strengthen the Schoolgen team. We realise that being involved with Schoolgen shouldn’t just mean having panels installed on the roof of your school, but a support system and easily accessible information source are needed as well. Essentially, this person will provide the much-needed support to Schoolgen schools and will be the day-to-day contact and liaison between schools and Genesis Energy.

	The Environmental Educator will travel around the Schoolgen sites, assisting schools to utilise the web-based Schoolgen resources and creating an awareness of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change amongst students, staff and the wider school community. We are aiming to have the Environmental Educator appointed by early 2008 and we look forward to introducing the successful candidate to you in the next newsletter! Back to top

	Panels on the roof of Tirimoana Primary School
		WWW.SCHOOLGEN.CO.NZ After receiving feedback from you, we are changing the look of the Schoolgen website to make it easier to find the information you are looking for. Redevelopment of the site is currently underway and will be complete in time for the start of the 2008 school year. The website is a key tool in making Schoolgen available to every school in New Zealand.
	The wonderful thing about Schoolgen is that your school doesn’t need to have the panels installed to take advantage of the comprehensive and user-friendly teacher/student resources that are available on the website. Any school, anywhere in New Zealand (or the world for that matter), can visit the website and as well as seeing how much electricity has been generated and how much CO₂ has been saved by the programme, educational resources can be downloaded for use in their classrooms free of charge. Back to top

		The installed 2KW system at Pakuranga College
	SCHOOLGEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES New teacher and student-led inquiry activities have been developed to complement the existing teacher resources currently available on the Schoolgen website. These resources have been developed for teachers and students (Years 1 - 13) from all New Zealand schools and to align closely with the New Zealand Curriculum’s Vision, Principles, and Key Competencies. The Schoolgen resources cover a wide range of learning areas including: Social Sciences, Science (Environmental Education), English, Mathematics and Statistics, Technology and Physics.

	The Schoolgen website provides up-to-date data in the form of tables and graphs recording the amount of electricity generated by the PV panels in Schoolgen schools. Some of the Schoolgen activities focus on developing students’ skills in interpreting this data and building their understanding of how fluctuations in power generation are affected by a wide range of factors. The Schoolgen resources developed for senior secondary Physics students compare and analyse electricity generation data from Schoolgen schools with data from Solar Schools in Australia, and apply basic Physics principles to explain trends and account for and predict variations in electricity generation. The teacher-led activities focus on solar energy, photovoltaic systems and the social and political contexts for use of renewable energy technologies. They cross a range of curriculum areas and although they have been designed to target specific levels of learning, they can be adapted to focus on specific curriculum areas or to suit different levels. The new resources will be available on the Schoolgen website in February 2008 so make sure to visit the site and check them out! Back to top

	Minister of energy and climate change, David Parker, speaking at the launch of the Hello Tomorrow programme
		CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Genesis Energy takes its responsibilities to the communities it operates in very seriously and Schoolgen is one way the company is making a difference. Schoolgen is one of Genesis Energy’s key CSR initiatives because it brings to life the importance of climate change, renewable energy and electricity generation for a whole generation of young New Zealanders. By providing the educational resources linked with Schoolgen to all schools for no cost to the school, Genesis Energy hopes the learnings associated with the programme will resound with not only students but the wider school communities, including parents, teachers and others. Climate change is a big issue and Schoolgen is one of the ways Genesis Energy is making a difference.
	The company has recently launched its CSR strategy known as the Hello Tomorrow Programme. Within this programme are three categories where all Genesis Energy’s CSR programmes fit; Addressing the impacts of climate change; Reducing our environmental footprint, and Making a difference in the communities where we operate and beyond. Schoolgen sits alongside other CSR programmes the company is involved with, including the Genesis Oncology Trust, the Huntly Curtain Bank and ElectroCity; sponsoring health centres and sports stadiums around the country and looking after the natural ecology around the company’s generation assets. A recently launched CSR initiative is the Employee Volunteering Programme, where all Genesis Energy staff are entitled to take one day each year to volunteer in the community. Staff are encouraged to volunteer their time at one of the company’s CSR projects and this can include helping at a Schoolgen school and can be anything from reading help to presenting a wide range of information about the energy sector and how electricity is made…. The possibilities are quite endless! If your Schoolgen school would like to have some Genesis Energy staff visit for the day, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Back to top


	FEEDBACK We really appreciate any feedback you have on Schoolgen - the programme itself, the resources that are available... anything at all. We take on board all comments we receive and we’re constantly updating the look and format of the programme accordingly. Please contact us with any ideas you have for making the programme better or more accessible and likewise if you have any questions about Schoolgen. Back to top

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	© Copyright 2007 Genesis Energy This information has been compiled by Genesis Energy for information purposes only. While reasonable endeavours have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, Genesis Energy does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information. Genesis Energy does not accept any liability or responsibility for any error, inaccuracy or omission in the information or for the use of such information by any person for any purpose.
	The Ministry for the Environment does not necessarily endorse or support the content of the publication in any way.