Sep 15 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jim Steinberg San Bernardino County Sun, Calif. Among U.S. school districts, the San Bernardino City Unified School District has become a national leader in energy efficiency, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The school district has 63 schools that have earned the EPAs Energy Star certification. Ten of those schools will be recognized at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday during a Board of Education meeting. SBCUSD is the only school district in the nation to earn the EPAs Executive Member status in the agencys Energy Star Certification. The district is in the top 10 of organizations that have certified 50 or more buildings in 2014, officials say. We are proud to be leading the way to protecting our natural resources while also saving financial resources that can directly benefit our students, said Superintendent Dale Marsden, in a statement. It is part of our commitment to work collaboratively to produce exemplary outcomes for our community, Marsden said. The elementary schools to be honored are Ramona-Alessandro, Kimbark, Newmark, North Verdemont, Parkside and Riley. The middle schools are Golden Valley, Rodriguez PREP Academy, Serrano and Shandin Hills. On average, Energy Star certified buildings use 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than comparable buildings. The district hired energy conservation company Cenergistic in 2012 to help it reduce energy consumption through employee education, lighting retrofits and shutting down air conditioning during off-work hours, among other efforts. Since hiring Cenergistic, the district has saved more than $5 million in electricity costs. The EPAs new Energy Star campaign, Certification Nation, celebrates the 15th anniversary of the first Energy Star certification of a commercial building. Knight-Ridder
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:17:54 +0000