Bottrop vocational college is Energy Saving Champion Gold 2025”!

Bottrop vocational college is Energy Saving Champion Gold 2025”!

With its “BKB Goes Green” initiative, the vocational college of the city of Bottrop secured an outstanding place in the nationwide competition of the Federal Environment Ministry and was recently awarded “Energy Saving Master Gold 2025”. With an impressive 11,400 votes in online voting, the school secured first place and was honored for its exemplary commitment to sustainability and climate protection. The award ceremony took place at the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin, where Berthold Goeke, department head in the ministry, symbolically presented a check to the representatives of the vocational college. [Bottrop] reports that the award honors the creative ideas and tireless efforts of the staff.

The vocational college's activities are diverse and include daily climate protection tips, information campaigns and a large commitment in Bottrop's city center. Integral parts of everyday school life include waste separation, deposit collection campaigns and a “lights out” campaign. The integration of the subject of sustainability into the timetable, which covers topics such as climate protection and democracy education, also demonstrates a comprehensive approach. A sustainable highlight is the school's own photovoltaic system, which is looked after by students.

Comprehensive measures for climate protection

The competition for the title of “Energy Saving Champion” is fierce, and Bottrop was not alone. Around 450 schools in Germany took part in this initiative to develop methods to promote climate protection and sustainability. With its excellent project work - from greening the schoolyard to energy advice from students - the vocational college not only impressed the jury, but also received prize money of 2,500 euros as the state winner for North Rhine-Westphalia, followed by a further 2,500 euros as the national winner. [Techem] highlights that the school's commitment is supported by financial and public relations work from the energy service provider Techem, which is also working towards climate neutrality by 2045.

A central aspect of the project is the promotion of democracy education, which is expanded through workshops on topics such as fake news about climate change. The school also plans to network with other winning schools in order to develop sustainable collaborations. Next week, the students can expect a project week that is all about sustainability and offers interesting workshops and activities for the entire school community.

The role of the education system in climate protection

The vocational college's award is not only a success for the school itself, but also a significant step towards a comprehensive understanding of climate protection in training centers. Initiatives such as the [National Climate Protection Initiative] create a nationwide framework that supports schools and educational institutions in anchoring their ideas and projects on the topic of climate protection in the long term. This is also shown by the idea of ​​education for sustainable development (ESD), which is implemented in numerous projects and materials. [Lehrcare] provides an overview of such initiatives and emphasizes the need to sensitize students to the issues of climate change and environmental protection.

The Bottrop vocational college is therefore an inspiring example of how educational institutions can actively contribute to achieving climate goals. With a strong focus on sustainability and a vibrant school community, there is not only reason to be happy about this award, but also plenty of motivation to continue to expand and share the positive effects.