County Honors FWPS with Sustainable Schools Award
Participating in the presentation of the Green Globe Award, which is itself made of recycled glass and aluminum, (l-r) Federal Way City Manager Neal Beets, King County Executive Ron Sims, Superintendent Tom Murphy, Saghalie Middle School Chief Custodian Margarita Jacobson and FWPS Resource Conservation Manager Ed Novak.
King County’s Green Schools Program has presented its ‘Green Globe Leader In Sustainable Schools Award’ to Federal Way Public Schools. Superintendent Thomas Murphy accepted the award at a luncheon held at the Seattle Mountaineers Club last Friday, April 13. The award was presented for the district’s outstanding efforts to expand conservation strategies and to engage students and staff in a variety of stewardship practices.
Superintendent Murphy was joined by Federal Way City Manager Neal Beets, FWPS Resource Conservation Manager Ed Novak and Saghalie Middle School Chief Custodian Margarita Jacobson. As a participant in the King County Green Schools Program from 2004 to 2006, the time period reviewed for this award, the district made substantial gains in reducing the environmental footprint of each of its school facilities and setting a good example for their students, staff and other schools.
The district reduced energy costs by more than $75,000 each of the past two years by installing high efficiency lighting, monitoring boiler efficiency, and modifying vending machines. Its commitment to environmentally sound resource use extends to vigilantly monitoring heating and lighting controls, increasing waste reduction and recycling, and retrofitting mechanical systems for increased efficiencies. In addition, vendors are encouraged to provide options for using green or environmentally friendly products.
Passage of the May 15th school bond measure will help the district further reduce utility costs in schools and facilities scheduled to be rebuilt or receive major upgrades.
April 17, 2007