Renew America Success Stories

Green Schools Energy Program

http://www.yes@yesworld.org

Description

The Green Schools Energy Program is a project of Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!).  The program works to reduce energy consumption in schools across the country by helping school districts switch to more energy-efficient technologies.  What makes the program especially unique is that the efficiency initiatives adopted by participating schools are proposed, designed and implemented by students.

The program took root in November 1993 when a group of high school students did some research and discovered that their school could reduce its energy use dramatically -- by up to 40% -- simply by switching to readily-available, more energy-efficient technologies.  Their work to implement these changes in their school was documented and the process refined.  Now students across the country, using a simple but effective plan, can help make similar changes in their own schools.

The benefits of reduced energy use are numerous.  In the United States, more than one-third of all electricity we consume goes to heat, cool and light our homes and work spaces.  Lighting itself uses 20 - 25% of our electricity, and in our schools the lighting load can be much higher -- as high as 75 - 90%. Since most electricity in the United States is generated through the combustion of coal or oil, any reduction in electricity use reduces the harmful emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels.  The Green Schools Energy Project focuses on providing schools more efficient lighting alternatives, thus recovering a huge portion of the average school's electricity budget and improving environmental quality.

The Green Schools Energy Project travels from school to school, offering an educational program on energy efficiency and talking with students.  Students who are interested in initiating a Green Schools Energy Program within their school district are given step-by-step assistance from YES!.

The project compels teachers, students and community members of various socioeconomic backgrounds to take an active interest in learning more about their environment and their role in it.  Through participation in the program, energy service companies receive new business, schools see a reduction in their energy bills of up to 40% and young members of the school community gain the experience, knowledge, skills and confidence to create positive change throughout their lives.

To date the program has saved millions of kilowatt-hours, protecting the environment and saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs.

Program Highlights

Program Steps

• Participating students perform an analysis of the schools' lighting fixtures and calculate potential energy savings and pollution reduction that would be realized by changing to more efficient lighting.
• Students then form a coalition of students, parents and local businesses to advocate the change.
• Finally, students approach the school board for approval of the plan.
• In implementing the plan, the Green Schools Energy Project connects schools with energy service companies that can guarantee energy savings, that can perform any necessary retrofits and installations for no money down and that can provide the school with a shared savings plan in which all work is paid for over several years through realized energy cost reductions.
• Schools are encouraged to find examples of "energy sloppiness," such as lights that are left on and windows left open, and to correct these failures.  Other recommended measures include installing low flow water fixtures.
• Successful students can use the same principles employed in their school to participate in Green Schools' Business Energy Program and Home Energy Program.

• Energy service companies, who generate significant business for themselves through the program, generally contribute 1% - 2% of the total cost of the retrofit of each school to the Green Schools program to help fund additional outreach.
• Utility companies contribute to the program because they have a vested interest in its success:  it is cheaper for them to have consumers reduce their energy use than to build new power plants.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Green Schools Energy Program is a project of Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!).  The program operates in partnership with dedicated students, teachers, school administrators, local utilities, local energy service companies and local school boards.

Budget: In review.

Community Served: Students, teachers and administrators in local schools who benefit from educational programs that are funded through reduced energy costs.  The program also serves all community residents, who benefit from increased environmental quality through reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Measures of Success:

In Santa Cruz, California, the installation of energy-efficient lighting has:

• Reduced energy consumption by 1.3 million kilowatt hours a year.
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 1.9 million pounds a year.
• Reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 7.5 million grams a year.
• Reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by 3.2 million grams a year.
• Reduced the schools' combined energy bill by $160,000 a year.

Every year the YES! tour visits more than 250 schools in 30 cities and speaks to more than 150,000 students in person.

Representatives of the Green Schools Energy Program have visited more than 900 schools and spoken to more than 450,000 students in person.

The Green Schools message has been received by more than 100 million people through the media.

YES! has published Green Schools Energy Project: A Step-by-Step Manual, which guides schools through their journey toward energy savings.