Green schools save money and energy
Science teacher Mike Town and his students are working to lower Redmond High School's carbon emissions, one classroom at a time.
Last year, their campaign reduced the school's carbon footprint by 72 tons and saved the school about $7,500 in its electric bill alone.
But that's just the start of the Lake Washington School District's savings from going green.
The district has tallied $550,000 in savings over the past 2-½ years by recycling more, watering less, reducing waste and generally using less energy, according to the district's resource-conservation manager.
A few miles south, the Issaquah School District credits its recycling and conservation efforts with saving more than $500,000 in recent years.
Both districts are part of King County's "Green Schools" program. Lake Washington recently was honored by the county's Department of Natural Resources and Parks for its recycling and energy-conservation practices, and a similar presentation is scheduled for Issaquah in December, said Dale Alekel, who oversees the county's program.
As part of the program, King County sends a team to each school or district to do a "waste walk-through," assessing what is being thrown out. The team then helps schools set up waste-reduction strategies and create a recycling committee.
"We don't want them to be dependent on our assistance," Alekel said. "We give them tools so they can be sustainable over the long haul."
The Federal Way, Auburn and Northshore districts and individual schools in Bellevue, Renton and Snoqualmie Valley also have worked with the program.
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Green schools save money and energy
