Carniny's Eco Warriors will be on the loose in town!

The children, dressed for action in camouflage bandanas, green hoodies and face-paint, will spend the morning interviewing customers about their green credentials.

Shoppers will be challenged on their recycling habits and energy use for a special report about the town’s commitment to green issues and will receive advice about simple steps they can take to help the environment.

Everyone who takes part in the survey will be rewarded with a fridge magnet featuring The Co-operative’s top tips for being a greener citizen.

The Eco Warriors project builds on the climate change work taking place at Carniny Primary School, and follows the installation of 20,000 solar panels in October 2008 with funding from The Co-operative’s 2m Green Energy for Schools programme.

Since launching the programme in 2007, The Co-operative, in partnership with the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP), has helped over 180 UK Schools to install solar panels, wind turbines, biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps.

Store manager Greg Wishart said: “By installing solar panels at Carniny Primary School, we have helped educate the children about green issues. We now want them to bring their expertise out into the community to inspire our customers to join the war on climate change.

“As a community retailer and one of the world’s leading businesses in the global fight against climate change, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to work in partnership with our local school to help make Ballymena a greener town.”

Head teacher Raymond Ross added: “We have been working on a number of initiatives to reduce the school’s carbon footprint since our Co-operative solar panels were installed and the pupils are passionate about environmental issues.

“The Eco Warriors project gives them the chance to carry out some interesting and original research and share their knowledge and enthusiasm with the wider community.”