[CharterSchools] Sci High hosts Louisiana Green Schools Challenge Press Conference and 2014 Program Launch Monday

[charterschools at LACharter.org]

WHAT:Louisiana Green Schools Challenge Press Conference and 2014 Program Launch
WHEN:Monday, August 25th, 10:00 am
WHERE: NewOrleans Charter Math and Science High School
 
NEW ORLEANS, LA ---August 21, 2014 – TheU.S. Green Building Council’s Louisiana Chapter announces the 2014 Green Schools Challenge, aprogram that encourages students across the state to develop sustainability focusedprojects for their schools in the name of friendly and FREE competition. A press conference to officially launchthis year’s program will take place Monday,Aug. 25 at 10am at the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics HighSchool (Sci High).
 
The location of the event is apropos: Sci High placed second in the2013-14 Louisiana Green Schools Challenge, snagging them a $1,000 check fromUSGBC Louisiana for their waste reduction project. USGBC Louisiana ExecutiveDirector Shannon Stage and other Chapter Leaders will address the audience andpresent the award, along with other Chapter leaders and supporters of the statewideprogram. Furthermore, Sci High is one of 5 NOSSI schools to receive funding forsolar panels through Entergy, who is the Louisiana Green Schools Challengeprimary sponsor. Representatives of Energy will also be in attendance, and willaddress the audience on the importance of green schools.
 
Sci High students who were involved in the winning project, undersupervision of Environmental Science teacher Jason Denlinger, will be on handto speak about their project, which started with getting a grant to get adishwasher and eventually replacing all of the Styrofoam plates used in thecafeteria to reusable dishware. The program, which also includes school-widerecycling, cut the solid waste by half, along with the cost of disposing it,Facilities Manager Anthony Crim said. He was asked to save money, so he appliedfor a $10,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful to lease a dishwasher. Soon thekitchen waste went down 60 percent.
 
“Ask the rightquestions to the right people, and BAM!  We save money ANDthe world,” Crim said. Their Green Schools project saved $3,700last year, he said. “Styrofoam is…the easiest way, but it’s not the right way.”
 
Last year’s Green Schools Challenge involved 40 schools and 37 mentorsin 13 parishes, according to Chapter Coordinator Jolie Lemoine, who overseesthe statewide program. More than 7,000 students were engaged in projectsfocused on recycling, building outdoor classrooms, creating schoolyard gardens,holding school energy audits, and designing rain gardens. Ben Franklin High Schooltook first place in the high school division, for the students’ multi-facetedand collaborative project, Lemoine said. The winners for the middle school andelementary school projects were Saint Margaret Catholic School in Lake Charles andEdward Hynes Charter School in New Orleans, respectively. Third place winnersreceived $500; second place, $1,000; and first place, $1,500, along with anElkay EZH20 water bottle filler, which tracks the number of plastic bottlesdiverted from the landfill.
USGBC Louisiana is seekingschools interested in participating and mentors to assist with the schools’projects. Mentors should bring some expertise in an environmental orsustainability field, and the ability to contribute volunteer time to theproject, Lemoine said. She added that mentors are paired with schools that areinterested in projects that relate to the mentors’ expertise. For moreinformation visit the Green Schools Challenge page on the Chapter’s website: www.usgbclouisiana.org. Deadlinefor Schools and Mentors to register is Friday, September 12th.

For more information please contact USGBC LA Chapter Coordinator JolieLemoine 504-330-1292 (Jolie at usgbclouisiana.org)   

 

The US Green Building Council, Louisiana Chapter (USGBC Louisiana) is a 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to transform the way buildings andcommunities are designed, built and operated, to be more energy efficient andcost effective. We create healthier places to live, work, and learn througheducation, advocacy, and community outreach.
 
 


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