As part of The Hill's Energy Conservation Initiative, we will be tracking and reporting our energy consumption on a monthly basis, the first of many steps in achieving reduction in our CO2 outputs. We will report our monthly energy savings in dollars, as well as our monthly CO2 reductions.
The Hill recently signed the Climate Steward commitment through the Green Schools Alliance, in which we pledged to create a carbon emissions benchmark and report our progress. We also took a pledge to educate the School community and key stakeholders about the importance of climate change, energy conservation, and sustainability. We are using this reporting system as a way to educate and reach out to The Hill community. Thanks to Practical Energy Solutions who conducted the School’s Energy Audit and will continue to track and compile this information for us as we continue our push to conserve energy.
Energy Conservation has many benefits. In this area of Pennsylvania, so much of our electricity comes from coal, which is a dirty resource that emits CO2 into our atmosphere. The more energy we can conserve, the less CO2 we emit. Asthma has also become a common health issue with school-aged students, and a number asthma cases can be contributed to the emissions from coal fired power plants. Conservation is the first step to a cleaner planet. Conserving energy can also have huge economic benefits for any business, household or school. Energy Conservation is an important educational, environmental, health and economic issue.
Learn more about energy conservation and renewable energy by visiting the U.S. Department of Energy's website.