Emalahleni Eco-youngster warriors in the Making
Youngsters thrive in energy conservation efforts laid out by the local municipality
The Emalahleni Local Municipality exhibited commitment by hosting the first-ever Energy Efficiency Project Awards.
On Tuesday, April 30, learners from the schools recognised as the competition’s best scorers were awarded prizes at the eMalahleni Banquet Hall.
The competitive event was organised by the Technical Services – Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM) Programme.
The municipality had previously invited various schools in eMalahleni to participate in the energy efficiency school competition.
By involving schools in this effort, the municipality hopes to instill in the next generation a sense of energy conservation and environmental awareness. This programme aims to minimise the municipality’s operational costs while simultaneously contributing to environmental sustainability through reduced energy consumption.
The overarching goal of these projects was to enhance energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and support sustainable behaviors in the municipality.
The municipality aims to save money, reduce its carbon footprint, and set a good example for other local governments by replacing street lights and high tower lights with more energy-efficient options.
Furthermore, by launching the energy-efficient school competition in 2023/2024, the municipality hopes to educate and involve the community, particularly students, about the importance of energy conservation and environmental responsibility.
The learners who took part wrote essays about energy efficiency and created models and charts to demonstrate the importance of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable behaviors.
They were evaluated based on their inventiveness, relevancy, visual and emotional impact on the audience, communication quality, and overall effectiveness.
Cambridge Academy received the honor for being the top-performing school in the competition, Maloma Combined School got the award for best poster, and Nancy Shiba Primary School along with Bongi Duvha Primary School were both awarded for the best-submitted essay on the energy efficiency project.
Mr Collen Brentjies who is the deputy director of technical services, explained that the event went beyond their expectations, the levels of maturity, and also the innovation that was shown by these young learners, impressed them. “We are proud of them, and we are also feeling confident as we submit nationally, and we think that they will have a positive impact. We also would have appreciated every school in the community to have participated in this event because we feel it is an important event for all the schools,” said Brentjies.
This competition will also be impactful to the learners as it will also be submitted nationally.
The acting mayor, Clr Vusi Nhlapho, addressed the importance of everyone continuing to support energy efficiency in their daily lives and communities, “Indeed, we appreciate the effort that you have made to ensure that this event becomes a success. In conclusion, I would like to thank the schools once more for participating in this event. We wish the schools a bright future and let us all contribute to the reduction of our carbon footprinting earth,” he said.
The municipal manager, Mr Sizwe Mayisela, encourages more schools to engage in such programmes since they provide an opportunity for the municipality to communicate with and promote those who support and commit to increasing energy efficiency and creating awareness about energy conservation.
The municipality showed gratitude by thanking the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy for their ongoing support and partnership in the energy efficiency school competition, thanked the schools for taking part in this programme, and the educators for their constructive contributions and devotion throughout the process.
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