LMSD goes green
In January, LMSD launched its first District-wide Energy and Resource Conservation Program. This two-year campaign, initiated by Patrick Guinnane, the District’s Director of Operations, aims to reduce energy consumption throughout the District. Guinnane’s hope is for “all LMSD students to better understand their role in energy usage and sustainability” and realize that “what each of us does on a daily basis has an impact on our earth.”
As a recipient of the US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools District Sustainability Award, the District has long made attempts to reduce its carbon footprint. Over the last 12 years, all of the LMSD schools have been reconstructed or renovated with updated eco-friendly technology and infrastructure. Since the buildings are not the only factor in the District’s energy efficiency, the objective of this program is to alter the attitudes and regular habits of students and staff. It motivates everyone—teachers, students, administrators, office personnel, kitchen staff, and custodians—to make a difference by focusing on simple tasks such as turning off lights and shutting down computers, printers, laminators, shredders, coffee pots, and other electronic devices when not in use. In addition, it encourages members of the community to rethink some of their daily activities by making sustainable decisions such as using a reusable water bottle or carpooling with a friend.
Supplementing initiatives taken by students, staff, and the Operations Department, which is involved with student transportation and maintenance of the District’s buildings and grounds, the campaign is supported by Practical Energy Solutions, a local consultant. This organization, whose vision is to reduce the use of finite energy resources, is also involved in other school districts nearby including West Chester and Downingtown.
One of the objectives of the program is to observe a downward trend in energy use that extends beyond the end date of the program. The immediate target is a 10 percent decrease in electricity usage and long-term reduction of at least 10 percent of the amount of copy paper used for printing. The District can monitor paper use by tracking the number of pages printed, copied, and printed out double-sided, the preferred method.
Another main focus of the program is how it is adopted by staff and students. Recently, teachers and students joined together at the elementary schools to learn about how each individual’s efforts can contribute to making a difference in the environment. Students are also trying to motivate the community. For example, at Cynwyd Elementary School, the Green Council students performed a thermographic energy study of the school, measuring the energy waste from electronic devices that were left running. Then, they presented their findings to the rest of the school as an energy conservation assembly and created plans to plant a garden and build a small wind turbine in order to make the school more environmentally friendly.
Since the program is centered largely on the individual actions that people can take rather than major physical changes to the school, the environmental clubs are taking the lead in the high schools. LM’s Environmental Club partakes in activities that relate to environmental issues both in the community and worldwide such as making holiday ornaments out of plastic water bottles in order to draw attention to the large number of bottles wasted every day. The club is planning on selling t-shirts and reusable water bottles to raise money for another water bottle fountain in the school in addition to the ones located near the weight room and in the cafeteria. During its meetings, the club aims to raise awareness and inform members about environmental issues in a fun way. Junior Sophie Bennett, an officer of the club, believes that these meetings are important, because “knowing how we impact the earth early means that we are more aware of how we can make changes to create a better and more environmentally friendly community.”
Inspiring efforts made by the LM community have already helped reduce the District’s electricity consumption by more than 170,000 kilowatt hours and eliminated 200,000 pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent of planting about 215,000 full-grown trees! Add to these growing numbers by reconsidering the ways your daily activities affect the environment.