Corvallis School district 509J

Key initiatives

Sustainability

The Corvallis School District is committed to both practicing and teaching the concept of sustainability to assure that current and future generations of students will enjoy a healthy environment.

This commitment is evident in the way we build and maintain our facilities, manage our use of energy and resources, provide nutritious food options and handle our waste. It also guides the development of learning opportunities that will help our students understand the scientific, political, behavioral and practical issues that affect the quality of our environment now and into the future.

Sustainability was one of several themes that emerged during the 2006-2007 Corvallis Community Vision for Education process. Our community has said a quality education

Corvallis School District Wins Oregon Sustainability Award

should include the modeling of effective sustainable practices and a genuine concern about the environment, as well as curriculum that supports students' understanding of and engagement in sustainability.

A Sustainability Steering Committee was formed in 2009 to investigate how the district can become more sustainable in its operations, how to incorporate sustainability in each classroom, and to provide leadership in fulfilling the district's sustainability goals. Among the 24 committee members are representatives from the Facilities and Maintenance, Food Services and Transportation departments, administrators, teachers, students, and community volunteers with expertise or a special interest in sustainability.

Sustainability Defined

We have chosen to define sustainability as "meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations of humans and other species to meet their needs."

We also have adopted the approach used by the international organization The Natural Step which identifies four "system conditions" that must be in place for an entity to be considered truly sustainable. For a detailed explanation of these conditions, or key strategies, click here.

2010-2011 Theme: Waste Reduction

Each year, the district intends to focus on one new sustainability target. Waste reduction is the theme for this year and though every school building is already engaged in some form of recycling, students and staff will be encouraged to increase their efforts or expand the recycling options they offer.

E-cycling is a fundamental component of this emphasis. A majority of schools have switched to sending most of their newsletters and other communications by email rather than as hard copies (except for those families without computer access or who request a paper copy) in an effort to reduce their paper usage and waste.

2009-2010 Theme: Energy Conservation

Last year, an emphasis on conserving energy produced a savings of nearly $111,000 as a result of intentional efforts by schools and the district office to reduce their energy consumption. A volunteer from each school received training in energy conservation and became part of the district-wide SPARKs (School Personnel Advocating a Reduction in Kilowatts) team. Team members then taught and modeled energy saving strategies for fellow teachers and students at their school sites.

The district also received over $427,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds through the State Energy Program for lighting upgrades which were completed in June. This lighting retrofit project is expected to save the district nearly $22,500 per year.

Current Practices - Resources

The following links provide a look at what the district is currently doing to fulfill our sustainability goals, what plans are being made for the future, and resources being used to guide the district's efforts. These links will be updated throughout the school year to introduce new projects and to report on our progress.



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