We need your help to make a colourful, memorable impact on Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge to get him on board our Solar Our Schools campaign — to install solar panels and batteries at every school and preschool in Australia.

Australian Parents for Climate Action lodged a Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal government to include funding for Solar Our Schools in the May 2021 budget, and many of our supporters wrote a personal submission in support of Solar Our Schools — thank you, legends!

But so far our requests for Federal funding for Solar Our Schools, and our request for a meeting with Minister Tudge, have fallen on deaf ears, so we need to make sure he can hear the voices of the 11,000-plus parents and children across Australia who support Solar Our Schools!

Insiders tell us that letters and artwork from children make it to the top of the pile of Ministers' correspondence — so your kids artwork will get noticed in a way that letters from us adults won't!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Make a Time to Shine artwork with your child (check out our inspiration board below)

Create a sun artwork with a “sun clock” theme to convey the message to Minister Tudge that the clock is ticking on the need to reduce our carbon emissions, and we need him to advocate for funding Solar Our Schools! 

Older kids can write a letter — or make a TikTok video! — explaining why Solar Our Schools is a no-brainer. Here are some points they could mention:

• Solar and batteries on every school and preschool in Australia will lower school energy costs, create local jobs and lower carbon emissions!
• The Federal Government has fallen behind the states on renewable energy infrastructure investment. It’s time for the Federal Government to come to the party and shine on our schools!
• With a Federal election and the Glasgow COP26 conference both looming, now is the time for our Federal government to invest in renewable energy infrastructure that reduces our carbon emissions and creates green jobs across Australia!

2. Send your Time to Shine creations to Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge

Hon Alan Tudge MP

Minister for Education and Youth

PO Box 6022

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

(02) 6277 7350

[email protected] 

NB: If you are sending Minister Tudge your Time to Shine artwork or letters in the mail, take a photo of them before you send them off. 

3. Share your Time to Shine creations with us

Share photos of your artwork and letters and/or your videos on social media with the hashtags #SolarOurSchools and #TimetoShine, and our handle @ap4ca. 

If you want to tag Minister Tudge, his handles are: @tudgeMP (Facebook), @alan_tudge (Instagram) and @AlanTudgeMP (Twitter).

Also, please email them to [email protected] for us to share with our supporters so we can encourage others to send a message to Minister Tudge!

Whilst the Australian federal government has set a net zero target for 2050, we can all reduce our own carbon emissions now by making Personal Change. But we must also push governments and businesses to act by working toward Local Change and Widespread Change.

Enter your email address here and we will send you our handy climate action checklist, which includes:

1. The Big Picture on Carbon

2. Goal: Personal Change

• Use less fossil fuels at home
• Cut your emissions from transport
• Move your money!
• Offset your carbon emissions
• Support climate justice
• Eat less meat
• Reduce food waste

3. Goal: Local Change

• Reduce your school or preschool’s carbon emissions
• Start more climate conversations
• Share your story
• Find your tribe
• Hit the streets
• Lobby your council
• Run for election, or support someone else to do so

4. Goal: Widespread Change

• Campaign for climate action at the Federal Election
  
• Help to Solar Our Schools
• Create your own petition
• Add your name to demand a national Climate Bill

5. Sources and Further Reading

Come on, let's make some noise!

Here is some expert tips on writing a punchy and personal letter to the editor:

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

• Grab a copy of your local paper or read it online to get a feel for the letters section – how many are printed, average length, types of topics covered, tone.

MAKE IT PUNCHY

• Be considered and critical where necessary, but avoid ranting. You are trying to convince people, not shut them out.
• Keep your letter short and succinct: 150-250 words is a good guide. Less is more.
  

WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT SOLAR OUR SCHOOLS 

• Focus on the positives – Solar Our Schools is great for:
  • Jobs and post-COVID economy
  • Saving schools money in electricity bills
    
  • Schools being able to re-allocate money saved from power bills into more teachers or educational resources
  • Millions of tonnes per year carbon emission reduction
  • While some schools/states have made progress with respect to solar, Solar Our Schools calls for every school and early childhood centre to receive solar and batteries – renewable power for all, not just a few.
• You could mention that you have signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister to Solar Our Schools and you would like other people in your community to sign the open letter too.
• Or you could mention how you've made a Pre-Budget Submission to the federal government so they will (hopefully!) include Solar Our Schools in the next budget. You care what your taxes are spent on!

