Non-profit energy education organization Solar One has just announced the winners of this year’s Green Design Lab Energy Challenge, which awarded three NYC schools a combined $30,000.
The Challenge culminates a six-month long competition among more than 20 K-12 schools to save the most electricity. PS/MS 194, in the South Bronx, generated the greatest energy reduction, saving 21 percent to win a first prize of $12,000. The runners up, PS 84-Steinway, in Astoria, and the Academy for Environmental Leadership, Bushwick Campus, in Bushwick, reduced energy use by 17 and 14 percent, respectively, to win $9,000 each.
Reductions within this six month period for all participating schools totaled nearly $75,000 in savings to the school system, which can easily translate into a savings of $150,000 per year.
SOLAR ONE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF GREEN DESIGN LAB™’s $30,000 ENERGY CHALLENGE
PS/MS 194 in the Bronx earns $12,000 first prize for reducing electricity by 21 percent;
schools help City save $75,000 in energy costs for six-month period
NEW YORK (June 6, 2012) − Solar One, a New York City-based nonprofit environmental education organization, which has partnered with the Department of Education’s Division of School Facilities and Sustainability Initiative, has announced winners of the 2011/2012 Green Design Lab™ (GDL) Energy Challenge. More than 20 local K-12 public schools enrolled in the GDL program were challenged to save the most electricity, over six months, for a chance to win a combined $30,000 for school and custodial budgets.
PS/MS 194, in the South Bronx, generated the greatest energy reduction, saving 21 percent to win a first prize of $12,000. The runners up, PS 84-Steinway, in Astoria, and the Academy for Environmental Leadership, Bushwick Campus, in Bushwick, reduced energy use by 17 and 14 percent, respectively, to win $9,000 each.
Reductions were determined by comparing electricity usage between November 2011 and April 2012 against the school’s average usage for the same six-month period during the past two years. Funding for the prizes comes from the DOE, along with a contribution from Solar One.
Not only are the top school results striking, but 16 out of 22 schools involved in the Challenge saw decreases of 5 percent or more, with an overall average 8.1 percent savings, according to readings from Con Edison. Reductions within this six month period, alone, totaled nearly $75,000 in savings to the school system, which can easily translate into a savings of $150,000 per year.
“The NYC Department of Education’s sustainability program is making an impact on our students who are learning about the importance of resource conservation. I am very excited that our sustainability curriculum partner, Solar One, and their Green Design Lab™ program has helped to raise awareness of the importance of energy savings,” said John Shea, New York City Department of Education Division of School Facilities CEO. “I commend our school staff, and particularly our students for their efforts in this Energy Challenge. They are leaders by example, and I am so proud of their accomplishments.”
Students at the winning schools embraced the challenge, unplugging unused electronics, replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient versions, hanging posters reminding students and faculty of the Challenge, embarking on letter-writing campaigns to promote efficiency and more. Custodians also helped to reduce the electricity usage of their schools.
In addition to being involved in this engaging competition, students gained hands-on understanding of the major impact these simple changes can make, calculating energy usage by kilowatt hours (kWh) and reductions in CO2 emissions along the way.
“We are very pleased with the reductions made by our Green Design Lab partner schools and the whole-hearted response from students, teachers, and custodians,” said Christopher Collins, executive director of Solar One. “These inspiring results demonstrate that behavior change is possible, and the incredible impact student-led efforts can make on our schools and communities. We’re confident that GDL schools will continue with their energy-saving practices, helping the City’s mission of reducing energy use in City buildings by 30 percent.”
About Green Design Lab™
The Green Design Lab™ is a free K-12 NYC public school program that helps to reduce CO2 emissions and school energy costs, while improving student STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills. The year-long curriculum fosters a shift in environmental education from one-off enrichment programs or field trips to in-depth project-based lesson plans where students become agents of change.
The Green Design Lab™ is the only program of its kind to provide partner schools with highly trained educators for up to two days a week and professional development for educators on program implementation. The program consists of two portions, a GDL educator-delivered curriculum on energy in the Fall and a choice of other curricular units, ranging from air quality, water, food or materials, in the Spring. Schools are then required to participate in a sustainability project where they incorporate such elements as light bulb change outs, recycling program enhancements or an outdoor garden into their buildings.
This year’s GDL program is two times larger than Solar One’s pilot program and a significant step closer to Solar One’s goal of expanding the program to 10 percent of the City school system by 2017.
In addition to offering a positive impact on City school children, GDL is helping Mayor Michael Bloomberg achieve his goal of a 30 percent reduction of energy use in City municipal buildings by 2017. By square footage, schools account for 40 percent of the City’s building stock and 27.5 percent of the city’s energy use. The program was acknowledged by the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability and included in the City’s updated PlaNYC 2030.
GDL is supported by private and public sponsors including NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, New York City Council, founding supporter Con Edison, North Star Greening Western Queens Fund, Manhattan Community Board 3, HSBC, USA, N.A., Mertz Gilmore Foundation, American Honda Foundation, Constellation Energy, Colgate Palmolive, the Schmidt Family Foundation 11th Hour Project, J.C. Kellogg Foundation, and The Leslie and Daniel Ziff Foundation.
Solar One, incorporated in 2004, is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization created to be New York City's first Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center. Solar One's mission is to empower people with the knowledge and resources to unleash and build sustainability in their communities. From thin film solar to cellulosic ethanol to efficient buildings, the organization is dedicated to developing innovative, complete and effective ways to encourage people to re-examine, through critical thinking and scientifically proven information, the ways we live and work in order to reduce our impact on the environment. Solar One seeks to set new standards on how to make our urban environment more sustainable, particularly in our hometown of New York City; to catalyze movements to reduce carbon emissions; to educate the public about innovative solutions to our environmental challenges; and to connect people from all walks of life to an array of new ways to address current energy, environmental and sustainability issues. This is all done in an engaging, intellectually honest, meaningful and entertaining way that leaves people inspired and facilitates community-wide change.
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