School children create murals imagining a greener future for Coventry

VaselineMay 24, 2024

0 3 minutes read

School children create murals imagining a greener future for Coventry

A giant mural has been unveiled in Coventry’s FarGo village, depicting a greener version of the city as imagined by children across the country.

The problem with getting people involved in environmental issues is that the older you are and the more likely you are to be able to affect things directly, the less the issues affect you. For children growing up today though the state of the environment is vitally important, as a new initiative in Coventry shows.

Funded by energy company E.ON, a giant mural has been unveiled in Coventry showing what children imagine a greener version of the city should look like. Titled ‘Our Imagined Future’, it is based on research from 2,000 children across the country, which shows that 58% want to see more parks and green spaces.

The children involved in the research also wanted to see more public recycling options, as well as less practical changes, such as animals living in harmony with humans and robots collecting litter. But no matter how unlikely they were, all the suggestions were incorporated into the mural in some way.

In terms of things to get rid of, 54% of children said we should reduce the use of plastics to ensure cities become more sustainable, with 44% saying there should be more sustainable public transport, including trams and electric buses. 47% wanted to see solar panels on all buildings and bus stops and 34% wanted only electric vehicles on the roads.

However, children seem impressively aware of the difficulties in implementing more sustainable solutions, with 46% identifying cost as the main problem and 17% stating a lack of knowledge.

The mural is located at the entrance to FarGo Village in central Coventry and is designed by artist Ben Barter and muralist Katie O’Sullivan. However, it was painted by pupils, aged between 9 and 12, from local schools Earlsdon Primary and West Coventry Academy.

E.ON mural Coventry — Katie O’Sullivan helped design the painting (E.ON)

The final result is 32 feet wide and took over 40 hours to complete. It was completed this week and can be seen at 105-106 Far Gosford Street, CV1 5EA.

“It was inspiring to see how the children interpret what a more sustainable future could be in this city. My personal favorite is the robots that pick up trash and the animals that live alongside us in an ecologically diverse environment. As a Coventry local, I’m excited to see this all come to life and witness the next generation of artistic talent,’ said Barter.

In addition to the children’s ideas, the mural also includes current technology such as heat pumps, solar panels and EV car chargers.

The mural was commissioned to commemorate E.ON’s 15-year strategic energy partnership with Coventry City Council, aimed at drastically reducing the city’s carbon emissions. The company’s UK headquarters have been based in Coventry for almost three decades and are the official strategic energy partner.

“Through this mural we hope to further raise awareness of the importance of sustainability in cities like Coventry and indeed across the country, and the changes we can all make to help build a greener future”, said E.ON Social Value. Program Manager, Ben Tuck.

E.ON is also the title partner for MotoFest Coventry 2024 and E.ON Next will be a major sponsor of the next Godiva festival. You can find out more about the mural and where to see it on the E.ON website.