Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish plans to meet with school superintendents on Thursday to urge them to cut energy use in their districts.
“I’m challenging each school district to cut its energy use by 10 percent because, during these tough economic times, we all need to think outside the box to save money and be more energy efficient,” Denish said in a news release.
The state’s school districts spend more than $60 million each year in energy costs, the release states.
Denish said she’s partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the effort to offer the Energy Star Challenge to the state’s school districts. Each district will be asked to voluntarily commit to improving energy efficiency by 10 percent. In exchange for their pledge, districts will be provided with free tools, guidelines and training to assist them in meeting the energy challenge.
“Making our schools more energy efficient will save millions of dollars per year and will send our students an important message about protecting our environment and energy resources,” Denish said. “This measure alone won’t fix our state’s budget shortfall, but it’s an example of one creative measure we can take to be more fiscally responsible. We must find more like it.”
For more information about the initiative, contact Carlos Acosta at (505) 231-2094.