Environmental Stewardship - Richmond School District

What is sustainable energy and why is it important to the Richmond School District? Sustainable energy is the provision of energy such that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is about using energy in a wise manner and striving to use energy generated from clean and renewable sources. We must use energy efficiently in our district in order to slow down energy demand growth so that rising clean energy supplies can make deep cuts in fossil fuel use.
Some quick energy facts about the Richmond School District. Currently our district spends approximately 1.6 million dollars on fossil fuels and 1.4 million dollars on electricity each year. Not all the figures are in yet, but it appears our consumption of energy has been steadily increasing these past few years.
Greenhouse gas emissions are a direct result our energy consumption. Currently our district produces about 8676 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. The BC government will require our school district to be carbon-neutral by 2010.
What can we do as a school district in order to have sustainable energy for the future? Environmental stewardship is a developmental objective in our district. With energy sustainability, key goals include the reduction of energy consumption, striving toward energy from clean renewable sources, and reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption. We can do this in the Richmond School District by planning and working together to reach these goals, while providing comfortable school learning environments.