Two schoolgirls, inspired by Imagine Durban’s campaign on sustainability issues, are putting the sunshine into the taps at their suburban school with an innovative solar geyser project.

It took an international conference on sustainability in Durban to open their eyes on the impact of global warming and climate change.

Matriculant candidates Nomfundo Mbokazi and Michelle Hartley have become ambassadors for energy saving after they presented papers at the Sustainable Cities conference in Durban in 2008.

They returned to their classroom determined to launch the school’s first solar water heater system on the roof of a school block as an example of an Imagine Durban demonstration project.

Now, they are the toast of the Danville Park Girl’s High School in Durban North, where their solar water heater project has captured the imagination of the 805 pupils and their teachers.

At the conference, they expressed interest in solar geysers after rubbing shoulders with mayors and city officials from around the world on how solar energy could be successfully tapped in sun-rich Africa.

They learnt that solar water heaters saves money for people and help to increase the security of the local and national energy supply and reduce greenhouse emissions, chiefly a cause of climate change.

“We spoke of our dream for a crime-free Durban and how young people can get involved in recycling paper and energy saving and promoting peace and racial harmony to ensure sustainability. We were interested in energy saving solutions and saw solar geyser as a breakthrough for our school,” they added.

“In Canada, where there is less sun, they are using solar energy to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Here in Africa, we have plenty of sunshine, but yet we are not tapping into this sustainable energy source.”

With the knowledge economy they picked up at the conference and support from Imagine Durban’s intern Nick Brubaker, Nomfundo and Michelle got down to their challenge of installing a solar heating panel and geyser at their school.  Most of the money for the installation of the Solar Water Heater was donated by members of the PLUS Network, a network of over 30 cities around the world sharing experiences on sustainability planning (Durban is a founding member of the network).  The project also received a small contribution from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Danville Schools Paper recycling fund also contributed to the final cost of the solar water heater.

“An Imagine Durban team helped us a great deal in this project. They mentored us and provided leadership for us to achieve our goal,” said Nomfundo.

“We were taught solar energy in our Life Science class and the practical experience has stimulated our interest in doing more environmentally-friendly projects for our school community,” added Michelle.

Life Science teacher Fiona Mann added: “The school would not have gone to the top of energy saving without the efforts of Nomfundo and Michelle. They have brought about a whole new consciousness on how schoolchildren could play an important role in raising awareness on environmental issues.”

“The solar geyser installed on the roof of a school block is a visible alternative to electrical geysers. Schoolgirls have seen how the project works and they are telling their parents about this new energy-saving installation.”

Both girls are using their leadership positions in the school’s Representative Council of Learners to galvanise support from fellow pupils to get involved in recycling paper to fund the installation of more solar geysers to reduce the school’s electricity consumption. The school has also fitted energy-saving globes, encouraged staff to switch off lights and switches and motivated pupils to grow indigenous and organic plants.

For its part, the school’s environmental society has supported this project and continues to mobilise at least one hundred schools in the city’s beach clean-up campaign every year.

“We are confident that schoolchildren are the best ambassadors for the Imagine Durban project to make a difference to the city’s sustainability projects,” said Jacquie Subban, head of the eThekwini Municipality’s Geography Department.

The Imagine Durban is managed by eThekwini Municipality in conjunction with Sustainable Cities, an NGO from Vancouver, Canada.  The project has been made possible through funding from eThekwini Municipality and the Canadian International Developmental Agency (CIDA).  

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