Deputy Mayor kicks off the London Schools Hydrogen Challenge
14 Sep 2007
Source: Mayor of London

A new competition to encourage London schoolchildren to think about cleaner energy and how it will help reduce the capital’s impact on climate change will be launched by Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron on Wednesday 19th September at City Hall.

The London Schools Hydrogen Challenge, www.lshc.co.uk, is an interactive educational science programme developed by the London Hydrogen Partnership. The Challenge, which has been created in partnership with BMW (UK) Ltd, is aimed at schoolchildren aged 11 to 14 years old across all 33 London boroughs. To encourage schools to sign-up to the Challenge a first prize of £1,000 is being offered. Schools that have completed the Challenge successfully will be invited to compete in the Grand Final at City Hall in June 2008.

The Challenge website supports the National Curriculum, engages students and helps teachers to integrate activities into lesson plans. The website is designed for use on interactive whiteboards in classrooms so pupils can carry out hands on virtual experiments (1). As students work their way through the Challenge resources they will learn more about the problems with non-renewable energy, the need for renewable energy and the science behind hydrogen technology. The Challenge is open to all secondary schools in London and will run from September 2007.

Deputy Mayor of London and chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership Nicky Gavron said: ‘The London Schools Hydrogen Challenge is a fantastic tool for London's schoolchildren and their teachers. This initiative from the London Hydrogen Partnership promotes the importance of hydrogen as the ultimate clean energy source, with a key role in reducing London's impact on climate change as well as cutting air pollution. These schoolchildren are the pathfinders. It is their generation that can achieve the cleaner and greener hydrogen economy, but we need more young people to choose a career in developing green technologies. This website opens the door by offering a fun and interesting approach to learning.'

During the launch teachers will be able to try out the new website and seek guidance and advice from the team that put it together. Every registered teacher who attends the launch will be entered into a prize draw to win an interactive whiteboard and science equipment for their school.

Prizes for winning schools at the Grand Final are sponsored by Air Products (1st Prize £1,000) and Transport for London (Second Prize £600/Third Prize £400) and every finalist will receive a model hydrogen powered vehicle courtesy of Horizonfuelcell.com and a model BMW Hydrogen 7 Car provided by BMW (UK) Ltd.

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