Welcome to the Green Energy Challenge!

Welcome to the Green Energy Challenge where together schools across the nation will try to reduce their combined utilities bills by 5%! This is not as daunting as it may seem. There are many small changes you can implement at your school to achieve this goal fairly easily. For example, did you realize that heating and cooling bills can be reduced by 10% simply by turning the thermostat back 10° – 15° for eight hours? And lowering the thermostat on the hot water heater to 120° can save 3 – 5% on energy bills. Small changes to be sure, but small changes can lead to big changes.

In order to maximize your participation in the program please be prepared to do the following:

Locate past six months of utilities bill including:

1. Electric bills (and/or other energy source)
   
2. Water bills
   
3. Fuel Bills

Following are some of the activities that your students will be involved in:

• Auditing classrooms and main school areas
• Making light switch signs to turn off when leaving a room
• Temperature control setting signs
• Conducting personal energy use audits
• Identifying areas in the school community where energy is wasted and suggesting ways to improve energy efficiency

Please visit the Green Energy Challenge Curriculum section for a host of standards based lessons, books, activities, posters and experiments to optimize your schools participation in the program. Here you will also find a low cost “shopping list” to help your school achieve its energy reduction goals. You may even find that your school or group is eligible for grants from local utilities companies or home improvement centers. This could help offset any costs you may incur as you take the 2011 Green Energy Challenge.

If you could please help GEF spread the word on the Green Energy Challenge program with other teachers and schools in your communities by forwarding this link, we would appreciate it!

Also visit the GEF Green Schools Initiative for a complete Green Building Audit educational program!

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