Nelson County schools win green certification

By: Katrina Koerting | The News & Advance
Published: November 23, 2011

The Nelson County Public School division has been certified as a “Green School Division” through the Virginia School Boards Association.

“I think it’s an accomplishment for our school division,” said Roger Collins, the division superintendent. “It’s certainly an initiative of the school board that we can support.” The certification was announced at the VSBA conference last Wednesday.

Schools receive their ranking by participating in the VSBA Green Public Schools Challenge, which consists of 12 categories and a list of 30 environmentally friendly things the schools can do to earn points.

To become certified a school must score a minimum of 100 points out of a possible 200 points. There are four levels of certification. A score of at least 175 awards a platinum certification, 150 for gold, 125 for silver and 100 for green. Of the 52 school divisions that applied, 32 were certified.

Nelson received the lowest of the four levels. This is Nelson’s first year participating in the program, which began in 2009.

One of the things the school board implemented was a division-wide recycling program, something it hadn’t done before. School officials also trained staff to be more aware of the resources they have which help the environment, said Collins.

The school division also began utilizing lower wattage lighting at the schools. It began studies to see the benefits of using different wattages and fluorescent lighting, especially in the parking lots and gymnasiums. Low flow toilets were installed at Tye River Elementary to help as well, said Shannon Irvin, the assistant superintendent for administration.

Maintenance crews have also begun using more environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. The crews started a new pest management regimen in the buildings and on the grounds, that has less of a negative affect on the environment.

To further cut costs and reduce the usage of electricity, the school division created a four-day work week during the summer when there are no students, said Irvin.

Irvin describes the new green initiatives as a “win-win” situation, helping save money since the budget is tight and helping the environment.

She said, “It is our earth and we’re trying to protect our earth.”