The primary aim of the Global High Schools category is to inspire future generations across the globe by instilling an ethos of sustainability from an early age, including an appreciation of issues in energy, and broader sustainability.
The Global High Schools category will therefore not focus on past activities of the school. Instead, each school will submit a detailed proposal for a project, and the Prize will become a grant that enables the project’s completion. While the main objective is to promote sustainability in schools, special emphasis of the proposed project should be on specific measurable initiatives to promote renewable energy and sustainability, which may include improvements in energy or water efficiency, or a reduction in waste.
Grant money will be allocated to one school in each of five regions: The Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia. Each regional winner will be allocated up to $100,000, with the final Prize amounts decided based on financial information submitted in the project proposals.
The category is open to all high schools that teach students within the age group 11-19 years (we recognize that some high schools may accept students younger than 11, but we expect most of the students involved in this application to be older). This application must have the support of the school and its management. There will be one recipient in each of five regions: the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia. Each regional winner will be allocated up to $100,000, with the final Prize amounts decided based on financial information submitted in the project proposals.
If you have a project that could win the Zayed Future Energy Prize, we want to know about it. Before you fill in the application below, see if the project you have in mind fulfils the following key criteria:
Impact
- Projects must produce at least one tangible improvement in relation to its energy usage and sustainability, for example a reduction in energy or water consumption, or in carbon emissions.
- There should also be a way of measuring progress towards these goals. For example, if the project will improve energy efficiency, we want to know how much energy will be saved (compared to what?), and how you will check that this has been achieved.
- The project should have some educational outcomes, for example the attainment of skills and understanding in sustainability, or in monitoring or operating energy systems.
- Projects should be feasible, and the Prize money must make a significant contribution toward the project’s costs.
Innovation:
The project should be inventive and resourceful, and should make use of the school’s particular strengths and attributes.
You should consider using creative, perhaps even unconventional, methods to maximise the impact of the project.
Leadership
- The project should be a collaborative effort involving students and staff, with students involved in planning as well as implementation if possible, and staff providing their time, expertise and other resources in support.
- Students should be involved in taking important decisions in the project.
- The project should engage parents and the wider community and should raise awareness of the importance of sustainability issues.
Long-Term Vision
- The project should positively impact the school’s environmental sustainability, and these effects should last for several years after it has been implemented.
- There is a coherent plan for managing the project in the long term.
- The project should educate students and promote an on-going commitment to sustainability and global environmental stewardship.
Source: USGBC
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