The Detroit school district is putting together a comprehensive Sustainability Management Plan that will focus on six areas: energy, waste management, transportation, indoor environments, outdoor environments and nutrition.
Educators, students and parents as well as an array of partners will have a part in carrying out the plan.
“By working to improve environmental factors—including thermal comfort, lighting, sound, and air quality—our students will be more comfortable in class and better able to concentrate on learning,” the district says.
Among the district's sustainability initiatives:
- The construction of seven schools to LEED green building standards. These schools use less energy and water and provide more daylight, more healthful indoor air quality and better acoustics.
- Negotiating with Detroit Edison to operate solar energy systems at two schools. The solar leases will generate $480,000 in lease payments to the districtand generate enough green electricity for more than 150 Detroit households for 20 years.
- Improve nutrition in school meals: no fried foods, no pork, whole grains, local produce, and meatless days.
- Using utility management software, the district office of energy management has recovered $195,000 in billing errors from utilities.
- Launching a Go Green Challenge. The district says 54 schools have signed up to participate in the challenge, which aims to help schools reduce energy costs and share in the savings through engaging students, faculty and staff in best-practice energy management. Schools that reduce costs by 10 percent will win $1,000. Each of the schools has established a Green Team of students, teachers and facility managers. Students can also become energy monitors at their schools and will receive badges and patrol duties such as inspecting for lights and computers left on, wasteful small appliances, damaged or missing weather stripping or other energy leaks to the outdoors, and opportunities to replace old lights with newer efficient models.
