The Ecological Footprint of Schools
An ecological footprint is a measure of how an organization and its activities impact the environment. An ecological footprint for business is typically quantifiable. In other words, it is possible to measure how much water, electricity and other resources the organization uses. An ecological footprint can also be calculated for schools.
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Gathering of Data
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Gather the data of how much resources your school uses. The most important resources are energy resources--primarily, natural gas and electricity--and water. The energy use of your school is comprised of electricity use and energy used for heating. Other resources your school may consume include paper, food (in the cafeteria) and transportation to and from school. The data should be gathered based on a one-year horizon to account for variations in the consumption of resources during winter, spring, summer and fall.
Comparison
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However complete the data on your ecological footprint is, you cannot make a judgment whether your school is efficient in term of its energy use unless you compare the ecological footprint of your school to that of other schools in your area. To do that, school districts can compile this data, then rating the schools on their ecological footprints in order to reward the leaders and name and shame the laggards.
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Reducing Ecological Footprint
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There are a number of ways schools can reduce their ecological footprint. First and foremost, they need to cut energy consumption, as it account's for a lion's share of the resources schools consume. To cut the consumption of energy, schools can make their transportation more efficient by replacing gas-guzzlers with more gasoline-efficient vehicles. Your school can also introduce a policy to heat the building a little less in the winter and cool it slightly less in the summer, thus cutting the amount of energy that is spent on heating and air-conditioning the premises. Switching the lights off in empty classrooms can also help.
Offsetting the Ecological Footprint
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In addition to cutting the amount of resources your school consumes, the school can also offset its ecological footprint. The offsetting measures include planting trees and cleaning the garbage in the nearby parks. The school can also gather donations for charity organizations that help the environment, such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund.
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References
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