Celebrate Earth Day: Inspiring the Next Generation
School-age children, who’ve been learning about the world around us through the basics of science and nature understand that we all need to do our part when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainability. They’re excited about it. They want to be part of solutions that ensure a brighter future for themselves and everyone in their families and communities.
We partner with school district leaders to create energy-efficient and resilient environments your students not only learn in but learn from. In our work with K-12 schools, we consider it part of our mission to collaborate with you to educate and encourage the leaders of tomorrow to put energy efficiency at the forefront of everything they do. The great news is: kids get it!
When ESG started offering real-world learning opportunities for students while we were on campuses doing our work to improve energy resiliency and efficiency, we had an outcome we didn’t quite expect. Not only were members of the ESG team inspiring students, but the students also inspired us.
What we find time and again as we execute energy upgrades focused on efficiency, resiliency, and cost savings is that young people are hungry to learn more. We’re happy to share what we know with the budding minds who will be writing the next chapters for our planet.
Earth Day activities like tree planting and trash pickup are fantastic ways to give back to the planet. But that’s just the beginning. The real power comes when you look at your whole portfolio of facilities and your energy use and think comprehensively about how to lower energy consumption, reduce waste, and be as efficient as possible.
In honor of Earth Day here are 3 of the top lessons we share at schools (and we could all learn from):
1. Small efforts = big impact. When we evaluate a building or an entire district, we’re looking at encompassing solutions for your portfolio. It’s not just lighting, HVAC, or building envelope for example. ESG takes a holistic approach. Small reductions of energy across your entire ecosystem add up. Most of our clients see an average of 20-30% in energy savings.
2. Efficient energy solutions are a win-win-win. Everyone likes to be a winner. Using less energy and making smarter choices about the types of energy you use is a win for the environment, a win for the human race, and a win for individuals. Earth and the humans living on it will continue to thrive. On an individual level, when we save money by reducing our energy costs, we can spend that money on other needs and wants… a lesson that students, teachers, and school districts love!
3. There are so many careers in the energy industry. Job growth in the energy sector is booming. Even if you’re not thinking of going to college for environmental science you can be environmentally conscious and even involved in energy solutions without that particular educational focus. Making our team members available for class discussions and hands-on learning is one way we bring that idea to life.
Leaving communities better than we found them is at the heart of everything we do at ESG. We enable school districts to do the same. On Earth Day and every day, we partner with schools to create lasting infrastructure improvements that leave school buildings more sustainable. That includes empowering them to teach the students in their care by leading by example when it comes to energy efficiency. Along the way, we share our wisdom with the youth who will be doing this important work for generations to come.
