The PLES Eco-Action Team consisting of students, faculty and community members is making good progress toward achieving the highest Eco-Schools award, the Green Flag, this school year. The Green Flag Award requires an audit, assessment, plan and progress in a minimum of three Eco-Schools pathways. Here is our status to date for the three pathways selected by Mrs. Griebenow:

1. Water Conservation: In the 2015-2016 school year, the Green Panthers replaced all bathroom 2.2 gallon-per-minute (GPM) faucet aerators with 0.5 GPM aerators. The cafeteria also replaced the high flow pre-rinse nozzle with a low flow unit donated by Colorado Springs Utilities. These measures are saving the school an average of 4,675 gallons of water each month, for a total of 56,100 gallons per year.

2. Energy Conservation: A detailed commercial energy audit performed during the 2015-2016 school year identified over $10,600 of potential savings per year from the implementation of seven energy conservation measures. These measures were primarily electrical versus natural gas. The first phase of implementing the energy action plan took place in early January with the replacement of 24 fluorescent tube bulbs with LED tube bulbs in Mrs. Rapaport's 4th Grade classroom. The projected savings is 782 kilowatt-hours and $86 per year. There are 1,199 fluorescent and incandescent bulbs in the school identified for replacement. If the current classroom test is successful, the remaining bulbs may be replaced as early as this school year.

3. Healthy Schools: This pathway looks primarily at toxic chemicals used in schools and indoor air quality. The Green Panthers have concluded the Healthy Schools audit and have identified three major areas for improvement. 1) Mrs. Griebenow has already instituted a "No Idle Zone" policy for cars, trucks and buses at the school This policy greatly reduces the amount of highly toxic exhaust gases that are pulled into the school through the ventilation system. 2) Toxic cleaning solutions for carpets, glass, and general purpose cleaning are used by D-38. The Green Panthers have recommended the District move to the widely available line of non-toxic cleaning supplies. 3) The insect sprays used by D-38 are extremely toxic to humans, primarily to nervous systems and reproductive organs. The Green Panthers researched effective non-toxic and environmentally friendly alternatives to kill and/or displace wasps.

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