5/20/2009
MICHAEL STRAND
GYPSUM — It’s not often that new lights, heating and air conditioning systems are enough to cause a round of cheering at a high school.
But over the past couple of years at Southeast of Saline, students have been working on various recycling efforts, and they started the “Going Green” club.
Back in December, students approached the Southeast of Saline School Board with a series of suggestions that included replacing the school’s lighting with newer, energy efficient lights that would use roughly half the electricity.
Some of that progress was recounted at a school rally Wednesday afternoon — along with the announcement that the district is partnering with Philips Lighting and Trane to replace the school’s lighting and heating and air conditioning systems over the summer, at a total cost of about $1.4 million.
With the new, energy-efficient equipment, the district will save around $80,000 in energy costs and operating expenses each year, or roughly 21 percent of its energy budget.


For more on the energy savings at Southeast of Saline, read reporter Michael Strand's story in Thursday's Salina Journal.