Resource Conservation - Earth Day

April is Earth Month, and what a perfect time to celebrate as the onset of spring brings the first glimpse of nature’s fresh vibrancy! 

While every day could technically be considered Earth Day, April 22 bears the official moniker and is a call to action. With a theme of “Our Power, Our Planet,” each of us is encouraged to determine what this means to us and how we will put our ideas into action. The possibilities are endless and each action toward environmental stewardship makes a difference. 

HSD embraces and demonstrates conservation practices throughout the year. In the month of April, the days get longer, the grass is greener, and temperatures are more moderate. Earth Month is a perfect time for buildings to take advantage of these conditions to conserve natural resources:

• Water management. April is the beginning of irrigation season. Our field specialists manage the irrigation schedules closely. If it’s raining, we irrigate less.
• Daylight “harvesting.” Many of our schools have sensors that turn off the lights as the daylight becomes stronger, using less energy.
• Bringing outside air into buildings. HVAC systems are designed to bring in the moderate temperature outside air to cool buildings, limiting the use of mechanical cooling. This saves energy, utility costs and increases equipment life.

This year, HSD is running a Resource Conservation Challenge that is open to all teachers and administrators, which encourages conservation while at school, work, home, or traveling. Students - ask your teachers about this challenge! 

For those who are motivated by gamification, try the Earth Month BINGO card! This activity is designed to bring awareness and prompts for more sustainable practices. Print it out and post it on a refrigerator or classroom bulletin board for full family and/or classroom participation, or take the conservation one step further and keep it handy on a phone or computer. The topics listed on the card are simply a guide. The most effective actions - and the ones you’re likely to stick with - come from topics that interest you. Have fun!

For more ideas and inspiration, visit our Resource Conservation webpage and earthday.org,