W. Babylon Schools Does Its Part to Help the Planet

The West Babylon Union Free School District consistently works to do its part for the environment and encourages its students to make responsible choices that will positively impact its carbon footprint.  

The district recently completed an Energy Performance Contract with the energy service company Ameresco, which will result in an estimated first-year savings of $272,087 for the district. Ameresco has projected that the district’s guaranteed savings over an 18-year period will be approximately $6,561,888. 

The district has also received LIPA energy efficiency rebates of $320,020 to date, and may receive more. This is a significant amount of money for the district, since the original rebate estimate, when the contract was signed, was only $57,290.

The individual schools are doing their part as well. Virtual backpacks and email chains are utilized to conserve paper use, and classrooms, lunchrooms and staff rooms actively recycle.

Last year, students of West Babylon Senior High School, under the advisement of Andrea Montalvo, took part in a project in which they recycled 500 bottles in order to earn the $25 needed to adopt an animal from the World Wildlife Federation. Through their efforts, they were able to adopt a tiger.

Continuing the project this year, the students focused on the animal being sponsored by the Bronx Zoo as part of its "Run for the Wild" event in which they raise money for one particular species. This year's animal is the elephant.

In preparation for Earth Day, students gathered bottles with the support of faculty and staff and built a 3-D elephant in the school lobby using the bottles. By doing so, they hoped to raise awareness of the amount of bottles that are used in their school, and how with a little effort, everyone can play a part in saving the planet.

Information courtesy Alison DeMaria/Syntax.