OSPI Grant Opportunity for Camas
Healthy Kids-Healthy Schools Grants
The Legislature appropriated $5 million dollars in the 2015–17 capital budget for OSPI to administer a new grant program, Healthy Kids–Healthy Schools. Funding for this grant program is a budget investment priority of the Healthiest Next Generation Initiative. This grant program will help schools remove barriers and bridge the gaps that stand between best practices, processes, and policies for improved student health.
What the grant covers
The grant supports the Healthiest Next Generation Initiative by funding improvements or renovations to existing buildings, site improvements, and the purchase and installation of new or renovated equipment.
The grant categories are:
- Nutrition – kitchen, cafeteria, gardens, greenhouses
- Physical Education and Physical Activity – indoor and outdoor equipment, covered play structures, playground equipment
- Access to and Appeal of Water (water bottle filling stations)
Applications are submitted by the district and may include requests for multiple schools in multiple categories. The minimum district request is $2,500. Grant awards are limited to $200,000 per district. A maximum of $1 million will be granted for water bottle filling stations; only one station per school will be funded.
CHS Green Team Certification
The Camas High School Green Team has achieved Level 1 Certification as an Official Washington Green School. The attached picture of the ceremony includes, from left to right: Chloe Dunn, Hunter Crandall, Ali Coker, Trevor Gjerswold, and Bernadette Donald (the Environmental Outreach Specialist for WA Green Schools). Students focused last school year on reducing school waste and increasing recycling. Their efforts introduced washable plates and waste sorting tables at lunches. They are focusing this year on reducing energy use.
AHERA Regulations for Schools
EPA Asbestos Regulations
Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Rule
Pursuant to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), the Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools rule requires local education agencies to inspect their school buildings for asbestos-containing building material, prepare asbestos management plans and perform asbestos response actions to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards. Public school districts and non-profit private schools, including charter schools and schools affiliated with religious institutions (collectively called local education agencies) are subject to the rule’s requirements.
Docket ID: OPTS-62048E; FRL-3269-8
Washington School District Makes the Grade in Energy Efficiency
Fall is nearly here and students across the nation are heading back to class, getting ready to show their school spirit at football games and other sporting events. This year, students at Washington’s Camas School District have something to be extra proud of: their district’s winning sustainability efforts in the Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge.
In the spring of 2009, the district committed to reducing its energy use 20 percent by 2020 as part of the Better Buildings Challenge. It is one of seven school districts striving to meet this challenge and the first to reach its goal. In fact, Camas not only surpassed the goal with improved annual energy performance of 28 percent, but did so five years early.
Savings across the district were achieved by identifying inefficiencies in equipment, lighting and control systems and making necessary energy upgrades. The schools also created a resource conservation management program that included active participation from all personnel and students and set up an operating schedule for HVAC and related equipment to be set in unoccupied mode when buildings were empty or closed.
A big part of Camas’ success was identifying how to maximize energy savings. Through observations, trending and data logging, the district discovered the HVAC control system was not functioning properly at its six-decades-old administration headquarters. After improvements were made to the main HVAC systems, the district reduced energy use at the four-building headquarters by 20 percent.
Similarly, the district’s Lacamas Heights Elementary School is saving nearly 20 percent on energy bills thanks to a number of energy efficiency upgrades to the HVAC systems and modifications to control systems that both improve comfort and reduce energy use.
Additionally, the district earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification at all schools in the district, which means the buildings are in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide when it comes to energy efficiency.
Better Buildings is an initiative designed to improve the lives of the American people by driving leadership in energy innovation. Through Better Buildings, the Energy Department partners with leaders in the public and private sectors to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants more energy efficient by accelerating investment and sharing of successful best practices. Visit energy.gov/betterbuildings to learn more and follow @BetterBldgsDOE on Twitter.
Reposted from US Department of Energy site: http://energy.gov/articles/washington-school-district-makes-grade-energy-efficiency
Washington Green Schools Clark County Teacher Training
Camas High Green Team Celebration
Congratulations Mrs. Ali Coker and Camas High School Green Team Students!
All of the green efforts have been realized, Washington Green School application has been submitted and now is time for some celebration!
Party cups for the root beer floats were donated by Rob Guttridge with Clark County Environmental Services, thank you Rob!
Camas High School Green Team
Earth Day Cleanup
Photo by Dawn Feldhaus
Tires, tin cans, bottles, plastic bags and cardboard were among the items found by volunteers Wednesday, at the future site of Washougal Waterfront Park and trail, at the Port of Camas-Washougal. Port staff also took part in the litter cleanup effort. The trail and water access area will include part of the former Hambleton Lumber Company site, at 335 S. “A” St., Washougal.
