Dear Lansing School District Community,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. As always, it is a pleasure to be writing to you all. Today, I want to wish everyone a happy Earth Day. Though it was actually yesterday, I thought I would dedicate this week's newsletter to the idea of being green.
As you can imagine, a school district is a very large consumer of oil, gas, and electricity. We also produce tons of waste and refuse. I would like to believe that the good we create for society outweighs our "pollution," but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't focus on ways to help be better stewards of the environment. We as a society and certainly as a school district should be promoting both big and small ways to be greener. Some schools have student recycling leaders, others make sure to check that all lights are off before they leave for the day. Some buildings make sure to close their windows on cold days, other locations have even talked about composting and reusing materials.
From the central office, we have been trying to put in LED lights throughtout the district, which are both brighter and more efficient. We have tried to encourage recycling and keep a check on our energy usage. As we look to build new schools, we are looking at using geo-thermal heating, better insulated windows, and more efficient HVAC systems. But the big idea we are looking into is bringing solar power to the district. So many of our schools have huge grass fields. Of course, I love having so much land for the students to play on, but some of our schools have space enough for both solar and soccer fields. We are also looking at new or rebuilt buildings having roof-top solar. We are even thinking about parking lots having solar panels. At this point, the technology is quite good, and we think as a district we can greatly reduce our costs, as well as help the environment, if we start to consider producing solar energy.
The other way we can really reduce our energy usage is just through normal cleaning and maintenance. Some of our schools haven't had their duct work cleaned in years. Some of our classrooms have articles blocking vents and piping. Some of our buildings have antiquated controls that cause inefficient use of power. All in all, we have many little tweaks and big changes we look forward to bringing to the district to be a better citizen of society. And I ask that you all do the same. Sometimes just turning off your lights, or powering down your computer can make a difference. If there is a draft in your room, let's patch it up. If there are dioramas displayed on classroom vents, let's move them somewhere else. If there is a crack in a window, please let us know. I appreciate that the crack might've been there for 15 years, and no one took care of it. But please, give the district a chance to make it right. Your room will be better, the kids will be safer, and we will be greener.
If any school district members, staff, family, or students, have any ideas as to how we can be more environmentally friendly, please don't hesitate to contact us. It is only together that we can change this district for the better.
Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.
Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent
Lansing School District
