Energy Management in the Chambersburg Area School District

May 20th, 2013 by Connie Kelley

Saving power, money, and the environment in the Chambersburg Area School District since September 2007!

Energy Star achievements are one of the many ways the Chambersburg Area School District has been recognized for its excellence in energy conservation.

Along with energy conservation, the CASD made a renewed effort to improve recycling around the district. We were recognized as the only Franklin County organization to receive the PROP, award for the 2008 school year, for our combined efforts to reduce, recycle, and reuse in our buildings.

Concerns with today’s economy, as well as ever increasing costs in many areas, have people closely evaluating their spending habits at businesses and in homes throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Schools are being especially hard hit and are scrambling for ways to cut back, yet preserve important programs, academic and other, in their communities.

Here in the Chambersburg Area School District (CASD), one program in particular was initiated in the summer of 2007 that is now reaping the rewards of lowered utility costs, coming at a time when energy costs are soaring. The CASD was proactive when they partnered with Energy Education, Inc. to develop and implement a transformational process focused on behavior that is helping us save money and reduce energy use along with lowering our carbon footprint. Our energy conservation program has helped us to become better stewards of the resources we use in the district, better stewards of the environment, and better examples to our students. We’ve created a culture of energy conservation. By transforming how we use energy, we’ve freed up over $2,451,266.00 or 27.01% savings in 55 months and reduced our carbon footprint by 14,964 metric tons of CO2. That is equivalent to removing 2,686 cars from the roadways for one year or planting 382,738 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

An energy manager, a former CASD teacher, was hired for the school district and trained by Energy Education, Inc. Some of the duties of the Energy Manager include: regular building audits, maintaining a CASD database of utility usage and costs using Energy CAP software, communication with the entire school district organization about our conservation progress and to encourage participation by all, orchestrate holiday and summer shutdowns of facilities, daily work with maintenance department on building concerns from energy audits, student education via contests and classroom visits, and maintain an energy conservation web page and twitter account.    Programs that reward for load shedding/demand response and offer reduced energy costs via pooling, Act 129 rebate opportunities, etc., have also been pursued, as well as hedging our gas purchases.

Our energy conservation program is helping to educate faculty, staff, and students. Via our CASD web site, the greater community is also offered educational information about energy initiatives for home and work. Also, any CASD resident may make use of Green Quest…a free software program on our district home page, offered for home or small business owners to help them track their own energy consumption in hopes of better controlling and understanding energy use.

CASD has been recognized has been recognized for many achievements related to energy management and education.  Our newest validation of our energy efficiency efforts has come in the form of receiving the Energy Star Label for 15 of our facilities for 2009, 16 buildings for 2010, and 17 for 2011…49 Labels in all! We also have attained Energy Star Leader/Top Performer/20%+ Improvement recognition for 2010 and 2011. We are one of 181 Leader Districts in the country and one of 11 in Pennsylvania and reapplied for Leader recognition in May of 2012. We are currently less than 1% away from a 30% energy improvement in our Energy Star District Portfolio.

Finally, our conservation efforts have helped us earn 3 achievements in March of 2012. We were 1 of 17 organizations to earn the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award out of over 80 applicants; one of our elementary schools was 1 of 4 schools out of over 45 applicants chosen state-wide for the Green Ribbon School Award and moved on to the National Level; and our Energy Conservation and Management Program earned the Shippensburg School Study Council’s Exemplary Program Award for an initiative that has been in place for at least 3 years with successful results.

Each day the CASD continues to “Grow Greener”. Our efforts to lower energy consumption and control costs may help preserve student programs, save teaching positions, and help the environment in the process. Our proactive approach to reducing energy consumption has strengthened our district’s knowledge of energy conservation, enabled individuals to carry over and apply similar concepts to their own energy use at home, and helped our rural community with the ever present challenge of funding in our school district by helping to save on our utility costs.

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Connie Kelley is the Energy Manager of the Chambersburg Area School District.

