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Contact: Christopher Dann
Public Information Officer
303-692-3281
For Immediate Release Monday, September 27, 2004
Grant Monies Fund Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Four
Weld County Elementary Schools
Greeley – Hundreds of Weld County elementary school
students are learning in more energy-efficient environments this academic
year, thanks to a grant awarded to Weld County School District 6 by the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado-based
not-for-profit StEPP Foundation.
Energy-efficient lighting systems; a variety of high
efficiency equipment; and other building improvements will permanently
reduce air pollutants and energy bills at Chappelow, Jackson, Monfort and
McAuliffe elementary schools in Weld County.
“I’m very excited about this project,” said Douglas H.
Benevento, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment. “Not only are pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen
oxides permanently reduced, but the educational opportunities are great.
From district staff receiving training on the operation and maintenance of
new, energy-efficient equipment to students learning how their schools are
helping to protect the environment, the entire educational community is
reaping rewards.”
Weld County School District 6 received a $127,500
supplemental environmental project grant last fall. The district, in turn,
hired the Brendle Group Inc. of Fort Collins to conduct energy audits at
the schools and to provide strategic energy management recommendations to
the school district. The Brendle Group is an environmental consulting firm
specializing in energy efficiency, pollution prevention and sustainable
design.
The energy audit results identified energy-efficient
lighting systems; kitchen upgrades; and other building improvements as the
most beneficial and cost-effective strategies for the school district to
incorporate.
Once fully implemented, Weld County School District 6
expects to prevent 150 tons of air pollutant emissions annually. The energy
savings at the four elementary schools is expected to exceed 150,000
kilowatt-hours per year, which translates to more than $10,000 annually.
Data on actual energy savings and pollution reductions will be shared with
other relevant facilities throughout Colorado and the nation as they become
available.
Funding for supplemental environmental projects like this
one are made available through the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment and other regulators. Portions of negotiated settlements in
cases where environmental laws have been violated often are targeted for
funding such projects. The intent is to benefit communities harmed by the
violations.
The StEPP Foundation oversees much of the process. Projects
that fit specific settlement criteria are selected from a project database
maintained by the StEPP Foundation or through a proposal process, then put
through a systematic review.
Subcommittees review detailed proposals and make
recommendations to the full StEPP Foundation Board of Directors. The board
then makes recommendations on which projects to fund to the Department of
Public Health and Environment, which must decide if the projects meet the
negotiated requirements of each related settlement.
Subcommittees consist of at least one StEPP board member
and four or five professionals from pertinent and/or related fields.
Participants represent business, government, academia and not-for-profit
sectors. Subcommittees also include experts in economic development,
renewable energy, community development, energy efficiency, pollution
prevention and environmental leadership.
Once projects and funding are joined, the StEPP Foundation
provides continual oversight to ensure that each is implemented fully and
that all energy efficiency, clean energy and pollution prevention goals are
met.
“We are very grateful to the StEPP Foundation for making it
possible for District 6 to install new lighting and other energy saving
equipment in four of our schools,” said Wayne E. Eads, Assistant
Superintendent of Support Services for Weld County School District 6. “Not
only will we save money in operating costs over time, but the improved
lighting will provide a better learning environment for our kids.”
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