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Steiner leading the way with eco-school

September 28, 2009

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steiner-kids1Glasgow Steiner School may be located in a 19th century building but its redevelopment could provide a model for schools across Glasgow in the 21st century and beyond.
An ambitious Low Carbon Vision program is under way which will allow the school, on Lumsden Street in Yorkhill, to achieve carbon efficiency and also  generate a new income stream by selling excess electricity to the national grid.
Anne Lumb, Convener of the Steiner Glasgow Building and Environment Group believes working with the old building and using natural resources is the only way forward.
She said:  ‘We have a fantastic old building that we are aiming to make fit for the future. What is the point in building a new structure when we can improve and work with the old one?
There is presently scaffolding surrounding the school allowing work - using natural resources like sheep’s wool, which creates a thremo-fleece to insulate the building - to be carried out.
This is just phase one, which is on course for completion by December. The future plans have been awarded a Climate Change Fund Grant that will allow for feasibility studies on a new energy efficient heating solution, will commence in 2010.
The school is not funded directly by the Scottish Government, and it’s been a long road as Jenny Charters, from Firhill, one of the parents of the children who is very involved, explained.
She said:  ‘We started off with no money, but we organised fund-raisers like auctions and cake-bakes, everything you can imagine, and raised £15,000 to get a digital survey done which in turn allowed us to apply for the grants. ‘Parents and pupils have to do a lot of the work here, they help out the teachers. It’s a united approach.’
Steiner is very different to other private schools as it adopts a holistic approach which aims to educate what they call the whole child - head, heart and hands.
Until very recently fees were only applicable to people who could afford to pay and would allow parents of various incomes into the school. But the financial demands on the school have changed that position.
Jenny explained; ‘We have reached a stage now where new parents that want to send their kids to this school there is a fee, but we still negotiate and do deals for people who are single parents or have two or three children at the school.’

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Written by Erik Geddes · Filed Under Features, Glasgow West, Local News 


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