Four million schoolchildren in energy saving drive

Sandasen MARASINGHE

How to save

* Turn off fridges between 6.30pm and 9.30pm

* Don’t iron clothes between 6.30pm and 9.30pm

Four million schoolchildren pledged yesterday to uphold their responsibility in saving electricity to face the looming energy crisis which will intensify during the next three decades.

All students in schools took an oath at 8.15am yesterday at their schools towards this end in a programme launched jointly by the Power and Energy Ministry and the Education Ministry.

The students pledged their commitment to save energy resources and protect the environment in the motherland. They also vowed that to save energy for the future, they would turn off at least one extra bulb at homes between 6.30pm and 9.30pm and attend to ironing their clothes avoiding these hours.

The main ceremony of ‘Today for Tomorrow’, the school programme to save electricity was held at Ananda College, Colombo at 8 am with the participation of Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena.

One thousand school students who took part in the ceremony vowed to save electricity.

Parallel to the national ceremony, students of all schools in the country took vows at their own schools at 8.15am in all three languages. The students would take the same vow at their schools every Monday morning during assembly for six months. The Education Ministry has already issued a circular in this regard.

Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that oil deposits on earth would last only for another 30 years.

“Thereafter, people would have to live in a world deprived of energy. Due to the burning of the fuel, the environment gets polluted and 25 percent of animal species, including man would be extinct. Therefore, students have a pivotal role to play in saving energy and protecting the environment,” the minister said.

He added that the elder generation should guide children towards this end.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that four percent of the country’s income is spent on power and energy.

He said that resorting to simple practices like turning off the fridge between 6.30pm and 9.30pm and avoiding ironing during these three hours would same a massive amount of money in the region of Rs 20 billion a year.