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School

August 6th, 2012 by Connie Kelley

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School (Stevens) models the “green” initiatives our district has implemented since 2007, and was recently awarded U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School status in recognition of our efforts. In addition to our in-class environmental education efforts, the school itself serves as a real-world model of healthy and environmentally responsible behavior in practice. Here are some of the key environmental areas our school excels in, and examples of how we achieve our “green” accomplishments:

Our school meets ASHRAE standards for indoor air quality and ventilation.

Air and Water:

  • A 2002 ESCO Project with Chevron Energy Solutions included guaranteed water savings via retrofits of low flow equipment.
  • The school’s water source, treated by a borough treatment plant, continually produces high quality water that exceeds EPA standards and is compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • All schools in the district are tested for radon.
  • Asthma workshops are offered through “Open Airways”, an American Lung Association program.

Paper Recycling in the Chambersburg Area School District

Waste and Chemicals:

  • Stevens partners with IESI, a local waste management company, for Single-Stream Recycling. In 2008, the district earned the Professional Recyclers of PA award.
  • The Custodial Department uses Green Seal Certified, ISSA, and Costar paper, janitorial, carpet cleaning, and floor scrubbing products.
  • An integrated pest management plan and a chemical management program that selects the EPA’s Design for the Environment approved products, is in place district-wide.

Student Health:

Reaping the nutritional benefits of a healthy school garden.

  • Our Food Service Department started the ChooseMyPlate.gov program this school year. This USDA program provides nutrition and exercise education, encouraging building healthy plates of food and practicing physical fitness.
  • Besides physical education classes and daily recess outdoors, Stevens conducts a Field Day in May. Stations encourage fitness, team building, endurance, leadership, and competition.
  • Wellness Days with Summit Health for 3rd graders includes educational stations about exercise, anger management, tobacco, nutrition, drugs/alcohol, self-esteem, and fire/ police safety topics.

Schoolyard Habitats:

Student planting in a school garden.

  • Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School “green” space provides ecological and social benefits. The property includes a community-use soccer field, playground, 40-foot x 40-foot fenced garden, and a row of Bluebird nesting boxes from a class project.
  • Last summer, Stevens partnered with Penn State Cooperative Extension, the 4-H Program, and Local Master Gardeners to implement the Harvest 4-Health program. A 40-foot x 40-foot garden was designed, planted, and managed, harvesting 225 pounds of food by more than 60 students in the Kids Learning After School Program.

Energy:

Since 2009, Stevens has earned Energy Star Labels for 3 consecutive years; with an Energy Star percentage reduction of 36.8% for October 2010 to October 2011.

  • An Energy Management Program has been implemented district-wide. Stevens has saved over $78,400 or 27.19% in 53 months of benchmarking.
  • Automated heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) controls were added to the school. Monitoring allows for reduced use during unoccupied times; holidays and summers are planned shut down periods.
  • Stevens’ environmental impact from electric and oil savings is equal to 404 equivalent metric tons of CO2 reduction. This equates to 10,324 trees planted and grown for 10 years!
  • More than half of the 280 students walk to school from nearby multi-family housing developments. With bussing needs greatly reduced, transportation is efficient.

A culture of energy conservation, helping to protect the environment, reduce operating costs and use of natural resources, is evident at Stevens, modeling environmental stewardship for students. Via our building energy performance, activities to promote healthy living, and enriching programs in partnership with varied community groups, “being green” resonates at Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School.

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Connie Kelley is the Energy Manager of the Chambersburg Area School District.

Five Simple Ways to Green Your School

September 12th, 2011 by Sarah and Krissy

Biology Bottles

1.  Grow Native Seeds. In the fall, collect seeds from the trees surrounding your schoolyard.  Then have each student plant and grow his own seeds in the classroom.  Reuse egg cartons to plant your seeds!  Your school could also apply for an upcoming grant that supports school gardens and plantings, and Maryland schools can participate in the Marylanders Plant Trees program.

2.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Your Paper. The average school wastes 38 tons of paper per year.  Check out Abitibi the paper retriever program and get paid to recycle your paper!

