Mansfield ISD receives environmental award
Mansfield ISD credits a shift in mindset and behavior that enabled it to save millions of dollars – and to receive a Texas Environmental Excellence Award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the innovative operations/management category. The awards are jointly selected by TCEQ commissioners and the governor.
Mansfield ISD started an energy conservation program in 2012 with three primary goals: reduce the environmental impact of school district operations; reduce overall utility expenditures by 20 percent; and educate students, teachers and community members about their roles in implementing efficient practices, the district said in announcing the award.
The result? Nearly $7 million in savings that can be used elsewhere to improve the learning experience for students.
The district said the conservation program focuses on precise scheduling of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting; close monitoring of water bills to detect leaks; and replacing light bulbs with new energy-efficient LED bulbs.
Since inception, the district has saved 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 20,599 thousand cubic feet of natural gas, and more than 450 million gallons of water.
The Texas Environmental Excellence Awards annually honor the state’s most outstanding environmental projects to bring attention to innovative and effective projects that protect the state’s natural resources and inspire more like-minded projects in the future.
– FWBP Staff