News 9/6/09

College Helps Blow the Wind of Change

John Wheatley College is helping to show the way towards a more eco-friendly community in the East of Glasgow.  Baillie Catherine McMaster, local councillor and member of the College’s Board of Management, last week inaugurated the College’s new Wind Turbine at its Easterhouse Campus building.

Energy saving at Easterhouse Campus

The Easterhouse campus building, completed in 2001, was last year refurbished and retro-fitted to include a variety of energy-saving technologies such as solar panels, an air-sourced heat pump and, of course, the wind generator on Westerhouse Road.

With funding provided by the Scottish Community & Housholder Renewables initiative (SCHRI), the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and the Glasgow East Community Planning Partnership, the College is planning to reduce its overall carbon footprint and ensure a welcoming and energy efficient learning environment for the community.

The wind turbine generates 6kW of energy, saving £732 per annum and with Co2 savings of 1260kg.  The Energy Saving Trust have now regraded the building to a Category ‘B’ which is ‘very good’.

Plaque unvailed by Baillie Catherine McMaster

Baillie Catherine McMaster, who unveiled a plaque for the wind turbine, said;

It’s significant that this new turbine will help blow a wind of change through our community, highlighting the commitment to a reduction in global warming and to a new optimism for the residents of the local community.  Even small changes can have a massive effect and the College is to be congratulated for the role it is playing in helping make those changes.”

Andy Woolley, Chair of the Board of Management of John Wheatley College, agreed;

The College is delighted to have this highly visible symbol of its commitment to efficient energy usage, helping us create a responsible, sustainable AND welcoming environment for students. Our thanks go to the funders for their assistance and it is hoped that more of these sustainable features will become evident across the community in the months to come.