3.  Create a Craft Box. Instead of throwing out the odds and ends usually bound for the trash can, collect these items in a craft box to reuse later.  Used milk cartons can be transformed into bird feeders or birdhouses. Used soda bottles can be used to create Biology Bottles to help your students study decomposition or the connection between land and water. With a little imagination, you can turn your classroom trash into an educational treasure!

4.  Detox Your Classroom Cleaners. Instead of using store-bought cleaners, create your own.  Students can mix up their own cleaner using everyday non-toxic household ingredients.  Find eco-friendly recipes HERE.

5.  Cut Your Carbon Footprint. Conserve energy at school by appointing a student each day as the Power Patroller.  Have the Power Patroller monitor your classroom’s energy use each day.  They can ensure lights, computers, and other electronics are turned off each time the class leaves the room. Then have students learn about their carbon footprint by using the EPA’s Global Climate Change Kids Calculator.

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Sarah Brzezinski is the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. Krissy Hopkins is a former Chesapeake Bay Program Staffer and is currently pursuing her PhD in geology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Is Your Class Ready for Endangered Species Day?

May 16th, 2011 by Sarah

The Delmarva Fox Squirrel, image courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region via Creative Commons.

The Bog Turtle, image courtesy of USFWS/Southeast via Creative Commons.

That’s right Backpackers: this Friday, May 20th is Endangered Species Day!  Endangered Species Day, which was started by the United States Senate, is held every year on the third Friday in May.  The day is held to encourage people, both young and old, to learn about species that are facing the possibility of extinction, about the conservation issues that impact their species survival, and about what we can do in our everyday lives to make a difference.

When asked about endangered species many of your students will instantly be able to identify well known species such as lions and tigers and polar bears (oh my!).  While this knowledge is a great thing for them to have and expand on, another fun way to engage your students in learning about endangered species is to “bring it local.”  Panda bears and gorillas may look adorable, but sometimes the large geographic distance between these animals native habitats and your school may leave students with a disconnect between the idea of what and endangered species is and their own actions.

This year, why not spend Endangered Species Day teaching about endangered plants and animals that live right here in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?  Here are a few species you could feature in your lesson, or have your students write a research paper on:

  • Bog Turtle – This small, semi-aquatic species of turtle is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and is classified as endangered in some states.
  • Delmarva Fox Squirrel – The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is a large, endangered squirrel species that live in small, isolated populations on the Delmarva Peninsula, which represents a fraction of its historical geographic range.
  • Shortnose Sturgeon – Shortnose Sturgeon became endangered species as a result of drastic population declines primarily due to environmental factors such as dams and pollution in the rivers and streams where they spawn.
  • Maryland Darter – This two to three inch long species of fish is possibly extinct.  The last confirmed sighting of the species was in 1988.

For additional information on endangered species in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, please refer to the following sources:

Here are some resources that have been developed through a partnership with the Endangered Species Coalition’s (ESC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that can help you teach about endangered species in your classroom this Friday:

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Why Teach About Native Peoples of the Chesapeake?

November 23rd, 2010 by Lindsay

Pocahontas statue in Jamestowne, Va. Photo source: Tony the Misfit, Flickr

With Thanksgiving looming on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on the history of our nation and, specifically, our historically significant region. As you’re carving that turkey on Thursday, take the time to think about the native peoples of the Chesapeake region and how they helped form the land we know and love today, and encourage your students to do the same with their families.

Native Americans were the earliest inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay and helped to shape the region we now reside in. There is not a significant written history of the Chesapeake’s native peoples, but artifacts left behind can teach us a lot about the land, water and way of life back then.

A big principle in Native American life was living in balance with nature and the environment. The people knew how to keep the area pristine and sustainable, while also living off of the land. The issues associated with massive development as we know it today were unheard of at that time.

Written accounts of Chesapeake natives begin around 1607, when Captain John Smith began his exploration of the Bay, mapping and journaling his experiences along the way. Unfortunately, with the arrival of European settlers and colonists, many of the native peoples of the Chesapeake were faced with disease as well as violence. The once-thriving population of Native Americans in the Chesapeake region rapidly decreased.

