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NY High School for Environmental Studies Coordinates EE Week Energy Audit
One of the most rewarding elements of my work in environmental conservation is the opportunity to meet students who are motivated to green their school environments. I was fortunate enough to talk to several of these students during my visit to the New York High School for Environmental Studies (HSES) during National Environmental Education Week 2007.
Last year's EE Week theme was "Exploring the Energy All Around Us," a perfect fit for the students at HSES. Over the course of the year students at the school were already tasked with looking for ways to improve energy efficiency both at home and at school. Students sold compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) as part of their campaign, and EE Week provided an opportunity to learn how to conduct energy audits.
While I was at the High School for Environmental Studies during EE Week, the students conducted a complete energy audit of the school, surveying the energy usage of the entire building. What they found was that their school was in dire need of an efficiency makeover. With this discovery, the students compiled the audit findings and sent a letter to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) in the spring, requesting that the Department allocate funding to improve their school's energy efficiency.
Jeffrey Perlman from Bright Power, Inc. leads HSES students in an Energy Audit of their school during EE Week 2007
In December, DCAS agreed to upgrade the school's interior lighting, as well as install occupancy sensors as part of the city's short-term action plan to begin reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as promised in Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC.
EE Week provided a perfect opportunity for the students to get involved in their school's energy use. All it took was the awareness of the problem and they were ready to find a solution.
We're looking forward this year to seeing more examples from around the country of how students can learn how to creatively solve problems that enrich their school curricula, benefit their school, and protect their environment.