San Domenico School: Students leading the way to sustainability

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San Domenico School Students leading the way
to sustainability

• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a
  single step.
• Confucius

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Sustainability is rooted in the San Domenico
mission statement. In the Dominican tradition of
truth. . .

• We celebrate diversity, recognizing God's
  presence    in ourselves and in all of creation
• We explore and develop the unique gifts of each
     individual in mind, heart, body and spirit
• We inspire inquiry and provide a strong
  academic   foundation for lifelong intellectual
  growth
• We recognize what it means to be human in a
  global   community and respond with integrity to
  the needs   and challenges of our time.

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The Sustainable San Domenico project was created
based upon our values-based mission statement.

• Its goals are to integrate sustainability into
  the curriculum and to make the school operations
  food systems, energy consumption, maintenance,
  building programs and buying practices all
  reflect the principles of sustainability.
• Check out our website at www.sandomenico.org

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Energizing the Curriculum SDs work with the
Alliance to Save Energy

• One teacher from the High School and the Director
  of Sustainability attended the 2-day ASE training
  program.

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Working togetherthe Green Schools teachers
added the activities into already existing
curriculum.

• Upper School Environmental Science Curriculum
• Middle School Energy curriculum
• Co-curricular activities the students participate
  in voluntarily from grades 6-8.

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Using our buildings as a learning laboratories
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Students are challenged to think critically

• With guidance from the ASE, the Upper School ES
  class facilitates an entire unit on energy. The
  students create an audit of the school, to be
  incorporated into our Energy Conservation Plan.
• It was imperative to work with the facilities
  department to understand energy usage in each
  area of the school.

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The Energy Audit Project

• It begins with research and an in-class group
  discussion

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• Students were provided with a background in
  energy sources, efficiency, and some simple
  guiding ideas and steps for conserving energy.
• Utilizing the electric and gas bills, students
  used tools to compare where energy is utilized
  most on campus.

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The Students Results

• Here are some examples of what the students
  observed and their suggestions for energy
  efficient solutions.

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The students solutions.

• HEATING Working with the facilities department,
  students came to understand how the school
  heating system worked. Their solution?
• Separated systems with boiler control and timer
  clocks to manage heat

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San Domenico Energy/Water Conservation Plan

• Goals
• Increase energy efficiency in facilities
• Develop sustainable energy practices
• Educate students/staff/parents on energy
  conservation practices and alternative energy
  sources
• Objectives
• Develop sustainable design standards
• Perform energy audits by building.
• Identify solutions to increase energy efficiency
  and forecast sustainable alternatives for
  replacements as needed.
• Determine environmental impacts and economic
  benefits of projects. (cost analysis)
• Select projects that are cost-effective and
  implementable.
• Select leadership and participants for successful
  implementation.
• Monitor and evaluate systems.

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Lighting Solutions

• Replace incandescent light bulbs w/ compact
  fluorescents.

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No cost solutions!

• Turn off lights, computers, other devices when no
  one is in the room!
• Monitoring is by day faculty, the boarding
  faculty, and the school energy patrol in the
  Middle School Service and Sustainability Club.
• Mini stickers are over EVERY light switch Turn
  off the lights when not in use!

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Water.

• Low flow toilets were installed free of charge by
  our municipal water service.
• New shower heads installed in the dorm showers,
  to reduce the hot water consumption and therefore
  save energy.
• Rainwater catchment system on gravity flow to
  irrigate our garden, and eventually the rest of
  campus grounds

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Our outdoor pool!

• In 2006, a passive solar thermal system was
  installed to heat our large outdoor swimming
  pool. It was consuming 20 of our heating
  annually

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Indirect energy reductions.

• Use more organic produce from our garden in the
  cafeteria (saves on transportation purchasing
  costs)
• Purchase supplies and food from local farmers and
  distributors. (Marin has local organic produce, a
  tofu factory, bakeries, and dairy!)
• Use manure and cuttings
• from the stables and grounds
• in compost and to fertilize
• plantings around campus-
• do not look for outside source.

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More indirect energy savings

• We recycle paper, cardboard, cans, bottles,
  plastics, batteries, ink-jet cartridges, cell
  phones, and other electronics.
• Reuse the back of project boards, paper, etc.
  Extra materials are sent to schools in need.
• Digital cameras instead of film
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Dont use disposable dishes in the cafeteria-
  when disposables are needed, we now use
  compost-ables.

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How did students react to the activity? In
their own words
I plan to learn about more ways we can make a
difference directly, like how we learned in this
unit about all the ways of saving energy, because
I really like learning about things that are
actually possible for me to do, instead of
feeling helpless.
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Another student reflection

• One of the most important things, besides
  shifting to using renewable energy is learning to
  conserve the energy that we possess right now.

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Community Outreach

• Monthly online Newsletters to over 700 people in
  our school community
• Schools, universities, non-profits come to SD to
  use our program as a model for sustainability
  within their own schools.
• Host a annual Sustainability conference for
  teachers, administrators and students.

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Whats next at SD?

• Large-scale photovoltaic solar system!
• Students are involved in the process campaigning
  for student support, researching cost-analysis
  and technology.
• So many more steps.

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a
single step.

• Our students take on each
• little step, and as many
• graduate,
• they are able to look back
• and see the first few miles
• weve covered.

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We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is
today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency
of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and
history there is such a thing as being too late.
Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life
often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected
with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs
of men does notremain at the flood it ebbs. We
may cry out desperately for time to pause in her
passage, but time is deaf to every plea and
rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled
residue of numerous civilizations are written the
pathetic words Too late. . . .Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.For more information,
email sustainability_at_sandomenico.org