Eden Valley – Watkins High School

298 Brooks St. N , Eden Valley, MN 55329
Carbon Eating Eagles

The Carbon Eating Eagles are a group of 9th and 10th graders motivated to make the school more energy efficient. The Carbon Eating Eagles are excited and determined to make a difference. They also want to inspire their classmates to make personal choices that will reduce the carbon footprint.
Becky Haag, rebecca.haag@mail.evw.k12.mn.us

Recycling Containers

Energy conservation

Brendan and Tanner found more recycling containers and placed one in the boys locker room, by the senior bench, and in the teacher’s lounge.

To recycle more and reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill.

More plants in the classroom

Other

To have at least one or two plants in each class room. We will work with the horticulture class in accomplishing this goal.

To be more environmentally friendly and aesthetic.

Biodegradable cups

Other

This is to use cups that are better for the environment.

To use cups that will decompose and not accumulate in landfills or use cups that can be recycled.

YES!

Other

We applied to the YES! program for additional support and networking for ideas.

To do the most we can for the least amount of money possible. We want to get ideas and pass on our ideas.

End e-mails with "think green-- do not print this e-mail unless neccessary"

Other

To have staff and students avoid printing unnecessary e-mails to save paper and energy.

Saving trees and reducing our carbon footprint one paper at a time.

Solar Installation

Solar power

We are proposing to build a solar electric system that will reduce the school’s dependence on fossil fuels. This system consists of 8 photovoltaic modules, six of which are mounted on a sun tracker on the southeast corner of the school building. The 7th and 8th modules will be incorporated into a solar training and demonstration unit. The building of the solar project involved high school shop courses. The community was involved by local businesses donating labor and materials, volunteer construction workers, and building the display in the main lobby entrance.

The goals of the Solar Installation are to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, educate the students, and educate the community.
• Energy and Carbon Impacts, Cost/Benefit Analysis: The solar modules will capture solar energy, which will reduce our usage of fossil fuels. In total, the Triple-Purpose Solar Training and Demonstration Project will result in 3,504 KWh, 3.210 lbs of CO2 and $300 savings every year, continuing beyond the grant’s end. Also, through education, the community’s carbon footprint could decrease substantially.
• Sustainable Impacts: The PV modules are mounted at the community education entrance and parking lot. The display screen is mounted in the building main entrance lobby. This equipment will be visible to students, staff, and community members as they enter the building. The computer will display collected energy and this information will be available to all classrooms via the school’s network. The solar electrical system will serve as a model for homeowners and business owners who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint.
• Educational and Other Impacts: The solar project involved many different groups of people, including shop students as well as the community. The shop class built the display cabinet for the main entrance lobby.

Bulletin Announcements

Energy conservation

Nathan McCann puts weekly announcements in the student bulletin concerning energy usage and conservation.

The goal of the announcements is to increase awareness of the entire student population.

Community Interaction and Education

Solar power

We are proposing to use our solar electric system to offer community interaction and education. The community was involved by local businesses donating labor and materials, volunteer construction workers, and building the display in the main lobby entrance. We offered a solar installer class taught by 2 solar experts. We also offered a home energy class highlighting the process of completing a home audit. The community will be involved by the offering of more student-assisted community education courses.

The goal is to educate the community.
• Sustainable Impacts: The PV modules will be mounted at the community education entrance and parking lot. The electrical conversion equipment and display screen will be mounted in the building main entrance lobby. This equipment will be visible to students, staff, and community members as they enter the building. The solar electrical system will serve as a model for homeowners and business owners who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint and the solar site analyzer will be available for use.
• Educational and Other Impacts: This solar project will involve many different groups of people, including shop students as well as the community. The students and community were integral to the pole-raising day and solar construction event, which was advertised through the local newspapers. Community Education will offer two student-assisted solar energy courses in the fall of 2010. This solar electrical system will be an ongoing science experiment and community outreach program.

Provide educational materials and experiences

Solar power

We are proposing to use the solar electric system to provide educational materials and experiences. The extra modules will be incorporated into a solar training and demonstration unit. The module and system will be used in the high school science, math, and computer curriculum. Further, the community will be involved by the offering of student-assisted community education courses.
The building of the solar project involved high school shop courses.

The goal is to provide students with educational materials and experiences.
• Sustainable Impacts: The PV modules will be mounted at the community education entrance and parking lot. The electrical conversion equipment and display screen will be mounted in the building main entrance lobby. This equipment will be visible to students, staff, and community members as they enter the building. The computer will display collected energy and this information will be available to all classrooms via the school’s network. Through the student-developed curriculum, students will learn about the solar system and discuss ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Students continue to talk about Mary Pat’s visit in March of 2009. Some ideas from the ERM report that have been implemented are:
o Purchased occupancy sensors to reduce the school’s lighting use and also turn off hallway lights that are excessive.
o Installed the MPCA-provided vending miser and purchased misers to reduce the school’s energy usage.
o Encouraged commuting changes to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
• Educational and Other Impacts: This solar project will involve many different groups of people, including shop, art, math, and math science students, as well as the community. The shop class built the display cabinet for the main entrance lobby and the computer class will design the graphics or PowerPoint for the computer display. The Carbon-Cutting Eagles will develop graphing and graphical analysis curriculum for the math classes and will design experimental investigations for the science classes. The curriculum will be placed on the website, so that other schools may use the activities. The students and community were integral to the pole-raising day and solar construction event, which was advertised through the local newspapers. Community Education will offer two student-assisted solar energy courses in the fall of 2010. This solar electrical system will be an ongoing science experiment and community outreach program.