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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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Aitkin and Crosby-Ironton schools working on being more green

Aitkin and Crosby high schools are both recipients of a Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon Project.

The schools are among 21 other public high schools, colleges and universities that have been awarded more than $200,000 in 19 grants. Projects range from making energy improvements such as energy-efficient lighting and motion sensors to installing renewable energy projects, including solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems.

Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon is a joint program of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Office of Energy Security. Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

At Aitkin High School, an energy audit by Environmental Resources Management from the Schools Cutting Carbon program indicated that the school's carbon footprint was "above average." Using suggestions from the audit report, the school's Green Team created a list of energy-saving projects that will save energy and reduce the school's carbon footprint. Building upgrades that provide visible and teachable energy-savings include replacing existing exit lights with LED signs, replacing mercury vapor lights in the gym with more efficient lighting, installing motion detectors and installing vending misers on school vending machines.

Crosby-Ironton High School is an Energy Star school that will implement a multi-faceted project driven by students using behavior change and technological advances to continue reducing carbon emissions. One focus involves eliminating the "phantom load" from electronic devices by installing power strips and working with students and staff to shut down appliances and electric devices at night. Phantom load refers to the fact that many devices continue to use electricity even when turned off if they remain plugged into an outlet. Another focus is an analysis of the building structure to identify areas of energy inefficiency by using energy-audit equipment such as an infrared camera, and identifying areas needing proper insulation, sealing and other energy efficiency actions on an annual basis. Students will participate in these building inspections annually and present their recommendations to the school district.

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