Energy summit offers green ideas

Jan 20 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Alana Listoe Independent Record, Helena, Mont.

Energy is the second biggest expenditure in school budgets today, so school officials are looking for ways to make buildings more energy efficient as a means of cutting expenses.

The third annual Energy Summit: Repowering Montana Schools, sponsored by the School Administrators of Montana, not only offered school representatives the opportunity to meet top energy experts and practitioners, but also focused on ways to involve students in those cost-saving measures.

"Technology is changing so rapidly, and funding sources are too," said Darrell Rud, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana. "This is very helpful for school people to be made aware of how energy can be effectively utilized in the schools."

Rud says everyone can find ways to be better stewards for the environment, and schools should partner in that endeavor.

"We've succeeded if everyone leaves with ideas on how to make their schools better," he added.

Ron Whitmoyer, superintendent of East Helena schools, said that's never a problem.

"I come because of all the things I can learn about to save energy and tax dollars," he said. "We've put over $100,000 in grant-funded energy projects in our schools and most of the ideas came from the past two years of energy conferences."

The final speaker of the two-day event was John Weekes, of Dull Olson Weekes Architects from Portland, Ore. Weekes said students who attend environmental, thoughtful schools are more productive and score better on tests.

The concept of green schools is not new, Weekes said; Thomas Jefferson developed the University of Virginia to be sustainable in 1819. Weekes said even one-room schoolhouses with pot-bellied stoves and natural light from windows, in their own right, were sustainable.

Over time, the U.S. went from a country where most people lived in rural, country settings to a population that mostly lives in metropolitan areas. Today, with declining resources and increasing demands, the only answer is to move back to more sustainable school communities because the 55 million students who attend and the 5 million staff who work there represent about 20 percent of the population, Weekes said.

Lee Smit, Douglas County School District (Colo.) energy manager, led a discussion earlier in the day about student-led energy programs.

"Let students create their own energy programs," he told the group in the ballroom of the Great Northern Hotel. "They'll come up with many more projects than you ever can."

Smit says students should be involved in audits, cost-saving analyses and the marketing to promote the cause.

"The bottom line is it costs nothing to start up, and if schools use less energy every year, they are saving me money," he said.

In Douglas County there was a nearly 22 percent reduction in energy costs even though utility costs increased and the student population grew. Smit credits much of that to the efforts and energy of the students involved.

The first step, he said, is to find a faculty member willing to spearhead the project. If there's resistance, remind them the bottom line is more money into the general fund not spent on energy that can be used for equipment, textbooks or other classroom supplies. Then present students with teasers, such as posters, talking about the fun, new way to make changes at school.

Broadwater High School students Ashley Cooper, Andrea Mosquera and Chiara Warner attended the summit to get more ideas for their "green" group called Seventh Generation. It's a fairly new group with about 14 members that have organized video presentations on ways to think about reducing, reusing and recycling. It provides announcements to the school and works to bring awareness to the school and beyond.

"We hope to get some ideas to improve our program," Mosquera said.

One idea they did like was to have competitions between grade levels to improve recycling efforts or reduce energy consumption.

"High schoolers love competitions," Cooper said.

Tim Tolman with McKinstry, a firm based out of Seattle, said the time of additional money coming in to fund energy-saving efforts is nearly exhausted.

"It's not going to be easy, you will need to dig deep, become educated and get creative about moving money around in the budget," he said. "Don't get discouraged, there is still plenty of opportunity."

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com