Inside This Edition What's New » SRC Web Button Now Available for Download » SRC Conducts Energy Audits in Elba School District, AL, Conecuh County School District, AL, and Bibb County School District, GA » ENERGY STAR for Kids Site Launches » Earth Day is April 22—How Will You Celebrate? » Free Energy Efficiency Design Guide Available for Schools Upcoming Events

SRC WEB BUTTON NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

A new Web button is available on the Southeast Rebuild Collaborative (SRC) Web site to help promote your commitment to energy efficiency and spread the word about saving energy to potential new members. The Web button highlights your environmental leadership and shows your visitors that you are proactive in southeast energy efficiency efforts with SRC. By clicking on the Web button, users will be taken to the SRC homepage, where they can browse for information about the Collaborative, find out more about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Challenge, and learn what action they can take to improve energy efficiency in their neighborhood. Joining the SRC is free, and members have access to resources, electronic guides, and manuals from industry leaders. Members can also access lesson plans and educational content specifically designed for teachers. By spreading the word about SRC, you’ll help save energy and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases—one new member at a time!

To include the Web button on your site, visit the SRC homepage for further details.

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SRC CONDUCTS ENERGY AUDITS IN ELBA SCHOOL DISTRICT, AL, CONECUH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, AL, AND BIBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, GA

SRC Technical Leads recently visited three schools to perform walk-throughs and make recommendations for low- and no-cost improvements to increase energy efficiency. Prior to the on-site visits, each district made a commitment to improving its energy performance with the support of its member schools. The districts used EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool to benchmark their energy performance data. Using this data, SRC technical leads determined the schools with the greatest potential for improvement in each district and proceeded to perform energy audits for the identified schools. The full report for each school will be posted on the SRC site, under the Resources section, in the coming weeks.

If you would like your school district to be considered for an energy audit, follow the steps below:

1. Join SRC
2. Become an ENERGY STAR partner
3. Benchmark your school district’s energy consumption using EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool
4. Let us know why your school should be selected for the next energy audit. E-mail info@southeastrebuild.org with details of your commitment to improving energy efficiency.

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ENERGY STAR FOR KIDS SITE LAUNCHES

The nation’s schools are helping to prevent greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency with the help of the ENERGY STAR program. In addition to partnering with ENERGY STAR, schools can do more to involve their students by visiting the new ENERGY STAR Kids site, available at www.energystar.gov/kids. Students can view several interactive pages with tips on how they can save energy every day and learn more about why energy efficiency is so important to protecting the environment. Making a very special appearance is Horton, the elephant from 20th Century Fox’s new animated film Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!™, reminding kids that saving energy can be easy and fun.

For parents, teachers, and administrators, the ENERGY STAR Kids site offers information and ideas for bringing energy-efficient practices to their schools and homes. Sample lesson plans, brochures, and activity books are available on the site, along with more information on how schools can take the ENERGY STAR Challenge and the ENERGY STAR Change a Light pledge. With the help of the new ENERGY STAR Kids site, adults can teach kids lifelong habits to save energy where they live, play, and learn.

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EARTH DAY IS APRIL 22—HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE?

Earth Day (April 22nd) is fast approaching, and now is the time to start planning ways to celebrate. Members from every sector can find helpful tips and ideas for events or other activities on the SRC Resources page. Local government officials can find out how to have a positive impact on their communities by reducing emissions, benefiting the environment and public health, and saving taxpayer dollars with the National Association of Counties’ Climate Protection Program and the Cities for Climate Protection Program, among other initiatives. Businesses can take the ENERGY STAR Challenge to improve the energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more. Consumers can also pitch in by taking the ENERGY STAR pledge to change products and practices at home and work to save energy, save money, and fight global warming. Teachers will find a dedicated Teachers Corner for educational content grouped by grade level, including hands-on lesson plans, classroom materials, and interactive Web sites. However you plan to celebrate, take the first step to making every day Earth Day!

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FREE ENERGY EFFICIENCY DESIGN GUIDE AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS

Many school districts are struggling to reduce their spending by increasing their buildings’ energy efficiency. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers has written the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 Schools to help owners and designers of elementary, middle, and high school buildings obtain at least 30 percent energy savings over current codes (compared to the minimum requirements of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999). It features easy-to-follow recommendations for various climate zones and how-to tips using real-life construction case studies of schools around the country that have achieved or exceeded the 30 percent target.

The new ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide can help your school district save money—savings that can be devoted to educational resources. The Guide was developed through the collaboration of ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Download it for free at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg or look for your hard copy—16,000 copies have been mailed to every school district in the United States. The ASHRAE Web site also has free downloads of design guides for small offices and retail spaces.

Be sure to visit www.southeastrebuild.org for more energy efficiency resources for schools.

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