We were very excited to join K-12 school district staff from across the country in Denver for the Schools Clean Energy and Indoor Air Quality Summit, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s program for Efficient and Healthy Schools. Over 60 attendees were present, including 39 school district staff, who came together to learn and to celebrate achievements at this two-day event, June 11-12, 2024. The summit was an opportunity for school district staff to learn about clean energy technologies for improving energy efficiency and indoor air quality in school operations, maintenance, and renovations. The event also honored district attendees who were the recipients of this year’s Efficient and Healthy Schools Recognition Program.
Experts from honoree and local districts, research institutions, national partners, and summit sponsors shared insights and challenged everyone to consider how to incorporate the principles of efficient and healthy school building operation. Perhaps the most meaningful experiences for those attending were the one-on-one interactions that school staff had with their peers. As one attendee noted, their favorite part of the summit was bringing together districts from across the country and hearing about their unique challenges and solutions.
Learning From Real World Examples
Denver Public Schools hosted the summit at their Regis Groff Campus. As a previous honoree and active participant in the Efficient and Healthy Schools Program, Denver Public Schools was excited to host the summit and share how they designed this campus with educational and operational flexibility in mind. A team of architects who designed the Regis Groff Campus shared a brief presentation highlighting the harder-to-see sustainability features (such as a solar array on the roof) before leading attendees on a tour of several learning points throughout the building. Showcasing these features helped attendees see functional and operational approaches to reducing energy use and improving indoor air quality in-action. The building offered an excellent venue to highlight the crux of K-12 sustainability work: school district learning spaces.
Recognizing Excellence
In its fourth year supporting schools and districts across the country, the Efficient and Healthy Schools Program (EHSP) recognized thirteen school districts from the 2023-2024 program cohort. These schools and districts excelled in their planning efforts and outstanding implementation of projects and programs in the four recognition categories: Data Detective, Retrofit Revolutionary, Performance Pro, and Solutions Strategist. In recognition of these efforts, representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Technologies Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab presented awards to the district teams and highlighted each honoree’s project work. It was an honor and a privilege for members of New Buildings Institute’s team, in conjunction with our partners from the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools, to bring together such an outstanding cohort of honorees on behalf of the Efficient and Healthy Schools Program. This summit provided new connections, helpful resources, and inspiration to keep the work of creating healthy and efficient schools going.
Get Involved with the Efficient and Healthy Schools Program
The Efficient and Healthy Schools Program aims to engage K-12 schools and supporters to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality, through operational and technological approaches to reduce energy use and advance resilience. This program, led by the U.S. Department of Energy, with technical support from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and New Buildings Institute, offers free technical assistance, a nationwide support network of schools and supporters, and access to resources and experts. K-12 education organizations interested in participating and organizations interested in supporting schools with their energy and indoor air quality needs can join the program to start the conversation and receive additional information on the upcoming 2024-2025 program year.
by Shannon Oliver, Senior Project Manager
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