Renew America Success Stories

Resources Efficiency Awareness Program (REAP)

Description

The Resources Efficiency Awareness Program (REAP) is a project of the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) designed to reduce resource use and utility bills throughout the Tucson school system.  The program takes advantage of student energy patrols, financial incentives, education and new technology to pursue its goal of reducing both water and energy consumption by 35% over five years.

In 1991, faced with the prospect of higher utility costs, rising student enrollment and expanded facility space at the same time that state and federal education revenues were declining, the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board began looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing educational quality.  In examining TUSD's nearly $7 million annual utility budget, the Board determined that significant savings might be found simply by making more efficient use of resources. Pledging to reduce unnecessary energy and water consumption throughout the school system, the Board created REAP and appointed a District Resources Efficiency Advisory Panel (DREAP).  DREAP was asked to establish specific five-year conservation and efficiency goals to help reduce costs and lighten the load on the environment.

Student energy patrols roam the halls of TUSD schools looking for examples of wasted energy.  These patrols have helped develop and enforce guidelines that have resulted in the installation of sensors that automatically turn off lights when no one is in a room for ten minutes, a widespread practice of initially turning lights on only in areas where people are working, a rule that no outside lights may be on during the day, the practice of unplugging electric water coolers at night, and (over three-day weekends) disabling clocks that automatically turn appliances on.  The TUSD has also installed a small photovoltoaic array and purchased three buses that run on cleaner-burning compressed natural gas.

In part, the success of the program is due to the numerous incentives provided to teachers, students and staff for participation.  Students and staff can earn prizes and cash awards, teachers can receive credit for salary increases by taking an environmental education workshop, and schools can receive resource "rebates" (that can be used for educational programs) from the savings generated by reduced resource consumption.

Doug Crockett, Energy Conservation Manager for the TUSD, likes to remind the teachers, administrators, faculty and students that efficiency and conservation can continue to produce increasing returns.  "We're sitting on a veritable gold mine in resources," he says.

Program Highlights

Program Objectives (1991 - 1996) 

• To make effective use of limited human and financial resources to reduce costs for electricity, natural gas and water.
• To reduce TUSD water and energy consumption by 35% by 1996 though increased efficiency.
• To promote energy, water and environmental awareness among TUSD staff, administrators, teachers, students and parents so that they might contribute to more sustainable practices.
• To establish a comprehensive TUSD resource management program that supports site-based decision making in an effective, multicultural and fun environment.

• The Water Audit Training Ensures Results (WATER) project introduced water auditing at six sites during the 1994-1995 growing season.
• The Researching Effluent Creates Lasting Augmentation and Improved Maintenance (RECLAIM) project introduced water reclamation at 12 sites, with audited results.
• The Library Environmental Education Project (LEEP) created grade-specific guides and placed energy and water curriculum materials in all TUSD schools.
• The Reduce Individual Driving Employee (RIDE) Project promotes alternative transportation options for teachers and staff, including carpooling, busing and biking.
• The School Waste Elimination Project (SWEEP) created student energy patrols to assist in changing the behavior of students and employees.  In 1994, the Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) gave away solar calculators to all participants who completed a program evaluation. TEP awarded compact fluorescent bulbs to outstanding achievers.
• The Staff Training Empowers Professionals (STEP) offers environmental education programs to teachers and provides salary increment credit for participation.
• The Computer Energy Education Panel (CEEP) sets guidelines for efficient computer usage.  Among its recommendations: turn off workstations and printers that will be unused for two hours or more, and turn off monitors that will be unused for fifteen minutes or more.
• Teachers, administrators and students are kept up to date with the accomplishments of the program through REAP Rap, the project newsletter.
• Organizers have created inexpensive and thoughtful awards to encourage a conservation ethic throughout the TUSD.  The REAPIN' Roadrunner has handed out numerous "Thanks-A-Watt" and "Thanks-A-Water" awards to recipients from the School Board President to site custodians.
• Over five years, Superintendent George Garcia has presented 50 Noteworthy Environmental Action Triumph (NEAT) REAP awards, recognizing "creative approaches that either protect our natural resources, increase environmental awareness or stimulate appropriate action."  1996 winners received cash awards.

Education 

• The program mails out monthly reports and newsletters to site administrators to help track how each site is doing and to share information about what approaches work best.

• The program uses computer software to track monthly electricity, natural gas and water consumption (including costs) at individual sites and to measure quantifiable savings.

• A 1 kilowatt photovoltaic system was installed at the Cooper Environmental Science Campus, providing solar energy to 6,000 students and adults every year.
• A $66,000 Department of Energy grant enabled the TUSD to purchase three new compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Resources Efficiency Awareness Program (REAP) is a project of the Tucson Unified School District, working in partnership with the National Energy Foundation, the Arizona Energy Office, Tucson Electric Power Company, Southwest Gas Corporation, Tucson Water, Arizona Heritage Fund and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Budget: Total project cost is about $100,000 annually.

Community Served: The 62,000 students (K-12), nearly half of whom are minority, and 6,000 staff members of the 130 schools of the Tucson Unified School District.

Measures of Success:

To date, REAP has:

Reduced energy consumption by 10% and water consumption by 12%.

Saved more than $2 million in avoided utility costs.

Leveraged more than $1 million in outside matching funds for related projects.

Paid out $143,730 in energy dividends to schools and support sites.

Mobilized student energy patrols at 26 schools.

Initiated several related projects on environmental education, water auditing, travel reduction, alternative fueled vehicles, solid waste reduction and photovoltaics.

In 1995, 60 sites received an energy dividend, or REAP KEEP award, of up to $2,000.

The project saves $375,000 annually in avoided utility costs.

 Published: May 1997

Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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