Converging Stories for - WASBO...Energy Projects & Renovations New T‐8 low‐watt lighting,...

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Recognizing ExcellenceGreen & Healthy / Green Ribbon Schools

WASBO Convention – May 15, 2015

Converging Stories for Today

Greendale School District

Green Ribbon Schools

Green & Healthy

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Why Green & Healthy?

Do more with less. An increased sense of ownership by teachers, students and staff in the school

Economic savings associated with reduced consumption and operating costs

Increased protection of natural resources

Increase student and staff health and wellness

Increased connections with the community

Use of the school site as a teaching tool

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An American town.. Greendale!

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The 1937 “Original” homes

Mission

Support and encourage schools to create safe and healthy learning environments and prepare students to understand, analyze, and address the major environmental and sustainability challenges now and in the future.

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9 Focus Areas

Energy Recycling & Waste

Environmental Health

Transportation Water School Site

Health & Wellness

Environmental & Sustainability

Education

Community Involvement

What does

a GHS look like?

Sprout • Register

Seedling • 1 Area

Sapling • 5 Areas*

Sugar Maple • 9 Areas

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Who can lead the GHS work?

Administrators

Facility Managers

Teachers

Student Groups

Parent Groups

Mentor

Local EE Provider

Business PartnerIdeally, a green team will represent many groups

Transportation

Water

School Sites/Forest

Energy

Health & Wellness

Indoor Environmental

Quality

Recycling & Solid Waste

Management

Community Connections

Classroom Integration

Green & Healthy/Green Ribbon Recognition

GSD: Sustainability Team Focus…

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GOAL: Reduce District’s Environmental Impact

9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


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Energy

Reducing energy use in school saves the school money.

$75 per student on gas bills and $130 per student on electricity each year

K‐12 schools have been able to reduce energy costs by as much as 30% in existing facilities

Energy

Improve student performance.

Daylighting can reduce lifetime utility costs 30‐70% and improve student performance

Students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent on reading tests in one year than those with the least.

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Energy Projects & Renovations

New T‐8 low‐watt lighting, occupancy sensors, ceilings ‐2004

$14 million referendum passed‐2007

new heating plants, digital controls, pool equipment , coils and operational upgrades

GHS became an Energy Star Partner and saved $200,000/year on energy

Outdoor lights on timers

Renewable Energy

Solar thermal panels at GHS and GMS heat water using solar electric energy

15 glazed panels to supplement the schools hot water for kitchen and bathrooms

pool water heating system is made up of 32 HC‐50 solar collectors

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9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


Recycling & Waste Management

Recycling – It’s the law!

Reducing waste, reusing materials, recycling, and buying recycled products lessens a school or district's impact on the environment by:

Saving energy

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions

Diminishing the need for raw products to make new materials

Decreasing the amount of materials put into landfills

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refresh and Precycling

Repurposing paper

(notebooks, books)

Aluminum Can‐ clean up and Boy Scout donation

Art project reuse: smocks, tee‐shirts, plastic bags

Kindergarten Juice containers recycled for art

Trash Clean‐ups in woods

Annual garlic/mustard pulls

9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


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Create a safer learning environment. When the school environment is unhealthy, students may be exposed to harmful pollutants and chemicals that may cause their health, attendance, and academic performance to suffer.

Reduced exposure to toxins. Growing children eat, drink, and breathe more, relative to their body weight, than adults. Therefore, a typical child’s exposure to pollutants is higher than that of a typical adult, resulting in an increased susceptibility to pollution.

Children’s developing organ systems can also be much more susceptible to the effects of environmental contaminants.

EPA’s K‐12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines

Polished Concrete & Terrazzo Floors

Benefits

Increased energy efficient material

Reduced maintenance

Increased efficiency in cleaning time

Lower scuffing

Longer lifetime & durability (40+ years)

No chemical treatment

no hazardous inhalants emitted in maintenance

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Green Purchasing, Green Cleaning

Working on reduced copying costs, paper use with a goal of $20,000 cost savings per year

Switched to green cleaning chemicals and procedures at no extra cost

De‐Cluttering for IEQ

Improved culture to maintain healthy indoor environments

Removed air fresheners

Removed hanging material from ceilings

Removed paper from bulletin boards and painted for color

Reduced use of plants and stuffed furniture

An “end of school” staff checkout insures the de‐cluttering continues

Educated staff on HVAC & IEQ

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9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


Transportation

Almost 1/3 of the total U.S. air pollution

~146 million people in the US live in counties where air was unhealthy

Adults breathe about 20,000 times each day

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GSD Students survey staff and student miles driven to school

9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


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Water

Less than 1% of the water on the planet sustains the ever‐growing human population.

Water Conservation & Turf Grass

Installed new restrooms, plumbing and fixtures throughout GHS that are more water and energy efficient

Replaced all drinking fountains in the district with energy saving models and one water bottle filler at every school.

Added in‐ ground irrigation system to baseball field, bioswale and turf to save water

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9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


School Site

Outdoor Education Leads to Improved Academic Success

Longer attention spans.

More creativity.

Higher levels of self‐confidence.

Higher standardized test scores.

