Power

Wayzata School District in Minnesota isn’t afraid of creative ways to save energy. The suburban district located 13 miles west of Minneapolis is a longtime powerED participant at each of its eight elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school.

Wayzata School District students excel because they have access to enthusiastic teachers that know how important it is for students and parents to get engaged. More than 10,000 teachers, students and parents have pledged to cut energy waste since engaging in McKinstry’s powerED program. That call to action has paid off. The district has reduced energy consumption by 26 percent and avoided more than 5,600 metric tons of carbon emissions.

On October 30, Oakwood Elementary is taking energy savings one scary step further in a combined Halloween and Energy Action Month celebration. For one “spooky day,” the school will keep as many lights off as possible to raise awareness and demonstrate action.

Grab your flashlight and watch the energy savings roll in!

Join McKinstry and our clients as we celebrate Energy Action Month by pledging to take action. If you think you can’t affect the future of energy consumption, you’re wrong. It takes all of us, every day, taking actions small and big. Together, we CAN build a thriving planet.

The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) turned to McKinstry to identify energy-saving measures spanning 1.3 million square feet of campus space and 18 buildings on campus. The effort also included powerED, McKinstry’s behavior-focused energy management program, to boost their sustainability goals.

UNC leveraged powerED to challenge students, staff and faculty to take action in eliminating waste and reducing energy use. A steering committee of more than 25 students and staff assembled to guide the program, and members of UNC’s Green Team volunteered to lead various activities such as a carbon cube demonstration and building energy use tours. Much of the effort focused on demonstrating how small changes – such as turning off lights, unplugging unnecessary electronics, system improvements and conserving energy – can make a big difference.

More than 800 students and staff signed up for a People.Power.Planet account at UNC, checking off over 1,800 routine and 150 key actions to save energy. Through this effort and close collaboration with the facilities team and other departments, UNC has since reduced energy use by 25 percent campus-wide and avoided $1,335,000 in associated energy costs.

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SPARK

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Spooky energy savings at Wayzata School District

University of Northern Colorado saves big with energy action