Seeking to reduce its carbon footprint by 11% in three years, Rosemount High School was resourceful in utilizing support from local organizations. Rosemount High received guidance and information from Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon (MnSCC) and the Minnesota Energy Challenge, and funding from MnSCC, Metro CERT, and Dakota County Safe Streets for various aspects of the project.
Education was a key component in the goal to reduce the Rosmount High’s carbon footprint by 11%. Along with the implementation of a cutting-edge Energy Unit for ninth grade students, the school also set out to decrease the number of students driven to and from school by 10% and to cut back on school-wide paper waste by 10%.
In 2010, the school participated in the Minnesota Energy Challenge, while the Energy Unit provided the tools and knowledge that students would need to evaluate their individual and domestic carbon footprints. Rosemount’s MN Energy Challenge team includes 466 members who have pledged to prevent 4.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere.
The school also utilized technology such as Moodle and PaperCut software in attempts to reduce paper waste. Moodle allows teachers to post quizzes, assignments, and articles online so students aren’t required to print them in order to get their work done. PaperCut tracks the amount of paper used and enforces paper-saving policies such as double-sided printing and weekly quotas.
The school also made some mechanical fixes such as installing better insulation in poorly-insulated areas, adjusting lighting levels, putting motion sensors in rooms throughout the building, installing vending misers, purchasing Energy Star rated LCD computers to replace older models, and providing power strips to teachers that will reduce phantom loads.
While the goals to reach 10% reductions in paper waste and in the number of students transporting themselves to and from school by car were not quite met, the school has plans to make these goals future reality!
