JANUARY 2017

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R DID YOU KNOW that the School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT)

program monitors the energy use in all Montgomery County Public Schools

(MCPS)? Through your efforts, energy consumption can be greatly reduced

and recycling can be increased systemwide.

All secondary schools have an opportunity to create a model resource

conservation plan to include energy conservation and responsible recycling

projects/initiatives towards a sustainable future. SERT invites all MCPS middle

and high schools to participate in the LEAD BY EXAMPLE campaign reinforcing

a culture of conservation and sustainability.

Proven projects/initiatives will be highlighted in SERT’s Best Management

Practices manual, an online resource with helpful conservation strategies and

expectations for efficient building use and operations. Entries may include

behavioral strategies, energy-efficiency projects, and awareness campaigns.

All submissions should demonstrate the effectiveness of each project by

creating a plan and measuring results. The questions “What will we do?” and

“How will we do it?” must be answered.

SERT awards will be granted to the winning middle and high school, and all

participants will receive a certificate for their entry. Students may also earn

SSL hours for participating in this campaign. See page 4 for more campaign

details.

2017 Lead by Example Campaign OUR PATHWAYS TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

IN THIS ISSUE:

Sustainability It’s time to Lead by Example.

What does that mean, exactly?

Energy Why do we keep reminding you

to shut everything down for

holidays and long weekends?

Recycling We hate to remind you, but

your job does become more

difficult in the winter.

the Team Congratulations to the school teams

that have a perfect checklist

submission score!

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JANUARY 2017

Why SERT Shutdown Checklists are Important

H AVE YOU EVER PACKED for a vacation only to arrive at your destination

to find that you’re missing something crucial, like your toothbrush? Using

a checklist while packing is the best way to ensure that you don’t forget to put

anything in your suitcase. In like manner, the best way to make sure that

you’ve remembered to turn off or unplug electrical devices at your school prior

to a long weekend or break is to use a SERT Shutdown Checklist. Remember

not to unplug your computers or turn off your surge protectors because MCPS

may be updating your computers while school is not in session.

We ask you to perform the shutdown process primarily because leaving

overhead lighting and other electrical devices on for an extended period of

time is a terrible waste of money and natural resources. Leaving these items

running may also damage equipment prematurely.

As you make your way from room to room, check to see that windows are

closed, shades/blinds are drawn, and unnecessary equipment is turned off.

This is also the perfect time to make sure water fixtures aren’t leaking and

toilets aren’t running constantly.

Why are there different checklists? While the Weekend/Long Weekend Shutdown Checklist is the same year

around, the summer, winter, and spring break shutdown forms are specific to

the season. These seasonal forms take into consideration the temperatures

outside and the potential for the building to

be occupied.

Does your schools have

relocatable classrooms? Did you know the relocatable

classrooms consume more energy to

heat or cool the space? Please be

sure that temperatures are set at

the recommended set points (70°F

in winter and 76°F in summer). Any

deviation from the recommended

set points must be reported to

the building service manager.

Complete the checklist for each

of your relocatable classrooms.

Why do we ask you to

submit forms via email? There are three main benefits to

sending your SERT Shutdown Checklist

to us electronically:

1. REDUCED TIME. The amount of

time associated with sending a

single fax can be up to 10 minutes.

You key in the number, scan the

document, then wait patiently for

the confirmation page. On the

other end, someone has to walk

over to their fax machine, retrieve

the document, then process it.

When you multiply that action by

204 schools, you can imagine how

much time is spent.

2. REDUCED PAPER. When you fax

your form to SERT, we scan the

faxed page, file it electronically,

then throw the faxed document

away. If every school were to use

email to submit their form instead

of fax, we could save up to a ream

of paper for each shut down

period!

3. REDUCED ENERGY. It’s true that

fax machines aren’t huge energy

hogs compared to overhead lights

and HVAC systems, but they do

consume more electricity than

email does.

If you have any questions about the

SERT shutdown forms or the process,

contact us by phone (240.314.4709) or

email (SERT@mcpsmd.org).

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JANUARY 2017

ith Old Man Winter already blasting us with freezing and below-

freezing temperatures, we know that snow is on its way. Schools

have begun to receive their salt and sand deliveries and we

understand that you may be tempted to use your recycling bins for salt and

sand. After all, the bins are the perfect size and the dollies make life so much

easier!

