Involving Students in Energy Conservation

October 2008

One of the key barriers in creating awareness for energy management programs is a lack of visibility. We see recyclable products in garbage cans and we're reminded that we can do better. Unfortunately, wasted electricity passes through the school without a flicker of light. This lack of visibility can make it difficult to develop a connection between our actions and the impact that we have on our energy consumption. The York Catholic District School Board found a solution to this challenge by creating the Eco Champion Program. The program promotes participation from school administration, staff, students and members of the Environmental & Office Services Department.

A big flashing sign The "Save Energy" signs are LED lights installed in all of the participating schools' classrooms, library and office. These "Save Energy" signs will start flashing whenever the school is using electricity above a pre-determined threshold. An Eco Monitor (student) is selected in each of the classrooms (where feasible) to participate in the Eco Team, which also includes the principal, the caretaker and some teachers. The team creates a list of all the steps the school can take to reduce electricity consumption whenever the"Save Energy" signs start flashing. The list is then posted in each classroom and the Eco Monitors put these steps into action whenever the signs flash. The actions taken may include the following:

• Turn off unnecessary lights
• Turn off computers and monitors if they are not in use
• Turn off any other unused appliances
• Change temperature set-point

In addition, "Energy Conservation Standards" posters are placed in key locations throughout the school. "Lights OFF" and"Monitor OFF" stickers are used as constant reminders of ways for staff and students to conserve energy.

Give us two minutes, and we'll show you what we did To promote awareness, a large monitor is installed in the foyer of each of the participating schools. Updated every two minutes, the monitor displays a graphical representation of the current (including the last 24 hours) electricity consumption for the school. Upon activation of the "Save Energy" signs, one can monitor the results of the Eco Team actions.

Accessibility A York Catholic District School Board Eco Website was created to give the school access to energy data (including a live link to the electricity meter), information on green projects and waste minimization, and other links as a resource to help teachers and students. Schools can monitor their electrical consumption at all times and have access to historical data. Results for each school are posted with comparisons to previous years. Results are weather normalized to ensure a fair year to year comparison.

Recognizing efforts Participating schools compete throughout the year with the best schools receiving prizes and recognition from the Board.

But does it work? The program has proven to be an overwhelming success with participating schools seeing a 10% decline in electricity consumption. The profile of the positive impact that can be had on energy consumption has been raised with both students and staff. Schools are better equipped to reduce their energy consumption and minimize their waste, and both students and staff have become more aware of their ecological impact.