Of the different native peoples, the region’s most predominant were the Powhatan, Nanticoke and Piscataway nations. The communities were organized under chiefdoms, a sophisticated and multi-layered system of government. They practiced diplomacy and developed political and military alliances. They were deeply spiritual and expressed their religious values and beliefs in cyclical ceremonies and rituals that kept their world in balance.

They saw this taken advantage of when the Europeans began settling in the area, and those that have survived have seen the landscape change drastically since their ancestors first inhabited the area all those years ago.

Through the study of Native American artifacts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, you and your students can begin a meaningful discussion of the ways the land has changed: how we use it, how we live off of it and how we respect it. Issues such as development, pollution, wildlife, sustainability, public access to waterways, and shoreline conservation are all likely to lead to some thoughtful discussions with older students.

Efforts to protect the Bay can also be applied to the Native peoples of the Chesapeake, because many of the measures being taken to conserve and protect land along the shores from development will help maintain the integrity of any artifacts that may be found in those areas.

In order to fully understand the Chesapeake Bay’s struggles in the present and the future, it is important to understand its history, a huge part of which was formed by the Native peoples of the region. Use some of these great resources to get the conversation started with your students and help the history of our native people live on.

Additional Resources:

Virginia Council on Indians Resources
Native American Resources – Bay Backpack
We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region (Curriculum Guide) – Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
America in 1607: Jamestowne and the Powhatan – National Geographic interactive website
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World – A&E

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Lindsay Eney is the Communications Staffer at the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Visual Interpretation: Photographing the Modern Seashore

November 15th, 2010 by Bruce

This October I was pleased to meet Kristin Foringer of the Chesapeake Research Consortium, one of the creative

managers of this website. She attended my roundtable discussion at the 39th

Annual Conference of the North American Association of Environmental Education. We gathered around the idea of how we can describe human-ecological relationships through photography. I realized we both share a great affinity for coastal environments. While the images I featured at NAAEE drew from my work in Amazonian Ecuador, everyone there was interested in capturing the “essence” of their favorite places and getting their students involved in creating those photo essays. The idea for this blog entry was forming.

A focus of my editorial photographyhas been making images that harness some type of human story. We interpretive types are constantly seeking out visuals to illustrate concepts, stimulate reflection and make connections. Whether we speak about the field of biomimicry (where the physical and behavioral adaptations of plant and wildlife inform engineers and product designers), the historical relationships of man and nature or how we use art to escape our technocentric lives, photography is a medium we go to.

While stationed as an interpretive park ranger at Point Reyes National Seashore near San Francisco, California, I was fortunate to produce and lead interpretive programs for visitors from around the world. The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 and stands on the windiest place in North America, and the second foggiest. There’s a great history of shipwrecks and stories of survival here.

The Point Reyes lighthouse keepers log of 1888 shows man had difficulty adapting here.

Bruce Farnsworth Photography

But this blog entry is not a story about lighthouses per se. Yet, much like the lead character in a wilderness story, lighthouses are given living attributes. Metaphors like “sentinel” and “guardian” come to mind. Point Reyes and Chesapeake Bay share a common history. According to the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, some 30 lighthouses, lights and beacons remain of the original 74 that once lined Chesapeake Bay.

Good photography is largely a matter of patience, intense observation and reduction.

Before I make any photograph, I ask myself  “What attracts me to this scene?” The most effective images are often the simplest, but that ability to visually summarize a scene may be the product of a long relationship, an intimate understanding of place. Photographers know that meaningful photographs are often the celebration of a long journey.

