By BRIAN DURAND
I’m tempted to create a “silver lining” category just for this post.
In the face of mounting economic pressure on local communities, some Connecticut school districts are becoming more eco-friendly in order to cut expenses:
For school officials juggling budgets and expenses, the move to save on energy costs could translate into significant financial benefits.
In his latest budget presentation earlier this month, [West Hartford] Superintendent of Schools David P. Sklarz used two examples to show how much it costs to power schools. The annual cost of heating and powering Conard High School — one of West Hartford’s two high schools — totals about $565,000, he said.
The school is looking to cut $120,000 off that number. In the short term this means monitoring the use of electronics like refrigerators and microwaves. However the long term goal is to start generating their own power — the school is lobbying for funding for their first windmill.
Obviously this is fantastic, and will teach students some great lessons in what can be accomplished when we’re mindful of how much energy we use. And, surrounding towns are already taking note. Still it’s a bit of a shame that the changes are primarily being made reactively to economic concerns, instead of proactively in response our looming environmental problems.
Whatever… we’ll take what we can get.
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