学进去

Recent climate change reports have painted a shocking picture of the earth’s future, but a tiny school of just 400 students decided to change the situation.

In 2021, Huonville High School in Tasmania, Australia beat other competitors from around the world and won the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The school used the $133,000 prize to completely change an old building, turning it into the Zayed Future Energy Center, where students can learn how to use clean, renewable energy sources just like sunshine in everyday life.

The new building is equipped(配备) with solar panels, special windows and other high-tech things. Now, there are also some bikes available. Student volunteers ride these bikes to produce electricity that can be used to boil oil and make small fried cakes as a sweet reward for their own efforts. So far, the students’ efforts at the center have saved their school more than $44,000 on its bills.

Teacher and program director Nel Smit says the center has become an important place for students while drawing attention to a topic many people choose to ignore. “The center is a meeting place for students. but it’s also a place where we hold demonstration(示范) events for the whole community?” she explains, “It has raised their awareness. They try to use clean and renewable energy in their life.”

“Being part of the center has surely helped me feel like I’m doing something. I’m making a change, and my life is more and more eco-friendly,” says the student Aisha Fisher. “Running away from climate change as a young person doesn’t help.” Aisha says. “The best thing you can do is to look at it from a positive, realistic opinion, and see what you can do by yourself.”