BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — In 2021, the Boise School District committed to reduce the district’s energy consumption and reduce it’s carbon footprint with a clean energy plan. Since then they have been recognized multiple times as leaders in energy management. Now, they are working on their sustainability roadmap.
Allison Ward, BSD’s Sustainability Supervisor, said, “Our goals with the action planning we’ve done are to center the work on establishing our baselines for energy, water, and waste, and then reducing those resources so conservation and energy in our water use and our waste and waste diversion, increasing our waste diversion.”
She says a huge part of their goal is involving students, and they have had great success. Ward said participating students have jumped on the opportunity, and many of them have joined their school’s ‘Green Team’ as a way to stay involved in energy efficiency projects. She said the energy they bring is contagious, especially in their Idaho Power Cohort projects. Ward said, “It also allows our students to then take part in energy efficiency projects, where they can then track the data and see if their project is making an impact.”
One big project coming up for the District is a pilot project, introducing eight new electric buses to school fleets. Leaders say they are able to excel as they have incredible resources. Ward said, “We’ve learned a lot, both verifying our energy management practices, but also opportunities for technical assistance.”
Going forward, they are relying on district funding, grant, and possible federal funding. Ward said, “It’s essential that we are as efficient as possible, that we are taking advantage of the opportunities to reduce our resource use, and that allows us to be fiscally responsible for the funding to go further.”
To learn more about the Boise School District’s Sustainability Program click HERE.