by Brianna Crandall — April 26, 2013—Johnson Controls, global provider of solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings , celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by releasing its Top Earth Day Champions in Education list to highlight higher education institutions and kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school districts in North America that saved the carbon equivalent of 91,800 acres of forest through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at their facilities.
Here are the 2013 Top Earth Day Champions in Education and the amount of carbon dioxide emissions (in metric tons) they are saving annually through projects with Johnson Controls:
Higher Education Earth Day Champions
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA (41,270)
- Missouri State University, Springfield, MO (16,066)
- Lone Star College, Houston, TX (12,376)
- Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH (10,723)
- Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (7,654)
K12 Earth Day Champions
- Lester B. Pearson School Board, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (6,117)
- Central Bucks School District, Doylestown, PA (5,639)
- Calgary Board of Education, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (4,920)
- Buffalo City Schools, Buffalo, NY (3,615)
- Half Hollow Hills School District, Syosset, NY (3,575)
The champions earned a spot on the list by making their educational facilities more efficient using a variety of measures, including utilizing building management systems to optimize energy and operational efficiency, installing renewable energy technology, using more efficient lighting, and updating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Carbon pollution from building energy use is predicted to grow faster than any other sector in the next 25 years, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, making building efficiency in all kinds of buildings critically important for the protection of the environment, adds Johnson Controls.
According to the U.S. National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), colleges and universities annually spend more than $14 billion in operations and maintenance of buildings and grounds, and up to $7 billion on energy and utilities. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that K-12 schools spend more than $8 billion annually on energy, making energy the second highest operating expenditure for schools after personnel. The DOE projects that, on average, green schools save $100,000 per year on operating costs—enough to buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 textbooks.
Johnson Controls’ energy performance contracting projects have reportedly saved nearly 19 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to that saved by 15.5 million acres of forests, and generated savings of $7 billion in North America since 2000. With performance contracting, savings in energy consumption from facilities upgrades pay for the project over the term of the contract. If the savings are not realized, Johnson Controls pays the difference between the value of the measured and verified consumption and the guaranteed consumption under the contract.
