Woodridge College and Preparatory School is on a mission to minimise and eventually eradicate its carbon footprint on its picturesque location overlooking the Van Stadens River Gorge with the launch of its Eco Smart initiative.
In a bid to have one of the lowest carbon footprints per educated child in the country, Woodridge launched Eco Smart in August, a programme designed to reduce its impact on the environment and reduce energy consumption costs by 30%.
College headmaster Derek Bradley said in the year since wildfires destroyed about half of the campus, Woodridge had used the incident as an opportunity to modernise the school and rebuild it with future energy-efficient objectives in mind.
Woodridge College and Preparatory spokesperson Lynne Niemann said the eventual goal was for the school to be completely self-sufficient and off the municipal water and electricity grid.
“Being located in Thornhill we do feel the effects in terms of services, being on the edge of the metro. This contributed to the establishment of the initiative. However, the aim remains to create an eco-conscious mindset among all pupils,” Niemann said.
“We are busy with several projects relating to the initiative. All of the pupils are busy with eco bricks made from filled plastic bottles to build our sustainable green garden.
“All of the buildings are being equipped with Jojo tanks for water security and regreening the campus, and we are collecting sponsorships for solar panels to tackle energy generation, to name a few.”
Managed by a dedicated team under the direction of Woodridge alumnus Ray Holmes, Eco Smart is being rolled out in phases with each focusing on one aspect of sustainability, namely energy generation, energy efficiency, water security and recycling.
Holmes, a 1976 Woodridge matriculant, was also the project manager of the R120m rebuild of the school, and together with his team of 400 workers rebuilt the pristine campus in little over a year.
Bradley said as a result of the school’s location, the environment had always been an essential part of its ethos and it instilled strong ties between pupils and nurturing the surrounding nature.
“Eco Smart is designed to preserve our surroundings and reduce our environmental impact, and it’s something that all pupils and staff are excited about,” Bradley said.
“We want to create an ecoconscious mindset among staff, pupils and their families to influence future generations. We want to inspire by using a progressive approach to modern education.”
Bradley said the vision was to become a true eco-school.
“Eco Smart has the potential to position Woodridge as a shining example of eco awareness and sustainable schooling.”