Maplewood Elementary School in Coral Springs has proven that it is committed to energy conservation. The school showed it can go the lowest after winning the How Low Can You Go? Challenge for the second year in a row.
The ninth annual Miami Heat How Low Can You Go? Challenge is an initiative that encourages schools in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties to lower their carbon footprint by reducing energy, water and food waste from November to March, as compared to the previous year.
In the year-to-year comparison, Maplewood Elementary had the greatest percentage of reduction in its carbon footprint at 43%, which translates to savings of $17,263. Walter C. Young Middle School was also recognized as the most sustainable school in Broward County – reducing energy and water consumption – when looking solely at this year’s numbers. The school’s efforts produced a total savings of $15,531. The school with the greatest energy reduction was Deerfield Beach Middle School with $19,472 in savings, and Cypress Elementary conserved the most gallons of water, resulting in $2,795 in savings.
The winning schools were recognized at the last regular-season home game of the Miami Heat. Maplewood Elementary students will also host the Miami Heat at their school for a special congratulatory pep rally next school year.
In the nine years of the challenge, more than 15.5 million kilowatt hours have been saved by the three school districts, totaling more than $1 million in savings and eliminating more than 24 million pounds of CO2 emissions. The water reduction initiative, in its fifth year, has reduced consumption by more than 34.5 million gallons.
