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Case Studies
Schools all over the country are developing innovative and exciting ways to implement the Eco-Schools USA program. Here you can read case studies highlighting what existing Eco-Schools are doing to green their school - on the inside, outside and throughout the curriculum!
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Featured Case Study: January 2012
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Students at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School spearhead an effort to save energy and green their campus
In September 2010 Kate Crosby, Energy Advisor for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, brought together a group of students at the local high school who were interested in understanding energy conservation. On several Saturday mornings, Kate and the students walked through the school and used Kill-a-Watt meters to assess energy use in the building. Their goal was to gather basic information about how much electricity was being used by plug-in devices in the school, data that no one in the district had at that time.
Based on the data, students spent the rest of the school year creating a “Power Down Project” aimed at reducing energy use at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. Inspiration for the project came directly from the team’s determination to embrace energy conservation. During the initial investigation of energy use at the school, one student sent Kate an email saying that she could not stop thinking about energy conservation and wanted to get serious about it. Another student spoke to Kate about a light that was bothering her because it was always on and had no apparent off switch. Still other students drew attention to a computer lab that was running 24/7. Together the students gained awareness and initiated several projects under the banner of the Power Down Project, including:
Power Down Fridays – Students designed and made colorful door tags to hang on classroom and office doors to remind staff to power down equipment on Friday afternoons. In addition, students wrote emails that went out to all staff, created posters and contributed morning announcements to help promote powering down on Fridays.
Classroom Audits – Students did weekend audits of every classroom and office and left hand-written notes for teachers and staff with tips and advice for reducing their energy consumption. These audits were conducted three times over the school year, with steady improvement in the number of rooms that were successfully powered down.
Light Bulb Exchange – Students set up a table in the lobby of the school and for two days gave out energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs in exchange for incandescent bulbs currently in use at the school. The students worked with teachers and staff to exchange 110 light bulbs, which resulted in $1,000 a year in energy savings.
By the end of the school year, electricity consumption at the school was down by 5.5% which resulted in a savings of $33,000 for the school. The school’s ability to save this much money through energy conservation garnered a phenomenal response from faculty and staff for a campaign powered by students.
In the spring of 2011, one of the student leaders of the group spoke with Kate and expressed her desire to tie together all of the clubs and projects going on around the school that had to do with the environment. Kate was interested in connecting the Power Down Project with a network of other schools working on similar issues. So the team researched green school programs and came across the Eco-Schools USA program. They felt it was a really good fit, and found the international component of the program, including the ability to connect with schools in other countries, very appealing.
Over the summer, students met with Kate to review the Eco-Schools program. At two meetings just ahead of the start of school in late August 2011, students discussed what they would need to do to become an Eco-School and work towards an award. They decided that they wanted to go for it. When the school year started, they established a new Green Council. This organization at the high school brings together groups of students engaged in a variety of clubs, from the Recycling Club, to the Envirothon Team, to, of course, the Power Down Project to focus on green projects throughout the school. Teachers, staff and community members have also joined the Green Council.
Thirty-eight people attended the Green Council’s first meeting. Twenty-two of the attendees were students; the rest of the meeting was made up of community members and school staff. So far this year, the Green Council has been working on implementing the Eco-Schools USA audit and developing their action plans. Ultimately they are looking to apply for a Green Flag award through the Eco-Schools USA program this spring!
Click here to learn more about Acton-Boxborough Regional High School’s sustainability initiatives.
Click here to read Kate Crosby’s guest blog on NWF’s Wildlife Promise where she highlights the school’s very successful (and fun) trash audit party.
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Would you like to read more case studies? Visit our archive page to get your fill!