More than 5,500 children aged 7-11 were given a compelling insight into how you make a facility carbon-neutral and what sustainable manufacturing processes look like in a session delivered in partnership with STEM Live, an organisation that delivers interactive STEM learning experiences in the classroom.
The lesson - Building a Greener Tomorrow: Exploring the carbon-neutral sustainable factory – focused on Siemens’s Congleton site, which manufactures more than 1 million controls and drives for industry every year and was the first of the business’s UK manufacturing facilities to become carbon-neutral, eight years ahead of target.
The children heard from a range of Siemens employees, from apprentices to experienced engineers, on how the business did it and learned about the renewable energy sources Siemens uses.
These include the Congleton Hydro Project at Havannah Wier on the River Dane, which generates 75kw through a hydroelectric plant to power the factory.
Mark Wood, schools and corporate citizenship manager, at Siemens said: “We’re passionate about encouraging more young people to pursue a career in STEM and creating engaging learning experiences for children of primary school age is vital.
“The world around us is changing with new technologies emerging to tackle global issues, particularly when it comes to sustainability, and we won’t be able to tackle the challenges we all face without a workforce with the right skills.
“Our Congleton site is a unique example of sustainability in action and having the opportunity to share what we do there with thousands of pupils across the country will hopefully help to inspire them to pursue a career in STEM.”
Simon Sloan, Project Manager for STEM Live, said: "With STEM Live, we partner with organisations to design and deliver engaging, curriculum-aligned live lessons with STEM experts from fantastic locations that children would otherwise not have access to. At their Congleton site, Siemens had an important story to tell involving incredibly exciting technologies and roles and we are delighted to have been able to deliver this to thousands of children worldwide."
