Nearly 2,000 students and staff enter South each day.  While entering this large building, the students are greeted with the blinding fluorescent lighting of their classrooms. The hallways are abuzz- people are dashing into classrooms, socializing in the libraries, typing away at the computer labs, and frantically scurrying to the bathrooms, all of which consume vast amounts of electricity and energy.

The amount of energy required to sustain the high school is unprecedentedly high. The rooms and hallways all require lighting, cooling, heating, and electricity. The school is open from as early as 5:30 a.m. to as late as 10:30 p.m., though hallway lighting and air/heat are automatically shut off at 4 p.m. Is there any way to further reduce the amount of energy consumed at school?

Several projects, led by the school’s environmental club and AP environmental class, and sponsored by Amanda Figolah, are trying to help.

In 2014, Project PaveGen, a project created by a team of AP Environmental Students, was launched and nationally recognized. The students wrote several grants to purchase renewable energy tiles called PaveGen and install them at school. The goal of this project was to educate about renewable energy sources like PaveGen. Classes from different schools visit South to be learn about the project. The lesson plans are all curated and taught by the students, out of pure passion for the environment.

Lights Out is another incredible project proposed by Figolah’s AP class,  The goal of the campaign was to reduce the overall light energy usage at all of the schools across the Monroe County School Corporation. The project turned out to be an incredible success! Classrooms from elementary to high school participated in the campaign and the campaign raised awareness district wide.

Project Green Bathrooms, founded by two South students, is also launching this year. SungAh Kim, a sophomore at the time, and Tamar Moss, a junior, met over the summer to talk about the School’s energy usage, especially in the restrooms. This is where the project, Project Green Bathrooms was born. The restrooms are used by the entire school population from staff to students. Water is used for the toilets, urinals, and sinks. Paper towels are being used to dry hands. Gas and electric energy are used to heat the water. The lights are constantly on in the restrooms and there is almost always a person using the facilities. This would not only be a great place to renovate and save energy/resources, but a great platform to educate the people at school.

Moss and Kim found the most popular bathrooms at South and decided to raise funding to renovate the bathrooms to create an eco-friendly bathroom and educational platform. The two contacted MCCSC individuals and wrote several grants to raise funding and support for their project. Eventually, Kim and Moss received their first grant, and the contact and support of the MCCSC Director of Building Operations, Chris Ciolli.

Project Green Bathrooms Pt. 1  is almost finished and will be open to the school.

Although South uses an incredible amount of energy annually, the students and staff have cooperated to create multiple projects and initiatives to raise awareness for energy usage and to lower the amount of energy being spent. Whether it is in the classrooms or in the bathrooms, students and staff are taking broad steps to becoming a more sustainable high school.