The Camas High School “Green Team,” a group of environmentally aware students, participated in the cleanup. Volunteers also included members of the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club, the CHS and Washougal High School Interact clubs and other local residents.
Camas Community Recycle Event
Green Neighbors Recycling Day Event
Title: Green Neighbors Recycling Day Event
Location: Camas Public Works Operations-1620 SE 8th Street
Category: One Time Event
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2015 8:00am – 1:00pm
Description: Help with collecting recycling during the free event for Camas residents and Clark County residents. Be part of this county-wide effort to keep hazardous wastes, paper, scrap metal, Freon, tires, block foam and electronics out of the landfill. It will be a fun day outside where you will get to help others recycle and make a difference in our environment.
Still looking for volunteers, please contact Karen Underhill for more information.
Contact karen.underhill@clark.wa.gov or 360-397-2121 x5121
Energy Matters and Washington Green Schools
In the new Energy Matters program, Washington Green Schools has teamed up with energy services industry leader, McKinstry, to create resources that unite student learning and energy conservation in their schools. The goal of Energy Matters is to educate students and K-12 school communities about how energy is used in schools and to generate activities that improve energy conservation and efficiency. Students will benefit from real-world opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills, and school districts will benefit through improvements in energy conservation.
The cornerstone of Energy Matters is a new Washington Green Schools Energy Dashboard. This tool will display monthly energy use and conservation results from participating schools through a web-based interface. In addition, Washington Green Schools has created educational resources connected to the dashboard that will allow students and teachers to investigate and tackle real-world sustainability issues in schools. These projects strengthen STEM literacy in students and inspire resource conservation in schools.
Opportunities for Students:
Students participating in Energy Matters will practice critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills. The program addresses many of the key practices, cross cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards as well as Common Core standards in math. The program materials are flexible and can be integrated into a variety of courses. For example, in a pre-pilot in Everett Public Schools, Energy Matters was used in a ninth grade coordinated science course. Washington Green Schools will collaborate with participating school districts to ensure successful integration of the program into existing curricula.
About Washington Green Schools:
Washington Green Schools is a nonprofit organization with the mission of challenging students and communities to create greener, healthier school environments. Schools become certified as Washington Green Schools by forming Green Teams, setting goals, completing rigorous assessments in categories such as energy, waste, and water, and creating solutions to real issues on campus. Students strengthen skills they need for success in life, and schools become leaders of positive change in their communities. Today there are more than 53,000 students from 280 schools and 23 counties participating in the Washington Green Schools network. The vision is that every school in Washington will teach, model and practice environmental sustainability and that every student will learn and grow in a green and healthy school. Please visit www.wagreenschools.org to learn more about the program and our participating schools.
About the Energy Dashboard:
The dashboard will utilize monthly bill data to show energy usage and energy cost trends for each school in your district. The data analysis will allow students to learn about concepts such as Energy Use Intensity (EUI), Energy Star, total energy savings, and total cost savings as well as more tangible metrics like homes powered and cars off the road. Participating schools and districts will be able to compare performance to schools from other parts of Washington State.
Participating school districts will need to provide Washington Green Schools with simple, specific data on monthly basis. Washington Green Schools will share the data with McKinstry, who will apply a weatherization algorithm to remove the effects of climate on energy use, and then input the data into the dashboard for viewing via the Washington Green Schools website. The dashboard will also include easy access to educational materials as well as helpful hints and tips to stimulate energy conservation.
Cost and Commitment:
Thanks to support from McKinstry, Washington STEM, the Laird Norton Family Foundation, and the Sustainable Path Foundation, Washington Green Schools is able to provide the Energy Dashboard to school districts at a significantly discounted rate.
Liberty MS becomes Level 1 Green School
Rob Guttridge, Sustainability Specialist for Clark County Environmental Services, presented Liberty Middle School Principal Marilyn Boerke with a Washington Green Schools flag and Level 1 certificate at a school assembly on October 13, 2014. Also pictured is staff member Gabriel Basich lending a hand. Congratulations!
Energy Star Certified
Level 3 Green Schools
Skyridge Middle School: This school was certified at Level 3 in Waste & Recycling, Transportation, and Healthy School Buildings. The Green Team began an educational campaign and replaced all of their antibacterial spray with an all-natural, environmentally responsible alternative. The Green Team also continues to maintain the changes that they have achieved in past certifications through the implementation of recycling programs, no-idling zones, and student-led efforts to lessen Skyridge’s environmental footprint. Thanks to their efforts, Skyridge is now a healthier, more sustainable place!
