While his classmates were knuckling down for their final year of formal education, Kal Glanznig was powering ahead on a side project – to make his school more energy efficient.
The Caringbah High School student who is in the middle of his HSC exams, has seen another major personal achievement come to life.
Kal, of Yowie Bay, secured $100,000 for solar panels on the roof of the school hall, where exams are currently taking place.
What is most impressive is that while others were in the throws of planning Schoolies, Kal was driving the idea and application solo, dedicating his spare time to making a change for the peers he is leaving behind.
The 18-year-old contacted the Department of Education and organised meetings with his principal.
“As I approached year 12 and joined the Student Representative Council, I thought this is the time,” he said.
“I was told it was a complicated process but I kept pushing.
“On the first day back at school after the holidays, the principal told me all we had to do was to get $50,000 and the department would contribute the rest – $50,000.”
So Kal pitched his plan to the mums and dads of the P&C, and they gave the tick of approval.
“They were the one source who could provide the funding,” Kal said. “It was a unanimous vote. It was the largest amount of money they have ever given for a project.”
Although the switch is yet to be turned on, the move is expected to significantly reduce the school’s electricity bills once the plugs are connected.
The rewards will be felt long after Kal graduates, but that does not matter, he says.
“I knew it might be installed after I finish school but it’s just something I wanted to see done now,” he said. “Economically, this makes sense.”
“The school is set to receive enormous benefits through savings of over $18,000 every year as well as social and environmental benefits.
“Menai High is the only other Shire school that has done a solar project, in 2013, so that was an inspiration.”
But it is Kal’s project that has encouraged others. He has helped the Sydney Secondary Leaders Coalition – a group of high school leaders – develop a solar power presentation, prompting other schools to maximise their use of renewable energy
Kal’s passion for environmental action did not stop there. For his major Design and Technology assignment, the student designed a park inspired by the development plan to build apartments at Boat Harbour.
“When I read about it in the Leader, I thought that’s not what I want to happen,” he said.
“The idea was to take up some of the space with a green corridor from the Kamay Botany Bay National Park to the foreshore.
“I want this for future generations so the community does not become a casualty from overdevelopment.”
When he wraps up his HSC exams in a couple of weeks, Kal wants to find other ways to benefit the place he calls home.
“I’m planning on studying business and something to do with innovation because my goal is to find problems to solve in the shire,” he said.
“It’s time to step up to climate change. Even if you don’t believe in the science, the financial benefit of solar and wind by using technology, is worth it.”
