Tag: green schools

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Practice What You Teach: Sustainability on College Campuses

Posted on by Conservation Mart

Colleges and universities are ranked on a variety of criteria; from class size, retention and graduation rates to whether or not they are a top party school or have a successful athletic program.

In recent years, colleges and universities are also being judged by their “green” initiatives. Princeton Review’s Top List of Green Colleges and Sierra Club’s list of America’s Greenest Universities ranks campus sustainability practices. The categories that are examined are: Energy, Investments, Food, Innovation, Academics, Planning, Purchasing, Transport, Waste, and Water.

Sustainability measures often save a significant amount of money, and they also demonstrate that colleges are practicing what they teach.

Of the categories listed above, water and energy have an immediate financial payoff. By making the switch to energy efficient lighting and water saving devices colleges can save millions!

Boston College’s energy-efficiency efforts have resulted in annual energy savings of more than 4 million kWh, and cost savings of $650,000. The multiple conservation measures implemented on campus include more than 1.4 million square feet in lighting upgrades. Campus lighting upgrades include motion sensing, daylight harvesting, and ballast replacements. In addition, they distributed 7000 12.5 Watt LED bulbs to students.

Assumption College in Massachusetts installed toilet flush valves and water-saving shower heads in 22 buildings, which should save nearly three million gallons of water per year.

Students at American University measured the flow rate of water fixtures on campus and realized that AU could be more efficient with its water use. They shared their findings with Office of Sustainability staff members who then estimated that once all the aerators are replaced, the university will save 570,000 gallons of water, enough to fill AU’s swimming pools and almost $10,000 per year.

For other ideas on how to make your school more green and to connect with other sustainability departments you may want to visit the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Conservation Mart has a wide selection of energy and water saving devices and would love to help your campus go green!

 

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Going Green Can Mean Big Savings for Schools

Posted on by Conservation Mart

It’s that time of year again; children head off to school while administrators and the PTA crunch the numbers to make sure there is enough funding for everything that they would like to provide throughout the year.

Did you know that schools spend more on energy than any other expense except personnel? Energy is one of the few expenses a school can reduce without sacrificing educational quality.

Here are some suggestions for ways in which schools can save energy and money throughout the school year.

While it would be nice if students turned off the lights when they left the classroom, that is not often the case. Motion sensors turn lights on or off automatically, so energy is not being wasted when they go to lunch or out to recess.

Another energy saving device is a Smart Power Strip. If a teacher has a number of items plugged in, such as a computer, printer, and desk light, this strip can sense when the devices are in use or idle and turn them off automatically. These smart power strips can save up to 72% of the energy the systems use, and provide surge protection.

In addition to overhead lights, many areas of a school also use desk lamps. Schools may have hesitated switching to CFL bulbs for fear that they would leak mercury if they broke. LED bulbs use less power and last longer than CFLs or conventional bulbs and they do not contain mercury or other toxic heavy metals.

Another large expense is water. Installing aerators on kitchen, bathroom, and classroom sinks is an inexpensive way to causes a significant decline in water usage, which will result in cost savings for the school.

Schools around the country that are demonstrating ways to conserve energy and water not only save on the bottom line, they are also setting a positive example for their community.