Tongue Primary School pupils lobby Highland Council to save energy by turning off powerful spotlights at waste centre
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Eco-conscious pupils at a north Sutherland primary school are lobbying Highland Council to reduce the level of lighting at a waste recycling centre, which is claimed to looks like a “big cruise ship” at night.
The 23 pupils at Tongue Primary School, which recently achieved its fourth Eco Schools green flag accreditation, have written letters to the authority and also to Councillor Karl Rosie, chairman of the council’s climate change committee.
Tongue Community Council is supporting the pupils and has sent its own letter to Cllr Rosie.
A school spokesman said that local residents could clearly see the lights at the civic amenity site shining at night.
“It looks like there is a big cruise ship or something moored across there but it is only the dump,” she said. “They are really powerful spotlights and lots of them.”
Located across the causeway at Achuvoldrach, the amenity site contains bottle and textile banks as well as an area for electrical recycling. There is also a fenced in-yard with a shed where Highland Council vehicles and equipment are stored.
In his letter, Xander (7) wrote: “I save energy by turning off my play station, the tv and the fridge. We think that Highland Council should also save energy and help save the planet.”
Elli (7) said she was “frustrated” about the energy being wasted, while Jack, Millie and Sophia, all aged six, were “sad” and Paige (8) “disappointed”.
Principal teacher Dee Roberts said: “The children are concerned about the waste of electricity - they have been looking at ways to try and take climate action as a community.
“We are also studying electricity and looking at renewable electricity and greener options as our whole school topic.
“We live in a beautiful part of the world and the children are all very proud of this and want to preserve it as best they can for the future.”
In its letter, Tongue Community Council wrote: “The degree of lighting at the recycling centre is seen as excessive and has been the subject of numerous complaints from local residents over the years.”
The community council praised pupils for their environmental activities such as tree planting and litter pick-ups around the village.
Cllr Rosie said: “I was absolutely delighted to be contacted by the Tongue Primary school children, although the least responsible for the climate emergency, children are the most vulnerable to its effects.
“I have been very encouraged by the level of public engagement that I have received since the establishment of Highland Council’s climate change committee, and particularly want to thank Tongue Community Council and teaching staff at Tongue Primary School for facilitating the children’s desire for climate action and energy saving measures.
“It is imperative that we ensure our children and young people across the Highlands are given a voice and included in our efforts and considerations to address climate change and how we may achieve a Net Zero Highlands.
“I will be contacting Tongue Primary directly and very much look forward to working towards finding an appropriate solution for the children’s request."
A Highland Council spokesman said: “There is a time switch for the lighting augmented with a master switch at the entry gate. The lights are currently left on for security purposes.
“There was an incident whereby cabling was damaged rendering these lights non-operational. We then experienced a break-in and among various other items the batteries for the standby generator were stolen. This generator is required to ensure we can access the main building via the large roller doors, work safely and also supply fuel to the snow ploughs and other equipment during a storm or power cut. The theft was reported to the police.”
