Steve Kramer, the superintendent of
Madeira City Schools, received an unusual phone call on New Year’s Eve 2008. An anonymous donor wanted to contribute $1.5 million for the school district to invest in renewable energy. Specifically, the initial bequest was to use the gift entirely for solar panels. After a little research, Kramer and Assistant Superintendent Kenji Matsudo realized that might mean the largest solar array in the state. They wanted to make sure they were using the money wisely, for the best investment, and in concert with the wishes of the donor.
Coincidentally, Madeira school district’s planning commission was just completing an energy study to evaluate possible ways the school district could save energy and cut costs. Such a study of the district’s facilities had not been done since the 1970s during the time of the energy crisis. In recent years, the district’s utility costs had been steadily increasing by about 10% per year. "When you’re trying to cut expenses any way you can, we wanted to find a way where we are spending less on our energy bill, so that money can go to curriculum, instruction," says Matsudo.
In 2004, the school district had passed a bond issue that allowed for a new elementary and middle school to be built, along with renovations to the high school. While funding was enough to take advantage of some high-efficiency appliances, going green was not on the table. Budget decisions forced them to limit choices on extras like lighting and temperature sensors. "When you’ve passed a bond levy, you’ve got to make some tough choices to stay on budget," Matsudo says.
The energy study was commissioned in 2008 one year after the new schools were completed. The committee scrutinized energy bills, surveyed teachers and staff on usage, and evaluated activities related to energy education, such as classroom instruction and student-led recycling programs. The study was completed in December, and the results identified and categorized the district’s goals in terms of "ABCs" : Awareness, Behavioral changes, Consumption, and Dedication.
With the completed energy study and the donation in their lap, Kramer and Matsudo had to determine the best approach to use the funds wisely, and be good stewards of the $1.5 million gift.
Kramer notes that "Initially, the donor wanted solar panels. After we had done some research, we went back to the donor and asked if we could talk about other renewable energy projects." After meeting with the donor, Kramer says they were able to broaden the terms to encompass energy efficiency investment, which would also include a large solar array.
The board of education set to work on meeting with engineers, ultimately selecting
CMTA from Louisville. An engineering firm specializing in healthcare and educational institutions, CMTA had more than 50 LEED certified accredited professionals at their disposal. "CMTA is very attuned to talking to teachers and students to find the best fit, and how it makes the most sense based on the educational goals," says Matsudo. "They’re really well-connected in thinking about all of those things in a school setting."
Inspiration
One of the schools Matsudo looked to for inspiration for Madeira and to see the blend of energy and education in action were two newly built schools in Kenton County.
Matsudo and Kramer toured Twenhofel Middle School and were enlightened by what they saw. Certified LEED Silver by the
US Green Building Council, some of the unique features of Twenhofel included:
• Daylighting throughout the building, including classrooms, the gymnasium and auditorium;
• Rainwater irrigation and greywater collection for toilets and the athletic field;
• School lobby "vital signs" screen and website for students to monitor energy usage; and
• Clear panels in science classrooms to view the geothermal units.
Of the other schools in the district, Caywood Elementary has been awarded Energy Star status for three years in a row, and the TurkeyFoot Middle School currently under construction is aiming for LEED Gold and net-zero energy usage.
A few years ago, the school district hired Chris Baker as the energy coordinator of
Kenton County schools to oversee all things energy-related. From monitoring facilities and utilities to spearheading the nationally acclaimed
EnergyWISE program in the school, Baker brings the focus on energy conservation to the student level. One feature of EnergyWISE has students perform energy audits - encouraging teachers and students to turn off lights and computers when not in use, leaving notes as reminders, or offering kudos when the levels stay low.
The school hosts awareness assemblies, as well as programs for the community such as an energy fair or Lowe’s bulb exchange programs. Tours of the new high performance school are becoming increasingly popular, drawing school officials from all across the tri-state. These tours are led by 7th and 8th graders who are knowledgeable about the many green features of their school.
"It’s absolutely helped change the whole culture of the school district. We’re just passing the million dollar mark in saved energy costs," said Baker.
It’s the type of results that Matsudo hopes to see in Madeira. "Those are the types of things we want to create for awareness. Trying to integrate science, social studies, math lessons, a lot of calculating opportunities."
Implementation
Suzy Tucker, a physics teacher at Madeira High School has worked with her students on some energy calculations and energy awareness in the classroom. This fall, as a result of the energy study, high school students will be offered the choice of a new environmental science course Tucker is developing. The students will work on experiments with wind generators and solar house designs. "What’s interesting is the curriculum is very activity-based, hands-on stuff for the students to do every day," said Tucker. The class will also incorporate a service-learning aspect by dividing into teams and each proposing a project that will make a difference.
The next steps for Madeira are to work with CMTA on an energy audit, and review the low-cost to no-cost changes that can be made focusing first on the primary areas of consumption, lighting and HVAC. Installation of the solar panels in Madeira is expected sometime in the fall, and will likely go on the elementary school roof after a determination is made as to where the panels will work most efficiently. Matsudo admits that ultimately the focus on energy was a focus on the bottom line. "Our focus is practical, saving money but also education through that. The one thing we know - energy costs are likely to go up, and to the extent we can flatten that out a bit, it’s a good thing."
Carol Blevins Ormay, Business Development Director for CMTA Engineers agrees. She says that while vision and leadership spurred the first high-performance schools, today it’s trending towards a matter of functionality and practicality. "It’s becoming less of a philosophical issue, and more of a pocketbook issue. These buildings will last 30-50 years, and an investment in something like geothermal will have a 4-5 year payback."
Alison Matthews Sampson is a professional writer living in the Cincinnati area. She has worked for the University of Cincinnati in various capacities for nearly 10 years, as an instructor, writer, and program director.
Photography by Scott Beseler