A GROUP of green entrepreneurs from one Ipswich school are celebrating today after getting the go-ahead for an energy-saving wind turbine.Children from a special eco-committee at Rose Hill Primary School, in Derby Road, Ipswich, have been granted planning permission for a 1.2kw turbine.

A GROUP of green entrepreneurs from one Ipswich school are celebrating today after getting the go-ahead for an energy-saving wind turbine.

Children from a special eco-committee at Rose Hill Primary School, in Derby Road, Ipswich, have been granted planning permission for a 1.2kw wind turbine which will be placed on the school roof in the New Year.

The school council's 'eco-committee' is made up of ten Year 6 pupils and has been meeting for two years.

It was set up after an energy efficiency survey conducted by Suffolk County Council found that the school didn't fair very well compared to other schools.

Headteacher, Simon Phillips, said: “We didn't come out very well compared to other schools when it came to energy efficiency.

“It's an old building with old lights and we have a swimming pool so there's a lot of energy used there.

“What the survey made us do as a school was to think about how we could reduce the amount of energy we were using and how we could use energy in a more sustainable way.”

The eco-committee, was established as part of the school council and began holding weekly assemblies and groups.

Members put up posters telling fellow pupils how to be more energy efficient and the group held a 'lights off' afternoon in the summer where lights and computers were switched off to save electricity.

Freddie Garnham, 10, a member of the committee, said: “We do recycling every Friday, we put recycling boxes in each classroom and they have to put all their paper and card in there and we collect them and it gets recycled.”

The young energy savers invited an energy advisor from the council to come to the school and discuss options for permanently reducing the school's energy use and the idea of a wind turbine was developed.

The children set about getting funding from various sources for the wind turbine and after raising the funds they have now received planning permission from Ipswich Borough Council.

Mr Phillips said: “The children wrote the applications for the grants and they wrote on the planning application to the council.

“They did it all themselves.”

Jozef Ochwat, 10, from the committee, said: “It was a good idea because it would be saving us a lot more of our electricity.

“I'm looking forward to having it put up in January.”

Is your school eco-friendly? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.