As a mother of two young children, one of the main reasons my husband and I chose to move into the Kentfield School District (KSD) in 1995 was the quality of its schools. But as an energy efficiency professional in the business of reducing energy waste and related adverse environmental impacts, I was also delighted to find KSD had embraced sustainability and responsible use of the world’s resources. This environmental commitment extends from the district’s management of its facilities to its educational outreach to students, family members and the community.
KSD first embraced improving the energy efficiency of its facilities in 1998, under the direction of District Maintenance Manager Paul Miller. These measures included upgrades to efficient T8 fluorescent lighting, occupancy sensor lighting control and installation of energy management systems at both of the district’s two schools, Bacich Elementary and Kent Middle School.
After completion of the energy efficiency upgrades, the district implemented the cornerstone of KSD’s environmental commitment—its solar photovoltaic (PV) electric systems, which were designed and installed by SPG Solar, a local Marin County solar company. They’ve been operating flawlessly and are paying tremendous dividends to the district.
The PV systems at Bacich and Kent became operational by the end of 2005. With these systems up and running, KSD became the first public school district in California to be 100 percent solar powered. The solar-electric systems were paid for with funds from the Building Modernization Bond, which was passed by the homeowners in the school community. They also qualified for PG&E’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, which provided rebates for half the cost of the systems.
These systems eliminate the electricity costs at both schools and have been operating maintenance-free for more than three years. The systems have even been generating more electricity than originally predicted, saving the district $95,000 in annual electricity costs—a total of more than $290,000 since they went online. And with the systems expected to last more than 25 years, the savings will keep coming while nationwide energy costs continue to rise.
At each school, a Sunspot Photovoltaic Monitoring System monitors solar input, power generation, ambient temperature and a variety of other performance characteristics. This data is accessible to students, teachers and administrators and is integrated into classroom learning experiences. In particular, Kent Middle School science teachers Ron Pembleton and Sharon Conaty have incorporated numerous activities based around the systems into their science curriculums.
The benefits of the solar-electric systems aren’t limited to cost savings and educational opportunities. In the three years since they’ve been operational, the systems combined have generated more than 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of carbon-free electricity. Using the solar systems instead of electricity generated from fossil fuel power plants has prevented almost 1 million pounds (314,000 pounds per year) of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to the carbon emissions from the annual electricity use of 90 typical California homes.
Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership recognized KSD for its solar PV electric generating system. Schools across the nation were honored for generating power from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydropower. According to the EPA, Kentfield schools are among the top 20 in the United States when it comes to renewable power generation. KSD was ranked 16th due to its solar power, which produces 462,903 kilowatt-hours a year, accounting for 95 percent of the district’s total electricity use.
In addition to greening its own facilities, KSD extends its environmental commitment to students and families through its nonprofit Cool the Earth program. Cool the Earth is a grassroots, school-to-home program founded in 2007 by KSD parents Carleen and Jeff Cullen. First launched at Bacich Elementary, the program helps children understand the issues of global climate change and empowers them to take energy-saving actions at home with their families.
Cool the Earth begins with an all-school assembly, where characters like Koda the polar bear, Mother Nature and Mr. Carbon (“Boo! Hiss!”) introduce the topic of global warming and how human actions contribute to the problem. The kids are inspired to save Koda’s icy homeland by getting rid of the villainous Mr. Carbon.
Students are given a small book of action coupons to take home that recommend energy-saving tips, such as powering down home electronics that use energy when in standby mode by unplugging devices or turning off power strips. Students can earn rewards in the form of prize cards featuring Wasteful Wendy, Rennie Reusable and other characters, for actions like getting their families to use reusable bottles and bags instead of throw-away products, thereby saving carbon and landfill space. Monthly highlights focus on a particular action (a recent one was washing clothes in cold water), and an Action Banner tracks the progress of the whole school, charting the amount of energy saved and the amount of greenhouse gases avoided.
Because children are such strong catalysts for social change, the program has had wonderful results in the Kentfield School District and is now running in more than 100 schools in the United States. Through the Cool the Earth program, the KSD community has taken more than 3,500 actions to reduce global warming and avoided the emission of 1,400 tons of carbon dioxide into the environment—the equivalent of the annual emissions from 240 cars.
Through these commitments—from improving the energy efficiency of infrastructure to educating students and the school community about how they can help fight climate change—Kentfield School District is leading the charge to create a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.
Mary Matteson Bryan, P.E., is an independent consultant providing energy-engineering expertise to a variety of clients. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the energy efficiency field, including senior positions in project management and program delivery. You can reach her at (415) 305-5445 or mmbryan@pacbell.net.
