Propel Braddock Hills Students Apply Energy-Saving Efforts to School, Life

is ready to make more green changes to his family’s home after a day of energy-saving workshops at

The ninth grader is a member of the school’s Green Team, a group of students who are spearheading efforts in the Propel Braddock Hills building and beyond. The ultimate goal—transferring green knowledge and skills from the classroom to the students' homes and communities.

“Today, I learned about phantom loads, which means the energy keeps building up and doesn’t go anywhere when you leave appliances plugged in,” Jasiewicz said.

To combat that problem and save energy, he said he will encourage his family to use more power strips that can be turned on and off when they are not home.

The workshops, held by Megan Campion of the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington, D.C. based organization, were held all day Friday with the Green Team. The same efforts are occurring across eight different Propel schools in the Pittsburgh region, as a part of the Green Schools program.

Friday marked the kickoff of greening efforts made by students to help the schools become more environmentally friendly.

Campion led a morning filled with classes on energy saving facts and tips, while in the afternoon, the students did a walk through of the school to conduct their own energy audit.

“We train the students and the teachers support them,” Campion said. “The students will make recomendations of how the school can save electricity and it becomes a behavior change campaign in the school.”

Campion said the custodians also get involved to make sure the changes are reasonable and ongoing. Changes can then be enforced by the students, who can create energy patrols, most efficient teacher awards and more incentives.

“We like to work with students because they are good agents of culture change, and to have students lead the way with parents and communities changing habits around energy consumption, that has potentially high impact and sustainability for the future,” Campion said.

Campion said they think of it in terms of no smoking campaigns, with change starting at a grassroots level with students.

“As a society, we can change and it can start with the kids,” she said.

Students reviewed the forms of energy, completed a light bulb experiment to evaluate efficiency with a light and watt meter, and made calculations to show how much money is used and how much carbon dioxide could have been avoided.

Alex Francette of West Mifflin, a sophomore at Propel Braddock Hills, said the workshops were eye opening.

“The world is in a big amount of danger because of CO2 emissions, and that’s scary and we need to change,” Francette said. “We can turn off the lights, change the bulbs, and walk instead of taking the bus.”

Vanessa Bush, project leader of the Green Schools program at Propel Schools, said the day gave the students an opportunity for hands on learning.

“It’s educating them to take it into the world they live in,” Bush said.

Amy Baschnagel, a Propel Braddock Hills teacher, said the program offers applied learning experiences.

“They’re experiencing it one on one—and they are experiencing it themselves,” she said. “When students ask, ‘What do we need this for?’—we can say, ‘This is what you need it for.’”