Green Month Winner Announced!

The winner of the Boulder Valley School District’s first green month challenge is Arapahoe Campus! The green month challenge was created by the Student Accountability Advisory Committee (SAAC) as a competition between BVSD high schools to reduce energy use. The results were determined by comparing gas and electric consumption (or total energy measured in BTUs) from February 2011 to February 2010. This data was normalized by square foot. Arapahoe Campus had the largest percentage reduction. Seven schools competed in the green month challenge. The results are as follows:

Winner!  Arapahoe Campus  -11.85 (% change MBTU per SF)
Runner Up: Monarch High
Third Place: New Vista High
Fourth Place Broomfield High
Fifth Place: Centaurus High
Sixth Place: Boulder High
Seventh Place: Fairview High

Background Information
February 2011 is "Green Month," a month in which all BVSD high schools are encouraged to compete to reduce energy consumption. The idea of "green month" was inspired by students on SAAC (the Student Accountability Advisory Committee) and is supported by the Board of Education. The winner will be selected by comparing energy data (electric and gas) for February of this year and February of last year. Data will be normailzed by square footage and by students. The school with the biggest percentage reduction will be awarded a travelling trophy and will receive other recognition and prizes from Xcel Energy and BVSD's Office of Sustainability including $2,500 toward an energy saving capital improvement at your school!

 SAAC proposal for Green Month Challenge

Board of Education letter to principals supporting Green Month.

 Article about Green Month Challenge in January 2011 greenBVSD newsletter.

 Handout of the following tips on reducing energy use at your school

• Educate students and staff about the importance of energy use, conservation and efficiency.
  * Work with student environmental clubs to get the word out.
  * Include a conservation minute or factoid each day or week. Post this information, make it a trivia game, a morning announcement and/or staff meeting announcement.
• Encourage teachers, students and staff to turn off unnecessary lights, especially when leaving an unoccupied classroom or area. At the end of the day, turn lights off instead of relying on motion sensors.
  * Host a lights out lunch at your school!!
• Improve signage and posters about energy conservation, including “Turn me off when not in use” stickers for light switches.
• Unplug personal appliances when not in use. Plug appliances into power strips for easy on/off.
  * Establish an energy champion for each classroom to make sure the lights and equipment are turned off at the end of the day.
• Retire personal appliances, such as mini-fridges and microwaves and consolidate use in one central location.
• Encourage use of natural lighting, when possible, to reduce electrical lighting demand.
• Turn off monitors when computer work is complete (computers district-wide will enter into low energy mode after school hours).
• Dress for the weather and discourage use of personal heaters in the winter, use fans rather than AC units in summer.
• Keep vents clear from obstruction.
• Turn off electronic equipment (copiers, fax machines, etc.) when not in use.
• Make sure windows, blinds and curtains are closed at the end of the school day to keep heat in, and open during the day to let daylight in and reduce heating need.
• Make sure doors to the outside of the building are not left open longer than necessary when heating and cooling. Classrooms should also keep windows and doors closed during heating and cooling season.
• Calculate your personal environmental footprint using one of many online calculators.
• Conduct an energy audit of your classroom or school and share the results.
  * Contact BVSD’s Office of Sustainability for Resources, 720-561-5181 or email Ghita.Carroll@bvsd.org.
• Replace all incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Research three local or international schools to learn what they are doing to conserve energy, and how they measure and evaluate results.
• Create a pledge campaign where students, teachers and staff pledge to reduce energy by taking specific energy reduction steps. Award the winning classroom or grade level for the most pledges.

More information will follow soon!