A couple weeks ago, our facility manager sent an email to all staff members, imploring anyone who had suggestions on how to reduce building costs to send it his way. Like all organizations and companies nationwide, finding opportunities to streamline operations and reduce costs has become of utmost importance.
Our building manager had already implemented several cost-cutting measures, his most notable and visual change being the installation of motion sensor lights, which not only saved us money but reduced our energy consumption.
Environmental consciousness, as a movement, has ebbed and flowed over the years. But it seems to have picked up steam lately, thanks to not only a new administration but, ironically, a poor economy.
The recession is forcing everyone to be innovative in how they use materials, time, and energy; propelling the green movement (as it is as often called) into a viable and lucrative approach to preserving budgets, while preserving nature.
April’s edition of ASBJ features a package of stories on this emerging trend, including a look at how environmentally-friendly practices have altered construction, curriculum, and behaviors.
Indeed, in my piece about green technology, I interviewed a number of school districts in various stages of implementation, and all of them agreed that changing behaviors was the hardest and most important part of employing any new technology.
So check out our spread on the green movement and how you could implement it in your schools.
Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor
