Illinois campus is first public high school to receive LEED gold for existing buildings
Oct 1, 2011 4:17 PM
Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill., has become the first public high school in the country to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold-level certification for existing buildings from the U.S. Green Building Council.
School officials estimate that the school's annual savings from its energy upgrade are $100,000 per year.
Operational changes to improve energy efficiency include cutting back on electricity and natural gas use during non-school hours, increasing recycling and using less paper.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment because we have a school with a footprint of nearly 1 million square feet, and we have more than 4,500 people here on a daily basis," Assistant Superintendent for Business Mark Michelini says in a news release. "Earning LEED gold status is a validation of our ‘green initiative’ to reduce the school's carbon footprint."
The school's green efforts are led by a 40-member committee of students, teachers, administrators, facilities staff, and community and school board members. Their recommendations have resulted in:
- Increased recycling. The percentage of waste recycled at Stevenson increased from 32 percent in 2008-09 to 42 percent in 2009-10. Twenty-five tons of waste was diverted from landfills to recycling centers in 2009-10.
- Smarter energy use. Adjustments to lighting, heating and air conditioning during non-school hours led to a 6.9 percent reduction in electricity use between 2008-09 and 2009-10. Natural gas consumption dropped by 4.8 percent during the same time period.
- Reduced use of paper. Using electronic communications when possible instead of printed material resulted in a 5.3 percent decline in paper used at the school's copying center over three years: from 14.7 million sheets of paper in 2007-08 to 13.9 million sheets in 2009-10.
Students also played a major role in the LEED certification process, the school says. About 20 students conducted transportation surveys of peers, faculty and staff, and found a significant reduction in conventional commuting trips. Students also gathered data on water flow rates and rainwater infiltration.