However, do not to use your recycling bins and dollies for this purpose. One

reason is that recycling bins are for recycling only. It’s just that simple.

Montgomery County mandates that our schools recycle all mixed paper and

commingled items. We must recycle—it’s not optional. SERT has provided

each school with an appropriate number of recycling bins, so using recycling

bins for other purposes means that you will not have adequate bins for your

school’s recycling. The second reason is that the recycling bins are not made

to handle the weight of material that’s heavier than paper and plastic. They

will crack after they’ve been frozen and they will bend or break when filled

with extremely heavy items. The wheels on the dollies are not made to

withstand the weight of salt and sand so they will buckle and break, and

replacing them is quite expensive.

The other winter weather-related issue has to do with the snow itself. When

your parking lots get plowed, please make sure that the snow doesn’t get

piled up around the recycling dumpsters. It is vitally important that you keep

a clean path around both the mixed paper and commingled items dumpsters

to ensure that our recycling hauler can service them on your school’s

scheduled pick up day. (Visit our website to see the systemwide pick up

schedule.)

Remember that your recycling bins

should never be used for

anything other than recycling!

Always keep the area around

your dumpsters clear so the hauler

can service them on safely and

on schedule.

Finally, please remember to keep

your dumpsters locked at all times.

This is important because if one

dumpster is contaminated with trash,

and that trash goes into the hauler’s

truck, MCPS could lost up to five tons

of recycled material from approxi-

mately 30 schools. Please don’t let

your dumpster be the reason we all

lose!

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This newsletter is produced by the School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT)

program and distributed to SERT leaders, Green Teams, building service personnel,

and others who are interested in conservation and sustainability. As part of the

Montgomery County Public School Department of Facilities Management, the SERT

program provides opportunities for all schools to participate and receive incentives

and recognition for their energy conservation and recycling efforts. We support a

balanced environment for the integration of all students to work together in a

culturally diverse environment, and strive to provide the resources, support, and

vision of the future for a successful conservation program at each school.

Promoting the connections between human behavior and its impact on the

environment reinforces our culture of conservation and increases participation in

our mission to conserve resources and recycle actively.

THE SERT TEAM:

Richard Benjamin, program manager

Helen Blankfeld, information specialist

DJ Connelly, facilitator

Terina Garcia, facilitator

Linda McLaughlin, program technician

John Meyer, recycling manager

Jim Stufft, facilitator

Department of Facilities Management | SERT PROGRAM | 45 W. Gude Drive, Suite 4000 | Rockville, MD 20850 www.GreenSchoolsFocus.org | Direct: 240.314.4709 | Main: 240.314.1090 | Fax: 301.279.3005 | @MCPSsert

JANUARY 2017

First Semester

Shoutouts At this point, schools should have

submitted SERT Shutdown Checklist

forms five times — once each for

Labor Day, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, the Martin Luther King, Jr.

holiday, and most recently, Inauguration Day.

CONGRATULATIONS to the following nine schools for having a perfect

submission record for the first semester of the 2016–2017 school year!

Cloverly Elementary School

Jones Lane Elementary School

Stephen Knolls School

Matsunaga Elementary School

Northwest High School

William Tyler Page Elementary School

Stone Mill Elementary School

Wheaton Woods Elementary School

Woodfield Elementary School

Thank you for remembering to submit your SERT Shutdown Checklist four

times during the second semester: Presidents’ Day, Spring Break, Memorial

Day and Summer Break. We will continue to send you email reminders before

each events.

Documentation is essential.

Entries may include energy audits

with recommended conservation

practices (task lamps for staff,

computer shutdowns, contests,

plans to increase recycling

weights, video and social media

awareness strategies, etc.).

The LEAD BY EXAMPLE matrix

provides assistance in structuring

the entries and should be

included in contest submissions.

Supporting documentation that

demonstrates actions may include

working papers, flyers, video clips,

artwork, calculations, etc.

Helpful resources are linked at the

bottom of the matrix.

Parental signatures are required.

Final entries must be submitted

by March 20, 2017 to SERT, 45 W.

Gude Drive, Suite 4000, Rockville,

MD 20850.