Rosa Parks celebrates energy-saving successes
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, September 02, 2011
Rosa Parks Elementary celebrated with several special guests. Back row, from left: school board members Daryl Love and John Price, Mayor Jim Gray, board member Melissa Bacon, Congressman Ben Chandler, FCPS chief operating officer Mary Wright, Principal Leslie Thomas, Superintendent Tom Shelton, FCPS energy managers Britney Thompson and Tresine Logsdon, and Chris Tyler of the U.S. Green Building Council. (Photo: Tammy L. Lane)
Rosa Parks Elementary radiated with pride Friday as Superintendent Tom Shelton and other officials praised the school’s energy-saving initiatives.
“It’s very important we learn and understand about energy and use it wisely,” Shelton told fourth- and fifth-graders gathered in the gym. “Rosa Parks has set an example we want to follow in all our schools.”
A newly minted Energy Star school, Rosa Parks celebrated last year’s tremendously successful, student-led campaign to curb energy usage. Comparisons show the school cut back 47 percent – saving more than $52,000 in utility costs – through simple behavior adjustments.
For instance, computers automatically shut down earlier in the afternoons and the air conditioning turns on a little later in the mornings. Students also used Post-It notes to remind teachers and staff to turn off lights in empty rooms, and crews toned down the lighting intensity throughout the building.
U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, co-chair of the Congressional Green Schools Caucus, commended Rosa Parks’ efforts after unveiling the Energy Star plaque. (The award was based on energy used per square foot of the school building.)
“Not only is it good for our air and our water – it’s good for our wallets,” Chandler said. “Just think of all the additional educational opportunities we can provide for our schools with that money.”
The utility savings go back into the general fund of Fayette County Public Schools.
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray echoed Chandler’s optimism and noted how this project called for the students to exercise self-discipline and problem-solving skills.
“You are role models for adults, for us, because you guys get it,” he told the youngsters.
As a show of solidarity, Gray took the opportunity to sign on to the Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, the alliance works to accelerate implementation of programs supporting the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution calling for green schools for all children within a generation.
Leslie Thomas, principal at Rosa Parks, mentioned visiting Wellington Elementary and noticing all of the green features that went into the building’s design and construction. With her own school being 15 years old, the students’ accomplishments were that much more impressive.
“You guys started looking at the ways you use this building, and you made that change happen,” she told her kids.
FCPS chose Rosa Parks Elementary and Henry Clay High School as pilot sites for its energy conservation and sustainability initiatives.
“We’re not just doing this for Rosa Parks. We feel as a society we have a responsibility to future populations to conserve our resources,” Thomas said. “We want to create an excitement in our young kids about being responsible citizens.”
Shelton pointed out that Rosa Parks’ success also enables FCPS to issue a challenge in pursuing its goal to reduce energy consumption by 10 percent districtwide.
“We can encourage other schools to see how they can use their resources more effectively and efficiently,” he said.
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