Sustainability Night

School District to Host Community Sustainability Night
Posted on 05/13/2019
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Carson City School District is hosting a Community Sustainability Night Thursday, May 16, 5-7 p.m., at Empire Elementary School, 1260 Monte Rosa. Families and members of the community are invited to come celebrate initiatives and partnerships for sustainable practices.

The event will include highlights from the school district’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and sustainability initiatives, the Capital City Sustainability Partnership through the Nevada Green Institute, the new single-stream recycling program through Waste Management and the recently launched Green Dining District.

The event will also include fun student-created videos, prizes, awards and light snacks and refreshments. For more information, please email [email protected].

Last fall, the Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) provided a Special Recognition of Excellence for Sustainability Practices during its monthly ‘The Business Edge’ meeting. NNDA also recognized Mark Korinek, director of operations for the District, for his specific efforts spearheading sustainability practices and as a leader in green initiatives.

Last year, 9 of the 10 Carson City School District schools earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star certification with an average score of 94 percent. The certification signifies the district’s buildings perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. The district expects it will also receive the Energy Star certification for the one school not meeting the requirements after renovation and construction is completed.

Part of the Carson City School District’s strategic plan includes 1) providing opportunities through community partnerships and district resources for students to learn about environmentally friendly actions and sustainable practices to share their families, community, environment and future employers; 2) directing the district to engage in and encourage sustainable practices in its operations and communicating these efforts to students, their families and all stakeholders and 3) empowering students to achieve a lifestyle that is physically and emotionally healthy and socially responsible.

The District is considered the most energy efficient in Nevada, on a utility cost per student basis. Before their last round of energy savings projects, their Energy Use Intensity, or EUI was 41. Other K-12 school districts in Nevada average around 60 EUI.

By utilizing district resources to model sustainability goals and provide cost savings, the district has become a stage for students to benefit from sustainability, to learn about first hand, and then take their knowledge and skills to benefit the employers (or become the employers) of northern Nevada.