This guy (Headmaster Rob Benzie) has become Scrooge in England, except he doesn’t provide even one lump of coal, because, well that would mess up his “carbon footprint”. This is just too bizarre not to pass on, thanks to The Daily Bayonet who writes:
A headmaster at a British school decided a great lesson in sustainability would be to turn off the heat for a day. In December:
Pupils at Ansford Academy in Castle Cary, Somerset, were forced to grip their pens through thick gloves and wear their coats and hats in class as temperatures dropped to 1C. The school’s headmaster, Rob Benzie, shut down the radiators as an experiment to show students how the school could cut its carbon footprint.
The headmaster is unapologetic and wants to do it again:
…headteacher Mr Benzie, 52, defended the day, saying it was ‘a success.’ ‘We turned off the heating as an experiment to see if we can lower our carbon footprint,’ he said. ‘We allowed pupils to wear as many jumpers as they liked and everyone seemed to be happy enough although it did get pretty chilly. ‘We gave letters to pupils to take home to their parents informing them about the eco day. ‘We only had one complaint and that came from a member of staff but they just got on with it in the end.’
Mr Benzie said he hoped to repeat the eco day again next term.
The local school authority and parents should probably teach Mr. Benzie the lesson that freezing children to push a radical green agenda makes his job unsustainable, before he does something really stupid.
Thanks Jeff Id. “Do Not Cite, Quote or Distribute”. Another miracle has happened. Not all of the UN foot soldiers are drinking the koolaid methinks.
The teacher’s actions? Assault, possibly abuse. Both offences at this time in this jurisdiction.
DirkH says:
December 7, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Thanks for posting that. They say it was the students Eco group who suggested one heating free day per week in Winter; so what we have here is the usual bunch of totalitarian do-gooders who try to get away with suppressing the interest of the majority.
Maybe. There again, I’ve not had the headting on more than a couple of hours on a couple of evenings so far this winter, despite it being pretty cold, and I live in the North of England, in a house built in about 1900. This school is presumably more modern and so holds heat better, Somerset is in the south so ought to be quite a bit warmer, and they had the heating on in the morning.
My guess is it’s just Daily Mail sensationalism. Let’s not be distracted from the real issues by our understandable desire to point and laugh at the stupidity of greenies; on this occasion it seems to me the guy might have had a point.
I should send this bozo a copy of an old bumper sticker we displayed on our brief cases in our Mining Engineering Dept at the U of U at a time when the environmentalists were getting really worked up over coal mining:
He can peel off the tape and stick it to his forehead. Or better yet, across his mouth so nobody can hear the garbage coming out.
Reminds me of my childhood, no central heating, bedrooms barely above freezing, frosted windows etc etc, My old Dad said that central heating was the downfall of the British Empire and had bred a nation of softies, perhaps the Head is of that ilk. I await the commments ‘ you were lucky, we had to bathe outside in icy water’ etc
Neither for nor against the Heads madness, enjoy central heating myself, but as previous writers stated am sick of my teenagers lolling about in T shirts with heating on full on so think the Head may be just teaching them about the joys of GCH and to be a bit more respectful of energy per se. (and their parents energy bills)
There is a thing called gross professional misconduct. Mr Benzie should now find out all about it.
pauline says:
December 7, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Reminds me of my childhood, no central heating, bedrooms barely above freezing, frosted windows etc etc,
Frosted on the inside? I remember that.
Kids today …
A good eco lesson indeed, why build any more of those one room “green energy” show case School Houses, when simply going without any energy works just as well?
Derek Sorensen says:
“My guess is it’s just Daily Mail sensationalism. Let’s not be distracted from the real issues by our understandable desire to point and laugh at the stupidity of greenies; on this occasion it seems to me the guy might have had a point.”
I did not read the Daily Mail article; I only read the “local rag” you linked to. They mention the “student eco group”. So stop blaming “Daily Mail sensationalism”.
Isn’t this the type of choice which needs to be made in order to cut CO2 emissions to the level the environmentalists want.
Something has to be given up – either winter heating, vehicle transport, electricity, goods, even food and/or continual power outages if we try to move to renewable power sources (which means all of the above 80% of the time).
The envrionmentalists and the pro-AGW people are trying to sell us on the idea it will be painless if we only force it on everyone.
Well, only in fairy-land is that true.
Of course it would then take – how long to re- heat the school back to normal temperature? a better solution would be to insulate the school properly so that it didn’t drop to 1 degree in a single day. How much energy is that school wasting every day, through a lack of proper sustainable practice?
Roger Knights says:
December 7, 2011 at 1:52 pm
If this experiment had been framed differently, I think many here would approve…
It’s within the context of what is usually discussed here, if it was framed differently it probably wouldn’t be discussed here, So what? It was reported that the parents were angered by the experiment and many here happen to agree with those parents.
And as it is discussed here within the context of how daft these carbon footprint enthusiasts are, here’s another illogical argument from one of these people, actually uttered from the head master Rob Benzie.
“On occasions I have had to turn it down as too much heat can make the students fall asleep”
I wonder how warmer countries keep their students awake through their lessons without the discomfort of being in a cold environment!, maybe Rob Benzie believes their carbon footprint to run air conditioning is acceptable just to keep them awake in class. A guy behaving without any logic in a position to influence young minds does tend to draw attention people.
I’ve sat in a fue classrooms at school during cold winters, it’s not a pleasant experience, luckily we would be sent home.
🙂
@ur momisugly Gail Combs says:
December 7, 2011 at 1:06 pm
I stand by my claim – my youngest will still just wear a T-shirt if sitting around in a cold room or outside. He seems to by oblivious to the temperature.
I like a cold house, by the way, due to my mid-Atlantic upbringing. I am grateful for comments above which reaffirm my memories from living in Eynsham near Oxford as a 9-year old for half a year in 1970. The house my father rented had only a coal fire on the main floor and an electric fire in the bathroom and master bedroom but no heat in the room I had to share with a sibling. I have memories of waking up on school mornings with frost on my blankets, and trying to dress under the covers. My brothers and I learned to dress warmly and huddle by the fire to play.
I grew to appreciate the pleasures of cooler indoor temperatures, a preference reinforced by a later year-long stint spent in Wales, in another barely-heated old house, and now battle my husband to turn down the thermostat. One experience I did not appreciate from my earlier stay was the mandatory swimming lessons in an outdoor school swimming pool beginning in March, with a fat gym mistress who wore multiple layers of cardigans and jackets whilst she watched us turn blue. I bet Heath and Safety would never allow that nowadays. As Pauline says above, central heating has turned the Brits into softies!
* … from people.
Maybe the lesson for the kids is that they need to get away from their zealous ecofanatic brethren to enjoy freedom.
“Stupid is as stupid does”, Forrest Gump.
Yes, the kids will see stupid things done, they will know who did them.
This folly from the same crowd constantly whining
about Christians ‘imposing their religion’.
Last time the Christians got to do that was Prohibition.
timg56 says:
December 7, 2011 at 2:20 pm
CuriousGeorge,
I’ve wondered what the odds are of finding someone over at RealClimate who is prior service. Not very high, I’m betting. But then what does this dumb ass former sub torpedoman know? And dumbness must run in the family as I have a son who picked the Corps while in college, graduating from San Diego in 08 and then commissioned in 2010.
Give my regards to your son. The Corps needs good officers, now more than ever.
Semper Fi, from an old Gunny. 🙂
Makes you wish for Global Warming.
I can hear it in the school halls now.
“If Global Warming means I can feel my fingers when I write then I am all for it mate”
Ah to be young and subject to the whims of schoolmasters again.
I hope this guy does a real experiment to show the kids his green credentials. He could cut his home off from all forms of fossil fuel energies, including gas & electricity, for the rest of this winter and walk or take a bike to school.
P. Hager says:
December 7, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Thank you. Just thought I’d drop this in, even tho it has nothing to do with the topic. Many people don’t know that there is a very strong and historical bond between the Marine forces of free world countries. Especially so between the USMC and the Royal Marines of GB. I had the honor & pleasure of meeting with the then Sgt Maj of the Royal Marines once, when stationed at Quantico in the ’70’s. An extraordinary man whom I’ll never forget.
I also served for a time with the South Korean Marines during Vietnam. The mutual respect and admiration of these fighting men for each other, regardless of their country of origin, and their commitment and professionalism is beyond belief; and something that the political leaders of many countries (including the USA) would do well to learn from.
If this idiot had tried this malarkey at the school where I taught for 31 years he would have been hounded out of the staff room. Not one of my colleagues believed in global warming. The heating in the school was and still is very basic and a lot of staff wore thermals during the winter. Children congregated in the library during lunchtimes as it was the only reasonably warm place,
Possibly he’s had one too many Scrumpies at the Blue Ball Inn in Triscombe.
I am conflicted!
I don’t know whether this guy is an educator teaching the young skulls full of mush a valuable object lesson or whether he is an idiot teacher displaying his true intelligence.
There is a vast difference between educators and teachers.
So this bloke is a modern day “Green Monk”. Subjecting all who come in contact to his own belief in how “the world should be” rather than how it is.
And he’s the principle of a school?
Get your kids out! Now! Before further damage.
Boy ‘O boy.
Mind you, it does set a good example to the kids of runaway belief as opposed to fact and evidence.
It seems that the real tale may not be extreme – the school head claims the temp. was monitored and did not go below 18C (64.4F). If that’s true (more or less) than it’s merely a nudge and not such a bludgeon. I still think it’s more likely to make students think about where their heat/light/energy comes from and make a good number of them more not less critical of a lot of “green” claims.
If it’s “re-framed” as learning about why energy matters so much to all of us, and why we need rational not romantic analysis of policies etc. then this episode could have many unintended benefits twoard criticism of radical “greens” —
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Somerset-head-teacher-defends-eco-drive-turn/story-14069180-detail/story.html