THE future looks green - as the attempt to make York the UK's most energy efficient city is taken to youngsters.

PlanetYork went into the classroom in an effort to get the city's youngest residents on board.

The year-long project aims to show the world that city folk can work together to seriously cut levels of energy used.

And a green Father Christmas helped spread the message when he arrived at Park Grove School.

The seasonal character came from npower, the PlanetYork partner which has sponsored the city's Christmas lights to make them the nation's first to be powered by renewable energy.

Laura Collins, PlanetYork's campaign manager, said: "We were speaking to nine and ten-year-olds at the school about things like energy efficiency and global warming, and why it is so special in York this year with PlanetYork and the green Christmas lights.

"I was very impressed by the amount they already knew about it."

The switch to turn on York's Christmas lights will be thrown by a host of celebrities at a glittering ceremony tomorrow.

The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Irene Waudby, will be joined by Grand Opera House pantomime characters, and snooker champions Jimmy White and John Higgins, in the city for the UK Snooker Championships being held in the Barbican later this month. The group will be led through the city by the St Chad's marching band.

The procession starts at Monk Bar at 6.15pm, heading along Goodramgate, High Petergate and Stonegate, across St Helen's Square and into Coney Street and Market Street for the turn-on, at 6.50pm, in Parliament Street.

Local band Huge will be providing music to lift the city's festive spirits.

npower has been working with First Stop York tourism partnership and City of York Council to bring the green lights to the city. They will be powered by a mix of wind and hydro power, promoting the company's Juice product which offers domestic homes green electricity.

PlanetYork is run by partners including the Government-backed Energy Saving Trust, City of York Council and the Evening Press.

Updated: 14:44 Wednesday, November 14, 2001