On Friday 12 November as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) drew to a close, young people at Kibble held their own special COP26 Conference just a few miles along the road.
The Kibble COP26 Conference was organised by senior pupils at Goudie Academy and was a platform to discuss with senior staff how we can champion climate change across Kibble.
The event took place at the Gannochy Centre for Expressive Arts and each of the invited guests were warmly welcomed with teas and coffee served in a reusable plastic mug with environmental designs handcrafted by pupils. On the day’s busy agenda were questions around reducing food waste, improved recycling, sustainable transport, renewable energy use and methods for energy reduction. The conference was the amalgamation of months of hard work by pupils who are actively working towards their Eco Schools Award. To commence the conference pupils played a poignant video they had created in the classroom which showed the impact of climate change on our world, and the actions of our young people to help in the fight against it. This included them proudly walking and waving banners in the COP26 Youth March alongside thousands of others making their voice heard.
Each young person had a set list of questions to ask staff and there was great energy and enthusiasm in the room as we discussed electric vehicles, composting food waste, solar energy and ideas to reduce food waste. One young person impressed us with his extremely in-depth knowledge of cars and how hybrid vehicles operate, whilst another shared a story of turning off all the appliances in her house… including even the fridge freezer! After the conference reached a close, we agreed that this would just be the start and we would meet monthly to agree actions and next steps to continue this momentum.
Before pupils excitedly headed off for lunch to chat about the event and their incredible achievements, they proudly showed staff their COP26 timeline with dates of world leaders’ arrivals, climate marches, press cuttings, photos and messages of hope for the future.
We look forward to coordinating our approach and making a difference to our planet at an individual, organisational, cultural and collective level with others across the globe. Together, we can make a difference!