By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE light bulb went on for Steven Adams this year.
The school environment officer at Hallam Senior College has been instrumental in pushing to have LED lights introduced to several rooms across the campus – an environmental alternative to its current fluorescent lights.
A total of 37 LED lights have been installed at the school with a $2000 Casey council grant covering the majority of the cost.
“Casey council offered $2000 for a project that could demonstrate environmental sustainability,” Mr Adams said.
“David Westlake at Casey council was particularly supportive and the principal class at Hallam Senior College are always open to new projects that bring something new and different.
“Once the grant was approved the process was remarkably quick and easy.
“We contacted an electrician who has done plenty of work on the school and located three rooms that would best benefit from LED lighting.
“I chose my staffroom and two other rooms nearby so that I could get a good understanding of the quality of light that is produced.”
True to his role at the school, Mr Adams sought to replace some of the fluorescent lights around the school after acknowledging the potential harm they can cause the environment.
“Fluorescent tubes are difficult to dispose of correctly and contain mercury and other nasty chemicals to get them to work,” he said.
“The ‘dust’ in fluorescent tubes is toxic and if a fluorescent tube was to break in a classroom, the classroom would need to be evacuated and the person cleaning up the mess would require protective clothing to do so.”
Mr Adams said it would cost Hallam Senior College roughly $50,000 to install LED lighting throughout the entire school, a price he notes as “prohibitive”.
But the environment officer knows all journeys begin with a single step.
“The first stage of the project is now complete and a success.
“There is now more than a theoretical proof of concept but a working small scale of the potential for a greater roll out,” he said.
“The next stage will be to start to move to LED lighting throughout the whole school and then through every public school in Victoria.
“This will require community and political support to achieve this aim.
“Thank you to Casey council who allowed Hallam Senior College to get the start-up funds to install LEDs to provide the first step in a much larger project.”
