How to save energy at schools?

Question

I'm doing a speech on preventing global warming and starting the fight at our homes and schools. I need some good ideas on how to conserve energy in schools. Please Help!!

Answer 1

Walk or ride your bike to school when the weather is good and carpool to school when it is cold. Use recycled paper and energy star computers. The last thing is buy local. This will reduce the carbon used for shipping your school equipment.

On a school level there is several grants that schools can apply for that allows the school to get solar panels or a wind turbine.

Answer 2

I think every single school in the country should have a fund raising drive to purchase solar panels and slap those puppies on the roof. Think of how many tens of thousands of grade school, high school, and college and university buildings are in the United States alone, it would get the entire solar power industry rolling full steam ahead. Another idea is that many areas have free energy audits where they take an infrared camera and can tell where buildings are leaking heat in the winter and cold in the summer and you could try and get that done. If I were you I'd suggest your school have a fund raising drive to buy some panels, and the best part is you could have one every year or two and add more panels until the school produced much more energy then it used and it would get a check every month from the power company that it could spend on scholarships or supplies or whatever else the it wanted to. Just remember to shop around for the best price as they vary widely. You could have one of those big thermometer things that had money levels on the side and could paint it in as you collected cash until you reached the mark, I think it would be awesome and teach everyone in the community about taking care of the environment and about new technology and it would be a symbol of working for a brighter future. It would also help energy independence and help get us off fossil fuels and other forms of non-renewable energy.

Answer 3

How about the school raising money or using some of their own to make the school have all energy efficent light bulbs in the school ! Or maybe having one personal dedicated to recycling one new person every week or do something like whoever recycles the most and brings it in gets something cool! I think that would be a good idea! Good luck and Thanks for helping out! Also encourage other students to build a garden w/ u to plant trees at different places make it a certain day of the week or maybe everyday during or after school to check on the plants and then you could sell the fruits and vegies to make money for solar panels or something cool
The way I see it it's a win win situation!

Answer 4

Our high school has saved a bundle on lighting. Several years ago we took out the center bulb from every 3-bulb fluorescent fixture. At the same time, we installed automatic shut-offs to turn the lights off when no one is in the room. The rooms still have plenty of light.

We had our heating and cooling systems upgraded, too. It all saved a surprising amount of money which means that we must be using far less electricity now.

Answer 5

Schools can dim there lights. It helps save energy and is better for learning. They did a study and found that if they dimmed the lights in class rooms it saved the schools tuns of money and the kids actually did better in class.

Simply turning off the lights in rooms that are not used and installing lights that are on motion detectors so they only go on when someone is in the room.

When designing new schools make sure there is enough natural light in rooms so the lights aren't needed

Making sure that filters for AC and heating are changed often.

Make sure that all appliances in the school are energy star.

Answer 6

If your school has a lunch program, encourage your class to plant and maintain an edible garden, from which fresh foods can be picked. By eating locally grown food, you cut the amount of carbon emissions hugely (no gas required for cars and planes to bring food to you), you cut down on plastic and styrofoam use, and if it's organic, you cut down on pesticides that cause cancer and other illnesses. Also, if you are eating fresh, raw food (salads, fruit, beans, seeds dried in the sun), you are not using gas or electric power to cook.
Other ideas: encourage bike riding to/from school with bike lanes and bike paths, install solar panels, put classroom lights on a timer system, start a recycling program maintained by the students, use recycled and "found" (old) materials in art classes, encourage the school to buy toilet paper and computer paper made from recycled materials, have someone evaluate the school for good insulation to reduce heating and cooling costs/carbon output.

Answer 7

We are required to lower our thermostatsin Winter and raise it in warmer months, and shut them off if possible. Walk or riding your bike helps. Change the lighting. Each of our classrooms and offices have a recycle box for all the tons of paper we go through at school, too!

Hope this helps you out! Good luck!

Answer 8

all the answers above are great. but i reckon there's one that's been missed - and that is the installation of a "green roof"
a green roof is like having a garden on top of the building. the soil and stuff on the roof keeps the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter - because soil is able to withold those temperatures below. ergo, less heat in the winter and less AC in the winter. lots of new buildings are getting green-roof concious. Minneapolis' new public library has a green roof. and there is also talk of installing a green roof on the Target Center arena in downtown Mpls.

Answer 9

Censor light, recycling program, bathroom fixtures that conserve water, planting trees and other plants on/near/in the school.

Answer 10

Umm...sensor lights in classrooms. When a room has no movement in it after a few minutes, the lights will shut off.

That's the only one I got...sorry!