A Katoomba High School student is calling for solar panels and LED lighting to be installed in all NSW public schools within three years.
Estelle Dee, the daughter of environmental campaigner Jon Dee, has launched a petition to help address climate change.
She said installing solar panels and LED lighting in every NSW public school would save millions of dollars a year, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption.
"It's a no-brainer," she said.
"Solar batteries could also be used in school holidays to store up excess energy."
At home the Dee family has a roof almost full of solar panels, and they also have solar batteries and hybrid cars.
Estelle says while others may experience blackouts, they haven't.
"We put energy back into the grid. It completely covers our energy usage," she said.
Katoomba High School has solar panels and LED lighting installed in some areas of the school.
A spokeswoman from the NSW Department of Education said more than 1600 of the 2200 NSW public schools have solar panels on site.
"The Department of Education supports sustainability in schools and has been installing solar systems in school buildings for more than a decade," she said.
"The department is continuing to install solar panels and LED lighting across NSW public schools."
Almost 3000 people have signed the petition. Once she reaches 10,000 signatures, Estelle intends to present the petition to Environment Minister Matt Kean. The petition can be viewed at: https://www.change.org/p/matt-kean-mp-nsw-govt-should-install-solar-panels-led-lights-in-all-public-schools-and-save-45m-2.
