Here comes the sun!!! At least that is what Walnut Grove Elementary School, our Go Green School of the Week, is certainly thinking. Last week, Principal, Bill Radulovich flipped the switch to become the first solar school in California. Walnut Grove has transformed from a "gardening, composting, recycling" school to a school that saves energy and is helping a school around the world do the same.
How did this story begin? “Going Green" with Jill in 2001-02 opened doors, ultimately leading to us being named a PG&E Solar School, says Mr. Radulovich, “This landed us a 1 kWh "PV Panel on a Stick" -a symbol that helped us to gain the attention of Chevron, Siemens and finally Honeywell”
Seven more schools in the Pleasanton School District have been equipped with solar arrays to be part of a solar energy generation system developed in conjunction with Honeywell Corporation. Honeywell will sell energy at the grid market rate and then sell it to the district at a huge discount. They make money and the district saves approximately $125,000 a year in energy costs and reduces its carbon footprint at the same time. It is a win/win situation for everyone.
The Roots and Shoots Club, spearheaded by Kat Peters has gone waaaay beyond recycling and composting. This group has teamed up with Hands Across the Water, another group on campus organized by the school counselor, Sharon Tangney.
Both groups are selling CFL light bulbs to benefit a school in Liberia. The goal of these two groups is to raise $5000 to help the school buy solar ovens. These ovens are needed to boil water to combat dysentery and reduce the amount of trees used for wood burning stoves. It will improve the lives of the children in Liberia and help combat global warming.
Their future goal is to have solar panels on the school there, so they will have electricity to light schools and run generators. They also plan to donate computers to the school so the principal there will not have to spend his time waiting in line at the internet café to communicate with the outside world. This is far-reaching my friends.
This story will never end if Mr. Rad has anything to do with it. He is already teaming up with Summit Blue, PG&E, SBG, The Energy Coalition, Honeywell, and the city of Pleasanton to hold an Energy Fair this spring.
It’s natural that Walnut Grove would extend their environmental program beyond recycling, since they are the home school of GGI founder, Jill Buck. But Kat Peters, Mr. Rad, and the students at "The Grove" have gone crazy for green.
We are loving it!! Thanks for being such great role models. We applaud you all!