Texas School for the Deaf Unveils its
Global Green USA’s National Green School Makeover Competition Presented by Pureology
Today the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, TX, unveils its Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition, presented by Pureology . Over the last three months, TSD has worked alongside Global Green USA and Pureology to implement the proposed green upgrades on campus to conserve energy, water, and educate students and school staff on recycling – with cost savings that will be reinvested into the student’s education.
“We are thrilled with the installation and green upgrades at TSD,” said TSD Superintendent Claire Bugen. “We live on this campus 24 hours a day and we generate a lot of waste. With our green upgrades we will see a huge cost savings which we will reinvest back into the school’s curriculum, as well as make a positive impact on our environment!”
“The green makeover has made a great campus even better,” stated Representative Eddie Rodriguez. “The students and faculty at the Texas School for the Deaf will appreciate the benefits of this award for years to come.”
Situated just south of downtown in Austin Texas since established in 1856 by the state legislature, the Texas School for the Deaf is the oldest continuously operating, public school in Texas. Today, TSD’s 67-acre campus provides an exceptional education to deaf and hard of hearing students, ages 0-22. Though TSD’s state-of-the-art educational and residential facilities are fully equipped to meet the diverse needs of its student body, often repair and renovation funds are the first to go when budgets are tightened. With the grant, TSD’s green upgrades help the school address energy use, conservation and waste with:
· Energy efficient upgrades:
o Retrofitting light fixtures to allow for energy efficient bulbs – TSD will save enough energy to power an energy efficient 2 bedroom home for a year!
· Water conservation:
o Replace manual faucets with an automatic technology – with these new faucets, TSD will save enough water to fill 9 swimming pools!
o Install rain barrels to collect for water from the roof to use on campus to water areas that do not have irrigation. In addition, students learn vital functions of rainwater harvesting.
· Waste reduction:
o Install hands-free hand dryers in restrooms which saves paper and materials from going to the landfills. The new dyers take half the electricity to run and are also antimicrobial removing 98% of bacteria.
o Water Filtration: TSD spends $20,000 in bottled water every year – switching to reusable bottles and installing a tap filtration system allows funds saved to be put back into education. The new water filtration system will save TSD 88,000 bottles of water each school year!
· Educate student body on recycling:
o Install recycling bins across campus, making them readily available next to every trashcan, would make recycling easier and encourage recycling campus-wide.
o Educate school community on recycling and spread habits to home life as well would support a greener lifestyle.
“Over the next two years, Global Green USA will work closely with TSD to track the results of this green school makeover,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA. “It’s our hope that TSD will be an inspiration to schools, teachers, parents, and students across the country to take action and make their school more sustainable for the health and safety of our children and environment.”
“Pureology is proud to support Global Green USA and TSD with our Green School Makeover Competition to improve the lives of students while educating parents, teachers, students and the public about the importance of creating healthy green classrooms,” states Shae Kalyani, Vice President of Marketing for Pureology. “Stay tuned for more news about next year’s Global Green USA Green School Makeover Presented by Pureology!”
To watch the progress of TSD’s green makeover, please visit Pureology’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pureology . Pureology will be documenting the renovation process with photos and videos from January through June of 2012.
To view the winning entries, and to learn how you can implement green improvements in your school, home and community, please visit please visit www.globalgreen.org/greenschools