MAKE IT LOCAL

• Make it relevant to the readership – why should other locals care about the points you are making?
  • Do schools in your area desperately need solar?
  • Are classrooms too hot, and the best way to cool them would be air-conditioners powered by solar?
  • Is there something else about Solar Our Schools or AP4CA that you think would interest your local Member of Parliament?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• Mention your perspective as a parent:
  
  • What kind of world would you like to see your children grow up in?
  • What do you worry about as a parent when it comes to climate change?
  • What does Solar Our Schools mean to you and your family personally?
• Sign your name rather than just your school/organisation. 

SUBMITTING YOUR LETTER

• The paper (or online version) will provide contact details – a general editorial email address, contact details for the editor or instructions on how to submit a ‘letter to the editor’.
• Be sure to follow any specific instructions about your letter (format/word length/content). 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 JANUARY 2021

AUSTRALIAN PARENTS for Climate Action has renewed calls for the Federal Government to prioritise funding for solar panels on every school and early childhood education centre in Australia, ahead of the deadline for public submissions for the next Federal Budget.

Write to the Australian Capital Territory Minister for Education asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Yvette Berry MLA Minister for Education

GPO Box 1020, Canberra ACT 2601

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Australian Capital Territory Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

The ACT government is leading the country on 100% renewable energy for the territory, with all territory public schools equipped with solar panels. 

However many early childhood centres and small independent schools across the Australian Capital Territory do not have solar or batteries, and find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar. Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and independent schools allows them to generate solar for their operations.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and/or batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for Australian Capital Territory early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Northern Territory White Outline Map Australia from Vector.me

Write to the Northern Territory Minister for Education asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Lauren Moss MP Minister for Education

GPO Box 3146 Darwin NT 0801

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Northern Territory State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

In the past the Northern Territory Government has funded some state schools to get solar panels, however there are still many state schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and very few with batteries. 

In addition, many early childhood centres and small independent schools across the Northern Territory do not have solar or batteries, and find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small syste
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for NT early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Northern Territory White Outline Map Australia from Vector.me

Write to the Western Australia Minister for Education and Training asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the templates below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Sue Ellery MP, Minister for Education and Training

Level 13, Dumas House, 2 Havelock Street, 

WEST PERTH WA 6005

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to you to congratulate your government's recent pre-election announcement to fund a $44.6 million Schools Clean Energy Technology package, and further ask the Western Australian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

Western Australia has made good progress in installing solar and batteries on some state schools, but there is still a large number of schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and many more without batteries. Many Western Australian early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for WA early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Western Australia Outline from Vector.me

Write to the Queensland Minister for Education asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Grace Grace MP Minister for Education

GPO Box 15033 CITY EAST QLD 4002

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Queensland State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

We are aware that the Queensland government has made a strong investment into solar panels for all state schools and we ask that you extend this investment into renewables for independent schools and early childhood centres. Installing solar panels across the rooftops of early childhood centres and independent schools would allow them to also generate solar for their operations.

And, coupling solar with batteries for all schools and early childhood centres would unlock their ability to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

Currently Queensland state schools are unable to participate as a VPP, so we request your support for schools to become VPPs.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would batteries be good for your school/preschool?

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for Queensland early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Queensland Outline Map Australia from Vector.me

Write to the Victorian Minister for Education asking him to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon James Merlino MP Minister for Education

GPO Box 4367 Melbourne Vic 3001

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Victorian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

We welcome the Victorian Government’s recent announcement of 600MW of renewable energy to be sourced from wind and solar farms in order to power Victoria’s state schools, hospitals and trains. 

Providing solar and batteries to schools directly is a great opportunity to further bolster renewable energy take-up. There are still many Victorian state schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and none with batteries. Many Victorian early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries. Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for Victorian early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Victoria Map Outline Australia State from Vector.me