8th Graders Participate in Community Harvest
September 17, 2008
WA-Oak Hill CDC CFL Drive
May 31, 2008
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) use up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to ten times longer. CFL bulbs reduce greenhouse gas emissions, smog, acid rain, and mercury pollution. From the government’s Energy Star website: “If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we would prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.”
However they need to be managed properly when broken and recycled when spent. See CFL Bulb Links to the right.
For a direct list of locations in Massachusetts for recycling old bulbs click on RecyclingCFLs
4,000 lbs of Electronics Recycling
May 15, 2008
In 2007, the United States placed an estimated 500 million PC’s (11 million tons) into the “waste” management stream. Metech performs reuse, recovery, and reclamation of parts whereby precious, ferrous, and toxic metals (cadmium, arsenic, lead, etc.) as well as plastic, glass, and cardboard are recycled, burned for energy, or isolated and manged as hazordous waste, The end result is a dramatic reduction in air/soil/water pollution, deforestation, strip mining impacts, and fossil fuel and energy consumption. For more information on Metech go to www.metech-arm.com and www.waenvironment.wordpress.com/category/waste.
Renewable Art
May 13, 2008
Renewable Energy at WA
May 13, 2008
WA’s First Earth Week April 22-25
May 13, 2008
The Environmental Club and WA were busy this week with a host of events and actions steps including
1) Upper School Assembly Presentation by the Environmental Club
2) Off-campus CFL Bulb Drive
3) Film Series: Crude Awakening
4) Kettle Brook #2 Clean Up
5) Solar and Bike Powering/Demo Stations
In the assembly the Club covered a review of climate change and greenhouse gas dynamics and how each of us are connected to and the impacts of our of food, power, fuel, and waste use/production. The Environment Club distributed approximately 500 energy saving bulbs to the WA off campus community. Thursday night the Club hosted a showing of the documentary “Crude Awakening”, the first in a series of films covering sustainability issues, which addressed the realities and complexities of peak oil. Finally, students rode bikes and solar panel stations were built that powered batteries which in turn charge computers,etc.
A. Specific steps to be taken (as outlined on Academy News)
1. CFL bulbs
2. Green Start ( http://www.massenergy.com/options.html )-Non-National Grid Members can sign up for the New England Wind Fund
3. GCC Habits
4. Sign up for the Soup, Salad, Bread Meal
4. Unplug all unused electronics
5. Fill up your tires
6. Drive Speed Limit
7. Buy Local/organic Food- Compost
Kettle Brook Clean Up #1
May 13, 2008
- WA Students
- Parker-Metals
- Kettle Brook Reservoir #3
- Kettle Brook Collage
- Kettle Brook Res. #1
- Kettle Brook Res #2
- Kettle Brook Falls
- Old Landfill
- Kettle Brook Res. #4
The Kettle Brook is one of the major northern headwaters of the Blackstone River. One of the most fascinating elements of the brook is how it connects four of the city of Worcester’s drinking water reservoirs before flowing into Cherry Valley, the southwest corner of the city, along New Balance Fields, through an industrial corridor on route to the Blackstone. Pristine pictures of the Kettle Brook Reservoirs, above, obscures the impacts of nearby roads, old land fills, agricultural land, and tributary streams running through neighborhoods.
WA Anti-Idling Initiative
May 13, 2008
W.A. took a step closer to adhering to MA anti-idling laws. Roger Randor, head of maintenance, placed WA’s first anti-idling sign on the Dorchester Street entrance fence. The next step is to build on demonstrated interest among the Parent Council to begin a grassroots movement for education and collective participation along with increasing signage. For more informationa go to:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/90-16a.htm
Idling vehicles waste as much 3.8 million gallons of gasoline a day in addition to increasing air pollution that negatively impacts our health. Typical estimates state that idling for more than 10 seconds wastes fuel, produces more air pollution, and wears down the engine faster than turning the engine off. For more information how to save gas and improve our air quality go to
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml
Green Cup Challenge 2008 Final Results and Impact
March 3, 2008
WA achieved a 9.8% reduction of electricity use, and finished 15th place (Heydon/Stoddard and the class of 2011 won the dorm and grade level competition, respectively). Shy of its 20% goal, it was a good effort for the school and a pivotal opportunity to begin profound sustainability culture on campus. The WA Environmental Club, lead by co-presidents Stephen Wright and Ryan Barry, is planning to host a film series addressing oil and climate change and a panel on the impact and improvement of WA’s transportation habits, while continuing to manage the school’s recycling and dining hall compost program, and orchestrating the CFL project (a bulb for every WA student and 1,000 bulbs distributed to the local community through a partnership with Oak Hill CDC). For more information on the GCC click on links to the right. Also click below for the WA 2008 GCC Videos.
Green Cup Challenge 2008: WA Launches CFL Bulb Initiative
January 22, 2008
To help kick off the GCC 2008, WA began its 2,350 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Initiative tonight by administering 132 of the energy efficient bulbs to dorm students. AOD Mr. Boccuzzi has been a key player in working to prep the boarders for the challenge. Resident faculty are currently ordering bulbs based on their needs and WA will be working this week with Oak Hill CDC to administer the remaining bulbs between the WA community and our Oak and Union Hill neighbors. The impact will be huge: up to 7,600 kW-hrs conserved for the WA campus during the GCC and an annual 99,000 kW-hr reduction for the entire project. This annual savings is equal to the amount of power used each year by 8-10 average households. (click on document below for more numbers). cflroi.doc






























