Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon

Thank you for the opportunity to continue the work of the Southwest Community Education Green Team. As recipients of this second award from the state, The Green Team is expanding on their education efforts to the general community as well as their primary target audiences: grade school and high school students. The actual final grant was for just demonstration models of solar heating & lighting, and the allocation of funds was consequently reduced from $20,000 to $4,800. The actual amount of grant money that was awarded was reduced to $3,800.00. The grant reduction was for the transportation cost to visit solar installations. The approximate cost of purchasing the supplies for these two demonstration models was $3,500. The remaining $350.00 was paid to solar engineer, Mr. James Dalrabi, of Solar Farms® to plan & construct There was a delay on the project due to surgery for the Green Team advisor, Tom Neiman, so the actual project was delayed by several months. Member of the Green Team task force met & talked to engineer, Mr. James Dalrabi, of Solar Farms® to plan & construct the solar models. We finally received the finished models in June of 2010.

Update on the Project Work Plan. Members of the Southwest Community Education Green Team (“GT”) will began their baseline research the details of solar lighting as well as other solar energy applications (such as solar heating, and green construction that takes advantage of natural lighting). This research will be completed in the fall of 2010. The two co-chairs of the SWCEd. GT, Ms. Kysa Stocking & Ms. Grace Hilbert, and last year’s chair, Ms. Allison Orjala met several times with solar engineer, Mr. James Dalrabi to plan out the solar demonstration models that he would build for the GT. These three students investigated model options both on-line and with Mr. Dalrabi to plan out the best models for the applications that were wanted. The cost of existing models exceeded the amount of grant money that was allocated, so it was finally decided to construct the models. Mr. Dalrabi met two more times in the early summer to review the progress of the model construction with the GT chairs. The solar electric water heating system was completed in early June, and was delivered in mid-June. The solar electric model was completed at the end of June and delivered to the GT. The water heating unit shows temperature, temperature changes, and water flow rates. The solar electric panel converts the sunlight to electricity to power a light and a fan. This fall the GT will develop the materials to be used in our elementary school and community workshops to illustrate how solar energy can be effectively produced and used to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and help reduce our carbon footprint. Drawing from the work we have done, we will document these potential savings that solar energy applications, as well as passive use of solar lighting, can provide the in home, business and school environments. This information, along with demonstrations of our solar energy and solar heating modules will then be shared with the elementary students in our Green Team workshops, to the general public in our community workshops, and with the SWHS teaching staff to be integrated into their classroom curriculums and demonstrated to.

Update on Objective #1: Increasing Student Leadership Opportunities Developing student leadership is a major part of this grant and of the work we do in Community Education at Southwest, so the leadership of the GT as well as the entire GT is a significant part of the research and presentation process for this grant. This will be the next major emphasis as the GT meets in the fall. This is how we described this effort in our original grant: “Last of all, working to create these modules as well as engaging in the in-depth research needed to prepare for our solar workshops will provide on-going leadership training opportunities for the SWCEd. Green Team to utilize the data & research from this project to provide enhanced presentations on solar and alternative energy applications for lighting & heating. It will also provide a deeper understanding to the SWCEd. Green Team and to everyone involved in their workshops, on how these applications can support conservation measures that will benefit our environment.”

Task A. Researching and forming the project plan to create working modules to demonstrate practical applications of solar light & solar heating.
• Sub-task 1: Create a committee to conduct research and gather data concerning current. This task was headed up by Ms. Kysa Stocking & Ms. Grace Hilbert. A leadership group of a dozen GT members met in late May to plan our research processes.
• Sub-task 2: Create a committee to work on the financial aspects of the project. This will be initiated this fall when the school year resumes.
• Sub-task 3: Put students and SWCEd. Green Team members in positions of leadership This is an on-going part, as stated above, of this process. It will continue to be a significant area of our GT program.
Task B: Increasing public relations between the school and the community about the project
• Sub-task 1: Create a publicity aspect of the grant to get the community and students. This will be initiated this fall after school resumes..

• Sub-task 2: Host a workshop open to the community to inform about them about
the energy opportunities of solar energy for lighting, heating, and other valued applications. This will be initiated this fall.

Update on Objective 2: Demonstrating the cost savings to be gained by using solar energy sources and other alternative energy sources, as well as tangible conservation measures that reduce fossil fuel sources, and thus reducing our carbon footprint. Ultimately, it serves as a tangible example of ways that our schools, our students & staff, and the community at large can save money while also benefiting the environment.

Task A: Research aspects of alternative energy utilizing solar energy, and possibly considering aspects of wind energy too.
• Sub-task 1: SWCEd. Green Team members will tour a fossil fuel plant, a solar
energy panel plant, buildings or new construction that utilize solar energy as well as taking advantage of natural lighting, and possibly also tour a wind turbine facility to gain a deeper understanding of the role & potential of alternative energy sources of electric power.

This part of our budget was not funded, so no visitations are planned at this time. Our research on solar energy will be limited to information and formal discussions with private and public consultants as well as with our “in-house” solar engineer – James Dalrabi. The Green Team will begin to document the information they gather from these sources (as well as hands-on research) to use in their presentations beginning in the late fall/early winter.
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Task B: Construction of the solar lighting and solar heating models for use in the SWCEd. Green Team workshops.
• Sub-task 1: Research the kind of specialized supplies to be used in this project.
Completed in June of 2010
• Sub-task 2: Research the relative costs of electricity generated by fossil fuels to
• provide for the electrical needs of the school (lighting etc.)needs of the school.
To be done as a part of the GT research for this project beginning this fall.
Sub-task 3: Calculate the relative savings in Therms & BTUs, as well as the amount of carbon reduction benefits that will be achieved through the use of solar.
To be done as a part of the GT research for this project beginning this fall.

Update on Objective 3: We want the process of planning and implementing solar energy & heating, and other alternative energy sources to use into our school, to be an ongoing educational and experiential learning process for the student members of the SWCEd. Green Team, the students of Southwest, the students from other schools in our area, teachers, and members of our community.

The Green Team will document their findings with SWHS staff and students as well as preparing information to use in their presentations on solar heating & electricity beginning in the fall after the research is co