I had pre-visualized this image of the lighthouse. The essence of Point Reyes would include the unification of rock, fog and lighthouse beacon in equal roles. From this perspective, the wind-sculpted sandstone conglomerate jutted directly onto the lighthouse. The jagged contour evokes the same rock on which many ship ran aground. During a demonstration lighting one day, the steel-plate lighthouse and its lens of 3,000 crystal elements were reduced to a shaft of light poking through the fog. Surrounded by open space, the lighthouse is small against the forces of nature and the fog appears to swirl about the lighthouse. That sense of motion, and a glimmer of hope perhaps, is provided by the patch of blue sea above.

Sometimes a single image takes on more meaning when contrasted with another. I think the diminutive Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), a federally endangered shorebird that scurries along beaches not far from the lighthouse, provides a wonderful counterpoint. Here it is shown in an image I contributed to the Pt. Reyes National Seashore Association. In Maryland, the federally endangered Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is found on Assateague Island.

If you enjoy photographing in the Chesapeake Bay, consider incorporating perspective and elements of geology and weather in your photographs. I was surprised to find few images of the famous Thomas Point Shoals lighthouse that really captured the totality of the environment. Drawing from a sense of history and the composition strategies of photography, landscapes can be made to touch on our emotional ties to place. These are among the exercises I expand upon in my summer tours for educators in Amazonian Ecuador with Raw Rainforest Photography & Educational Tours where teachers and biologists create singular images and photo-essays that become powerful tools within their own curricula.

Protect the Chesapeake Bay region!

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Bruce Farnsworth Photography - www.brucefarnsworth.com Raw Rainforest Photography Tours - www.rawrainforest.com

Be Water Wise During EE Week

April 10th, 2010 by Krissy
Dual flush toilets can be installed at your school to save up to 68% of your water use compared to a conventional toilet.

Dual flush toilets can be installed at your school to save up to 68% of your water use compared to a conventional toilet.

Get you school involved in National Environmental Education Week which runs from April 11th to the 17th.  The theme this year is Be Water and Energy Wise.  Water and energy conservation are a very important part of the Chesapeake restoration effort.  As more and more people move into the Chesapeake region our need for electricity and water increases while the supply remains about the same.  So how can we address the needs of a growing population?  The answer is simple through CONSERVING our resources.

So how can YOUR class CONSERVE during EE Week?

Hold a School Water Audit

Stream studies provide students a hands-on experience to understand how our water resources become polluted. Photo Source: University of Maryland

Stream studies provide students a hands-on experience to understand how our water resources become polluted. Photo Source: University of Maryland

School water audits are a great way to get the entire school involved in a project for EE Week.  Audits are fun, hands-on and educational.  During a water audit your students will examine the ways they use water everyday and then discuss ways they can conserve water by using it more efficiently.  Look through the Water Audit Teacher’s Guide to find out how to get your school involved before, during and after your water audit.

Then use the Water Audit Lesson to actually conduct an audit at your school.  In this lesson students will examine the school’s water use over the past year, use flow meters to determine how much water sinks and toilets use and finally compare water use between classrooms.  Once your school completes its water audit you can share your data online with classrooms around the country!

Test the Water in Your Creek

Testing the quality of  the water in your local creek or river is a great way to engage students in hands-on learning about our water resources.  By purchasing a simple water testing kit (about $30) you can test your stream for the following:

  • Temperature
  • Turbidity/Clarity
  • pH
  • Nitrate
  • Phosphate
  • Coliform Bacteria
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Biochemical Oxygen Demand
  • Macro-Invertebrates

Using the water testing kit students can record observations about the health of their local stream.  With data in hand, you can examine the land around the stream to hypothesize why the stream is healthy or polluted.   Your class map pipes from stormdrains and development in the area to try to determine the source of your water pollution.  Using this information students can then suggest ways to redesign development to minimize the impact on our water resources.

So get involved and BE WATER WISE this week! Tell us how your class is BEING WATER WISE! Leave a comment below with what your class is doing and one teacher will receive a packet full of resources.

Additional Resources
Water and Energy Conservation Lessons – Bay Backpack
Water and Energy Saving Ideas for Schools – EE Week

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Krissy Hopkins is a former Chesapeake Bay Program Staffer and is currently pursuing her PhD in geology at the University of Pittsburgh.