Significant improvements in cognitive development, self‐discipline, imaginative and creative expression, language skills, and social interactions.

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School Garden

2011

2015

Pumpkin Patch used for 4K

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School Forest/Hoop house

School Gardens

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GHS school garden

9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


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Health & Wellness

Obesity/overweight is considered a national epidemic

Costs due to the obesity epidemic Obligation to identify and provide outreach

Opportunity and revenue lost due to missed school days

Nutrition and physical activity is linked to achievement, attendance, & behavior

Food & Nutrition

Classroom celebrations reformatted

Breakfast & lunch reworked in 2012 to be healthy

Healthy classroom snack options distributed

ProStart Culinary track at GHS

Processed foods decreased

School garden produce used in program & local sourcing

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Fitness & Health

Student and Family Assistance Program (SFAP and EAP)

Community Run/Walk (600 people)

Fitness nights out at Elementary Schools

Fitness Grams

Free on site health clinic with Nurse Practitioner

On‐site staff fitness center

9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education


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Environmental & Sustainability Ed.

Time spent learning and playing outdoors can:

reduce incidence of obesity

reduce symptoms of ADHD

reduce stress in general

State mandate

School Forest Wetlands

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9 Focus Areas




Health & Wellness


Education



“effective family and community engagement… can help produce a range of positive outcomes including improved student achievement, increased attendance, greater community‐wide support for school improvement, and innovative methods to address challenges.”

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GSD:

Community involvement?

Nourish Events 2011, 2012, 2013

Attended by over 200 community members and district families

50+ Exhibitors, live demonstrations, student presentations

Information on health, wellness, nutrition, local healthy food, sustainable living, environmental & water conservation tips

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Greendale Schools continues to be a top performing district in metro Milwaukee

Energy costs reduced by ¼

Staff and students think “sustainably”

Younger parents appreciate that GSD “gets it”

Student’s environmental education filters through academic work‐ project based learning and place based learning

Results?

• A healthier, safer, more productive and cost‐efficient environment

• Minimum annual energy cost savings of $200,000

• Engaged community (Sustainability Team, Nourish Expo, healthy lunches, school gardens)

• Improved communications

• Improved purchasing

• De‐cluttering !

10 years of accomplishments at GSD

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IAQ Plan & EPA Award of Excellence

Educated staff on IAQ and TfS

EPA IAQ Great Start and Leadership Awards – 2009

EPA IAQ Excellence Award in 2011

Reduced worker compensation claims saving $50,000/yr

National Green Ribbon Award 2014

Applied for District wide National Green Ribbon Award in 2014

On Earth Day, 2014, informed we were one of 8 districts in US chosen!

Received award in July of 2014 in Washington DC

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District Sustainability Team

Past initiatives

Began 3 school gardens to grow produce and use for curriculum

Team education in the “Natural Step” & lower impact ways of living and sustaining environment

Held (3) community events to highlight “green sustainability” topics

National wellness/walker speaker Rob Sweetgallbrought to all EL schools in 2015

Healthsize food service offerings

Future goals/interest

Continue educating community and students in sustainability and future of the planet

Students measure carbon footprint of district and reduce it/use less resources

Add school gardens at every school

Develop school forests as outdoor classrooms

Measure waste diversion and ramp up composting to divert 75% of waste from landfill

Recognition Levels and Benefits

Sugar Maple(9 focus areas)

Sapling(5 focus areas)

Seedling(1 focus area)

Sprout(register)

• Certificate and Banner• Eligible to be nominated for Green

Ribbon Schools• EcoSchools Flag*

• Framed Certificate • Certified PLT GreenSchool!• Expanded PLT grant eligibility

• Certificate• Eligible for Recycling Bin, PLT Grant• EcoSchools certification*

• Welcome Packet/Window Clings• Cool Choices Game, Media Blitz• Registered PLT GreenSchool!

* In progress for potential future availability

EcoSchools*

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What’s the benefit to our district? (or how to get buy in)• It will put you in touch with your core mission‐ educating

the next Gen!• It will help you develop relationships with faculty, students

and community• Your district will save precious dollars that can be directed

into the classroom• You will attract positive PR for being progressive and

understanding environmental impacts• It will foster real world and outdoor learning opportunities

for students and promote STEM learning• Green/sustainability careers are BIG now and into the

future‐ career pathways for students!• You will be viewed as a district that “gets it”!• Your kids and Grandkids will think you are cool !

Building on the past and redefining the future!

Greendale Schools

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Get Recognized! Start Now…

Complete the online application at:

MyGHSwisconsin.org

Share your story on GHSWisconsin.org:

create a profile and upload photos and/or video.

There is no deadline for Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin.

To be considered for the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools or District Sustainability Award, application materials must be submitted by December 1 each year.

What’s Next?

Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin Institute

October 30, 2015

Lake Mills Elementary School

Victoria RydbergWisconsin Department of Public Instruction 608‐266‐[email protected]

Erin GreenGreendale School DistrictDirector of Business 414‐423‐2705 [email protected]

GHSWisconsin.org

Converging Stories for - WASBO...Energy Projects & Renovations New T‐8 low‐watt lighting,...

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