Claudia Towner (OS 1993) is CEO and Programme Director for Energy Sparks, an online tool and education programme to help schools become more energy efficient and fight climate change.

'Energy Sparks uses schools' smart meter data to measure how much energy is being wasted and where, and provide advice on low cost, high impact ways schools can save energy and help fight climate change. The programme involves pupils as champions for energy saving in their schools, encouraging them to record energy saving activities to earn points and compete against other schools on the Energy Sparks scoreboard. This helps schools save thousands of pounds of energy each year, making a real difference to their carbon emissions as well as saving money which can be used for other, much needed resources. Not only does this make schools more energy efficient, it also gives important energy saving skills to thousands of pupils.

Before Energy Sparks, I did a PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry at Bristol. This involved fieldwork in remote locations including Arctic Norway, understanding the balance of ozone destroying gases in the lower atmosphere. I then worked for the Natural Environment Research Council as a research programme manager, and the Environment Agency running their Pollution Inventory. While raising a family I became involved in local community projects, including setting up an Early Years business. This work gave me an understanding of the challenges facing the education sector in the UK. My work at Energy Sparks draws together these different stands of experience, from environmental data to education'.

energysparks.uk